Page 2 of The Duke of a Thousand Desires

The past misted over. He narrowed his gaze. Ravenna was inching one step at a time toward the doors to the terrace. She looked as demure as an angel in her puffy-sleeved ball gown, her black curls confined by a pearl circlet. Knowing her as he did, however, he questioned her motives. Did she have cause to escape? Had someone upset her?

His hackles rose at the thought. He hadn’t noticed her talking to anyone except Rhys. The celebration tonight at the Park Lane mansion of her cousin Grayson Boscastle, the Marquess of Sedgecroft, was in honor of his son Rowan’s birthday.

Unofficially the family was also celebrating Ravenna’s upcoming wedding to the Welsh-English baronet she had been pledged to marry by her late father.

With luck Simon would have concluded his mission before he bumped into the betrothed couple. He had avoided meeting her fiancé until now. He wasn’t about to offer false congratulations. He had never recovered from losing her.

There was no reason for the world to know he had pursued her in his heart for what felt like an eternity. It was too late to make another bid for her unless he resorted to a desperate act. Which honor and friendship disallowed.

Furthermore, Simon’s private quest for retribution had to come before romance.

He’d been judged unworthy of her in the past. In his current dilemma, he certainly wasn’t good for her now. But seeing her again destroyed him.

“Hiding from someone?” a cultured male voice said at his side. “Or on the prowl?”

He turned to acknowledge Lieutenant Colonel Heath Boscastle, one of Ravenna’s London cousins. Simon trusted Heath unreservedly and wouldn’t think to deceive him. “A little of both,” he said. “And you?”

“Neither.” Simon had the embarrassing impression that Heath understood who held Simon’s interest and why. Could Heath know more than he should? Not unless Simon had been betrayed by a friend.

“Grayson’s wife has me on patrol,” Heath said. “She woke up with a sense that something will go amiss tonight. Judging by family history, it will. I’m not a bit superstitious, but it’s been proven that whenever one or two Boscastles appear in public together, the devil comes into active play.”

“Yes. I believe the stage has been set.” His eyes strayed again to Ravenna. He would dearly love to join her in an escapade. When had he last enjoyed himself with a woman he trusted? “Everyone seems to be behaving so far.”

“Nothing is as it seems,” Heath said. “It’s early yet. Shall we smoke a cigar in the garden while I make a nuisance of myself?”

He hesitated. “I’m headed there now, in fact.”

“Alone?”

He saw no point in concealing the truth from a former spy who could detect a lie several leagues away. “Yes -- if you don’t mind.”

“Why should I?” Heath declined a glass of champagne offered by a footman balancing a silver tray. “I noticed a waiter slipping you a note after supper.”

“Good grief,” he said. “Do you have a spying glass stuffed up your sleeve?”

Heath’s lean face creased in amusement. “Not quite. I also noticed you have a pair of opera glasses inside your jacket. Rather an odd accessory for an impromptu tryst, isn’t it? If I didn’t know better, I’d be concerned for your morals. Not that I am in a position to pass judgment.”

“You’ve caught me out,” Simon said with a grin. “I suppose it takes a rogue to recognize one. As to the spyglass – isn’t there an operetta later?”

“This doesn’t sound like the typical arrangement,” Heath said, not about to be misled.

“I don’t have time to explain.” He lowered his voice. “What if I said I only wanted a closer look at Venus in the night sky?”

“Stargazing is a satisfying activity. But why not visit Grayson’s observatory? There is a magnificent view from the rooftop. And a telescope.”

“Too many people.”

Heath clearly didn’t believe a word of it. “Certain elements of nature are best appreciated in the company of others.”

“I’m not in the mood for scientific conversation.”

“This rendezvous involves your personal crusade?”

“I’m hopeful.”

“An eligible duke stands out like a diamond in a bed of dirt. Be cautious.”

“I intend to.”