Unconventional Suitors 02 - Her Unconventional Hero Read Online Free PDF Page B

with his wife. She had been the one to write feverishly about his abhorrent wardrobe and each resulting faux pas in her column, the pinnacle being when she had discovered that his voucher to Almack’s had been revoked. Mr. Bell had informed her that the paper had sold a record number of copies that day, which pleased him immensely. But unfortunately, since his somewhat hasty wedding to Lady Gillian, now the Countess of Danford, the man had begun dressing in nothing less than the height of fashion and had managed to behave himself extraordinarily well.
    Drat , Adel thought, as she peeled her eyes away from the striking couple who looked very much in love, in hopes of finding another poor target for her work. Sidling over to the edge of the ballroom, she noticed a couple with their heads bent close together, talking anxiously. Putting her back against the wall, she dropped her head and hunched her shoulders, hoping to appear as inconspicuous as possible.
    Inching along the wall, she felt the heavy drapes clinging to her dress and being pulled along the wall with her as she walked. Taking a step away from the wall, she reached one hand back and pushed the offending material away and continued her pursuit. Adel paused when she was only two feet away from the couple, positive that they had not noticed her approaching. She trained her ears to the sound of their voices before turning her eyes to scan the crowded dance floor in an effort to appear as if she was oblivious to their conversation.
    “You can’t do this to me, my lord, for we had an agreement,” the lady, whom Adel didn’t know, spoke in a frantic whisper.
    Out of the corner of her eye, Adel saw the man clasp his hand around the woman’s wrist as he pulled her forcefully towards him. “There was nothing binding about our agreement. I said it only to appease you and get what I wanted from you at the time. Suffice it to say that you are useless to me now, and I wish to have no further association with you.”
    The lady gasped and Adel did not blame her, for the man was being abominably rude. “Lord Crestin, do not speak such hateful words if you do not mean them. History has shown that you are unable to stay away from me.”
    Adel quickly stored the name Lord Crestin in her memory as she continued to eavesdrop.
    “Only because you keep blackmailing me into coming back,” Lord Crestin snarled at the still unnamed lady.
    “Oh do not sound so upset about it, my lord. You and I both know that you wouldn’t keep coming back if you didn’t want to,” purred the lady in a sultry voice that made Adel blush. She turned her head to the side to try and hide the color blooming on her cheeks from their view should they turn their heads in her direction.
    “I’m warning you, do not attempt anymore of your tricks on me, for I promise you will live to regret it.”
    Adel felt a rush of wind pass by her face as Lord Crestin stalked angrily away, leaving the woman all alone. Now was her time to leave. She quickly gathered the hem of her skirt in her hand and scurried off in the opposite direction of the lady as she kept her eyes averted. She needed to retire to a private location so she could write down what she had learned on her pad of paper.
    A few hurried steps later, Adel gasped as she felt herself collide with another body. The breath whooshed out of her lungs at the unexpected contact as her eyes slid up to look at who she had so rudely ran in to. Another gasp escaped of its own accord as her eyes settled on the sinfully wicked eyes of Lord Straton.
    She instantly took a step back, “I apologize, my lord, for not watching where I was going. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” she said as she tried to step around him, but he was quicker than she, effectively blocking her with his large stature.
    Adel looked up at him with disdain, “Pardon, my lord, but if you will please excuse me, I am in a bit of a hurry.”
    “Where are you off to in such a rush? Perhaps I can be of