Rogue in Red Velvet Read Online Free PDF Page A

bolted from his unwanted, ardent suitors before now.
    Escaping from the prospect of what promised to become an excruciating musicale one afternoon, she made her way to a small storeroom, where she found another nest of family books. Thankfully, these were collections of letters, bound into volumes, rather than the huge inventories and she carried the half dozen books into the library, to the table she had commandeered for her use during this visit.
    She paused in the doorway. “Good afternoon, sir.”
    Alex glanced up and smiled, then returned to his book. He’d come here for the last few days, poring over the receipt books she’d found the day she met him. “Did you know they made their own spirit here in the old days? It was called raspberry cordial but from the ingredients listed here it contained considerably more than raspberries and water. They were skilled at the use of the still. Ladies could indulge in spirits without appearing unladylike, one imagines.”
    “And ratafia is different?” She put the books down at the end of the table. “Flavored with almonds but completely lethal. I’ve seen one of my aunts take glass after glass and not able to stand up at the end of the evening. Aunt Joleta is famous for the problems she has with her legs. It isn’t her legs, it’s her balance.”
    He looked up, a smile wreathing his features. “I have relatives like that. One of my aunts never goes anywhere without her sedan chair and a pair of sturdy footmen to carry her around. Sometimes I look forward to old age. They call it eccentricity. In me it would be something far worse.”
    Age would suit him. She doubted he’d lose his power or that magnetic presence.
    She shook her head. “Sometimes it’s because they have nothing else. They’re missing something.”
    He straightened. “Sometimes it’s because they aren’t satisfied with what they have.”
    “Are you speaking from experience?” She should really put a guard on her tongue, but with him it was so easy to say what she thought.
    He nodded curtly. “I’ve known people like that. They destroy everything to get what they want. Then they don’t want it.”
    “Will you be like that?” She shouldn’t have asked such an impertinent question and turned away, picked up one of the books. “I’m sorry. I always say too much. I try so hard not to but it happens. Could you pretend I didn’t say that?” Usually she had no problems with people she didn’t know well but she found herself relaxing far too much around him and not reminding herself who he was and what he represented. Money, power, influence.
    “No.” He sounded closer.
    His proximity disturbed her, sent her heart racing and tightened her throat. Even now, even when she couldn’t see him or feel him, she sensed him. The scent of his light citrusy cologne washed over her in a seductive wave. Ignoring it was no longer possible, although she’d tried to do it for days now.
    “No, I won’t pretend. People do that too much. You’re charming, Connie, and you shouldn’t let people cow you.”
    While not shy, she was so very aware of what people said about her. A childhood of blurting out inappropriate comments had only added to her discomfort in company. She was supposed to not care but she did and sometimes it hurt too much, even when the criticism came from people she didn’t particularly care about. “I should have a thicker skin.”
    “Or someone who understands you and wants to take care of you. Do you think Jasper Dankworth will do that?”
    She didn’t look on Jasper as a soul mate. “I’m sure I can learn to live with my unfortunate vulnerability. Please don’t concern yourself.”
    She turned, the book she’d picked up, forming an effective barrier between them. “I found some letters this morning. Shall we see if they connect with the entries in the inventories?”
    He returned to the inventories. “What dates do you have?”
    “This one is 1589.”
    She flipped through the