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He was very large, blocking her vision, and she leaned past him to glance at the now-deserted seat in the shadows. Her intended target had vanished. “I don’t suppose you could tell me where I might find my host? I’m afraid we were delayed, and I haven’t had a chance to greet him. ”
“We? Have I trespassed on some gentleman’s previous claim? I saw no one with you when you floated through the door like a radiant angel. ”
She didn’t like him, she decided abruptly. In the past she usually made an effort, but she was no longer willing to spend her time with flirtatious buffoons. “No one has any claim on me,” she said with a soft edge.
He leaned forward, too close, and murmured in a heated voice, “Then may I stake mine?” There was no missing the double entendre, but Miranda simply blinked up at him innocently.
“I’m afraid I do need to see Lord Rochdale. Perhaps we might talk later. ”
He took her hand in his thick one and brought it to his mouth, pressing his lips against the soft kidskin, dampening the leather before pulling it into the crook of his arm. “It would be my honor to take you to him. I don’t know why you would want to, but one must do the pretty, eh? Come with me. ”
He started toward the far side of the room, the row of French doors that presumably led to some sort of balcony, and short of getting into a public brawl there was nothing she could do but go along with him. “Did he ask you to bring me to him?”
“Certainly,” Mr. Panelle said immediately. “It’s devilish hot in here, isn’t it? He’ll be waiting outside on the terrace. ”
Bloody hell, Miranda thought, not believing him for one moment. He was a big man, but she was more than capable of getting away from him if it came to that. And perhaps she was wrong and he was acting on his host’s behalf.
The night was blissfully cool after the overheated room, and the moon was bright overhead, almost full. And there was no one out on the terrace at all.
“Lord Rochdale must have changed his mind,” she said, glancing about her. “We should go back …”
Gregory Panelle swooped her into his arms, clasping her to his manly bosom with surprising clumsiness as he leaned down to kiss her. “You know as well as I do that Lucien’s not out here. Damn, but you’re a sweet little piece of crumpet. I never realized it before. ” He aimed for her mouth, but she jerked her head to one side and his wet, blubbery lips landed on her chin. His grip was quite strong, and she stood still, frozen in his arms, awaiting her chance.
“Come on now, don’t be missish,” he complained. He moved one hand and clamped it over her breast, squeezing tightly, still imprisoning her with his strong arm. “You and I both know you’re not too good for this. Treat me nicely and I may see about setting you up somewhere with a place of your own. ”
“I have a place of my own,” she said icily. “And if you don’t take your bloody hands off me you’ll regret it. ”
He made the mistake of laughing. “I like a girl with spirit. Trust me, you don’t want anything to do with the likes of the Scorpion. He’s a Very Bad Man. ”
“And you’re a
good one?” she said derisively, biding her time, carefully choosing her target.
“Well, not nearly so bad as Lucien, if truth be told, and a hell of a lot handsomer. He’s as ugly as sin and twice as mean when he gets riled. The man’s ruthless. ” he said, pinching her breast so hard it was all she could do not to squeak with pain.
“Then do you think you ought to manhandle his guests and risk his wrath?” a silken voice came out of the darkness.
Miranda made her move. It was far from ladylike, but so very effective. She brought her knee up, very hard, between his legs, slamming into that male part of him she had particular cause to dislike, and his high-pitched scream was much prettier than Signor Tebaldi’s most measured cadences. He fell away from her, collapsing on the stone terrace as he made agonized, whistling noises, curling in on himself like a baby.
If she’d been alone she would have kicked him for good measure. Instead, she looked up at the man who’d appeared from the shadows, and by the light of the clear March moon had her first good look at the Scorpion.
She didn’t blink. He was a tall man, and lean, almost gaunt. The scars across his face were old but nonetheless vicious, and she couldn’t quite identify their origins. Something had raked across his face, leaving furrows, and there were other deeper, neater lines from something else even more cutting. He was dressed in the first degree of elegance, all in funeral black, and he leaned on a gold-headed cane.
“Look your fill, Lady Miranda,” he said softly in that well-remembered voice. “I owe you at least that much for failing to protect you from an oaf like Panelle. Would you care to see me walk? You don’t get the full effect of my monstrousness until you see me move. ” He turned around slowly, leaning heavily on the cane, and she could see that one leg was bent slightly, twisted, as if broken and never set properly.
He had long dark hair, but he’d tied it back from his face rather than use it to shield himself, and when he faced her she looked more closely, past the scars. He had a narrow, clever face with high cheekbones, and his eyes looked faintly exotic, tilted. She couldn’t see their color in the moon-washed landscape, but they were very pale, unusually so. His nose was thin, strong, with a slight twist to it. Oddly enough, his mouth had scarcely been touched by whatever horror had befallen the rest of him. His upper lip was narrow, thoughtful. His lower one full and sensuous. What did it feel like to kiss that mouth? she thought with distant, shocking curiosity.
Author: Anne Stuart
“As you see, I’m quite appalling,” he said in that gentle, seductive voice. “I thought it better if you were warned. Doubtless any number of people told you not to come tonight, not to allow my friendship. ”
“No,” she said calmly. “No one said anything at all. ”
For a moment he looked surprised. “Dear me … All that effort in building a terrifying reputation and it fails me completely. ”
“Well, to be sure, I don’t go out much in society, so there wasn’t much of a chance for anyone to head me off,” she said in a placating voice. “I’m sure if any of my friends or family knew I’d made the acquaintance of such a hardened villain they would have warned me away, but they’re all out of town. ”
For a moment an odd expression crossed his face. “Then I can only be glad for your absence of company,” he said in that soft, drawling voice. “This way we can get to know each other without helpful relatives interfering. ” His expression was just on the very edge of a smile, one that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ve bespoke dinner for the two of us in my study. I would hope you’d agree to join me. ”
