The Pirate and the Puritan Read Online Free PDF Page A

Samantha, he’d wasted his effort in toning down Lord
Christian’s flamboyant wardrobe. And Felicity would never be charmed by his
notorious good looks alone, no matter how he packaged himself. She behaved
unlike any woman he had ever come across. He wouldn’t forget that again.
    Cool suffocating silence settled
over the small gathering like a blanket of snow. Samantha cracked under the
strain first. She excused herself and gracefully retreated.
    “Benjamin, how about a nip of rum
before dinner? It makes the food easier to digest,” suggested Philip.
    Ben nodded. “Felicity, come along
and I’ll find you a fan and a cool place to sit. You look flushed.”
    “I’d rather stay out here. The
breeze seems to lighten the air.”
    Ben’s gaze bounced between Drew
and Felicity. It appeared he didn’t want to leave them alone. Not that Drew
could blame him. “Lord Christian, care to join us?”
    “No. Thank you.”
    Linley’s pinched features
relaxed. Ben, on the other hand, yanked his fingers through his remaining tufts
of hair. He leaned toward Felicity. “Remember your promise.”
    Felicity nodded, but her dusky
inferno of a gaze never left Drew.
    With one last backward glance,
Ben disappeared into the buzzing houseful of guests along with Philip Linley.
    ***
     
    “You are even more despicable than
I imagined! That woman is our host’s wife,” snapped Felicity the moment the
tall French doors closed.
    “May I say you look lovely
tonight, Miss Kendall? Black suits you.”
    “Don’t mock me. I’m not taken
with your presence, as is Mistress Linley. I see you for the snake you are.”
    Felicity laced her fingers in
front of her to keep from self-consciously smoothing her drab skirts. That
there would be a complete absence of Puritan modesty on the island was
something she hadn’t anticipated. She wore the identical garment she’d had on
at their first meeting. Not even a trace of embroidery adorned her plain white
collar. For the first time since she’d wholeheartedly embraced the protective
armor of her mother’s religion, she experienced a new emotion…shame? She felt
as if she should be serving the guests rather than being one of them.
    He lounged against the stone
railing, smiling at her taunt. “Yet you didn’t heed my warning or you wouldn’t
be here.”
    “Yes. The snakes are poisonous. I
remember from our last meeting. You’ve no need to worry. I don’t intend to get
close enough to feel your bite. The only reason I’m here is because my father
insisted. Word of my arrival spread over the island and Master Linley wanted to
meet me.
    “I meant out here. Alone with me.
Maybe you’re jealous.”
    She choked on her anger, having
to gasp for breath before she could speak. “Your immoral habits are no concern
of mine, except when they involve my father. Seducing the wife of a man you
trade with is not the act of a gentleman. I refuse to stand by while you taint
my father’s good name.”
    A couple dressed in shades of
lime green and flame orange strolled out onto the terrace. They paused against
the railing a few yards away. Though they entwined their bewigged heads in an
intimate conversation, their presence was as loud and unsettling as the cries
of the vibrant-colored parrots that inhabited the island.
    Drew’s glance casually swept over
the couple before resting on Felicity again. “Since you’ve taken it upon
yourself to chastise me for all my shortcomings, I suggest you move closer. We
wouldn’t want to scare the other guests with your shrill lecture.”
    She inched toward the wall, where
he draped himself like a sultan awaiting his every whim to be fulfilled.
Pretending to admire the sea saved her from looking at him. His appeal as a man
agitated her as much as his arrogant nature. She once again clasped her hands
to stop their slight tremble, refusing to let him know he unnerved her. To calm
herself, she tried to slow her rapid breathing to the rhythmic sound of the
waves lapping