The Unlikely Wife Read Online Free PDF Page A

know if she had given in to convention and worn a corset. And he hated to think that half a dozen other men already knew.
    He realized he had actually started toward her and tried to stop himself. Instead, he thought of excuses for asking her to dance. They would be traveling together; they should be on friendly terms. He didn’t want her imagining that he was afraid of her. He didn’t want to pass up a chance to touch her.
    He had made his way across two-thirds of the room when he noticed another man doing the same. The minx seemed to have set her sights on a colonel. Well, why was he surprised? The room probably looked like a huge buffet to her. He had only imagined her glances in his direction.
    He stopped and waited for the colonel to claim her. He would dance one dance with the blonde, then leave. He hadn’t wanted to come in the first place. To his surprise, when the colonel moved onto the dance floor, it was the blonde he had on his arm. Miss Huntington was standing alone, holding two cups and smiling after them like a proud mother.
    He moved quickly to her side. “Your cousin’s a fast learner,” he said.
    She wasn’t surprised to see him, but the comment had taken her off guard. She gave herself a moment then smiled up at him. “Why, whatever do you mean?”
    The little tease was mimicking his accent. He would ignore it. “You were instructing her in the fine art of flirting, weren’t you? It’s probably quite a challengeteaching someone something that comes so naturally to you.”
    Her dimples deepened. “I do my best. Oh, look, here comes General Hale.”
    Her means of escape, if that was what she wanted. And his, too. But he didn’t want to escape.
    Rebecca spoke to the general before he came to a complete stop beside her. “General, your wife has given such a lovely party. We’re having a wonderful time.”
    “I’m glad you’re enjoying it, my dear. Lieutenant.”
    Clark returned the greeting. He should excuse himself. He would. At the moment he opened his mouth, he felt her hand come down lightly on his arm. The cups were stacked in her other hand, and her attention was on the general. He looked down at the hand to make sure he hadn’t imagined it.
    “General, could you do me a favor?”
    What trouble did the lady have in mind?
    “Anything, my dear,” the general said gallantly. Clark wanted to groan.
    “Take care of our cups, will you? The lieutenant has just asked me to dance.”
    It happened so quickly he felt a little light-headed. One moment he was ready to face General Hale’s displeasure, the next the dark-haired beauty was in his arms. After a moment he said, “I don’t recall asking you to dance.”
    “But you did!” she declared, the picture of innocence. He opened his mouth to disagree only to have her add, “Your eyes did, at any rate.”
    “I suppose I’ll have to take your word for it.”
    She smiled up at him, her eyes dancing. “I’ll admit I might have seen what I wanted to. But if I hadn’t claimed this dance, you and the general would have started talking about army business, and I would have been bored to death with no graceful way of escape. No one’s asked me to dance for just ages.”
    “Two dances.” At her surprised look he clarified, “You haven’t danced for two dances.”
    “Keeping track, Lieutenant?”
    Clark sighed and held her closer, spinning her around, hoping to distract her. The best policy for dealing with this young lady was to keep his mouth shut. She seemed content to dance, probably savoring her victory. He decided to savor the sensation of her in his arms. He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed to feel the stays of a corset under the fabric of her dress.
    She sighed gently; he felt it more than heard it. Probably calculated seduction. He would hate for her to know how well it was working. He wanted to hustle her outside to some lonely spot and claim at least a kiss. He didn’t dare. And she knew it.
    Her right hand in