Shirley Kerr Read Online Free PDF Page A

accepting my marriage proposal.”

Chapter 3
    C harlotte felt light-headed.
    “Married? At your age?” Father’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Bed the wench and be done with it.”
    Charlotte would have gasped, had she been able to draw a deep enough breath.
    Moncreiffe tucked her against his side, his hand around her shoulder. “I’ll thank you to speak more respectfully of my intended, sir.”
    Father held the candelabrum higher and leaned toward them over the balcony railing, examining Charlotte. Moncreiffe held his ground, and his grip on Charlotte. She stayed perfectly still, chin up, hardly daring to breathe.
    At last the older gent backed up. With a harrumph, he grabbed his companion, who was obviously cold in her thin dress, and retreated back into their room, mutteringimprecations about “that damn stiff-rumped duke’s doing” as he slammed the door.
    Charlotte had grown roots. Couldn’t move if she tried. Never in all her years of working on the Continent had she found herself in such a situation.
    Moncreiffe cleared his throat and took a step back, leaned over the railing as though judging the distance to jump to the ground. Finally he faced her. “I most humbly beg your pardon, Miss Parnell.”
    Her mouth fell open.
    “I don’t know what came over me. I just couldn’t give him the satisfaction of thinking that I, that you and I, er…”
    “Had a carnal relationship?” She had the satisfaction of seeing his Adam’s apple bob, even above his cravat.
    “Er, yes. He keeps telling me to, ah, sow wild oats, as it were. And I would never , er, not that you’re not appealing, but…”
    She folded her arms over her chest. “Keep digging. You’re well on your way to China.” His discomfort should have increased hers, but instead had the opposite effect. Her breathing almost back to normal now, she saw the humor in the outrageous situation.
    He ducked his chin, his blue eyes sparkling, his full lips twitching as he held back a smile. Her stomach fluttered.
    “The good news is, I doubt Madame Cyprian, whoever she was, will tell anyone of our encounter, and my father certainly won’t. The last thing he wants is for me to become engaged. That would make my grandfather far too happy.”
    Sounded like a family situation she should stay far away from.
    “I appreciate you playing along like that. You’re very quick on your feet.”
    At least he hadn’t made the mistake of saying “light” on her feet. She was trying to think of something brilliant and witty to say when Moncreiffe rested a hand on the railing and leaned toward her. “But I must confess to a great deal of curiosity as to why you were hanging from the rooftop.”
    Oh. About that. Hmm. She tossed the question back to him to stall. “And I am curious how you came to be out here, with such propitious timing.”
    Moncreiffe hadn’t moved away. “I was preparing to make some astronomical observations from the roof next door when I saw a more earthly body in a precarious position.” His teeth gleamed in the semi-darkness as he smiled. “And you, Miss Parnell?”
    She gulped. His hand rested on the railing at her back. He stood close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his body, remember the feel of it next to hers, inhale his scent. She could not let that distract her. Men became insensible, talkative creatures around her—not the other way around. “You’re sure your father won’t speak of our encounter?”
    His lips twitched, silently acknowledging her diversionary tactic. “Certain of it.”
    “Then we should leave before anyone else discovers us and reaches the wrong conclusion.” She ducked past his arm and reached for the door handle. She’d used several extra pins to hold up her hair in case she needed one topick a lock, but fortunately, Madame Melisande was a trusting person, or just careless, and had failed to lock it. Charlotte hurried inside.
    “You don’t seem the usual type of burglar,”