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  He groaned, her tantalizing words striking him to the core. His heart started to race. She was doing the one thing that many women failed to do. Her words were eliciting an emotional response from him. Who was the one in control now? Her or him? He had a feeling it was her. It had always been her. He went back over what she had said to him. She had called him Gilbert. That unsettled him. He hadn’t given her leave to do so, and he had to admit, it sounded bloody good coming out of her mouth.

  Where the hell was Lewis?

  The night air was cold, and yet, he felt awfully hot all of a sudden.

  “I think, Miss Fortescue that I should leave you here to contemplate your behavior tonight.”

  “My behavior?” she asked, her lips turning up into a saucy smile. “Shouldn’t we be going over your behavior? You, sir, are a rogue.”

  “I think my behavior had something to do with your behavior.”

  “I don’t think so,” she said sweetly. “I think you have been imbibing too much, sir.”

  “About that. What did you do to my glass of punch? You did something to do it, didn’t you, you little minx?”

  “Me? I did nothing of the kind. I am a good little lass.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her. “I think you are…and then, I think you aren’t. I think there was a reason my friend warned you about me, and I am wishing I had heeded his advice.”

  “I am not dangerous. Only the way you feel about me could make me dangerous.”

  “I…I don’t feel anything for you,” he said, hoping she would not see through his lie.

  She walked toward him, and boldly placed her hand over his heart. “I think you do. You have done since you first touched me. You…your soul called to mine, Gilbert, and my soul is answering.”

  “No…” he said harshly, pushing her away, he turned around. He really needed Lewis right now. “You are doing something to me. I know you are. You are muddling my thoughts, you are reaching inside of me, and manipulating my emotions. You are making me love you.”

  “No one can force another person to love them. Love doesn’t work that way, Gil. I am only doing what you want me to do. You asked me to marry you. I think I might take you up on that offer.”

  “No,” he said quickly. “I retract it.”

  “You would be in breach of promise, Gil, and you wouldn’t want to do that, would you?”

  He shook his head. “Stop this bloody nonsense right now.”

  “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  “You are a bloody siren. That is what you are.”

  “You said I was a fairy. What am I? Siren or fairy? Decide quickly, sir, or I might take great offense, and you do not want to see me when I am in a prickly mood.”

  “Fairy,” he said softly.

  She smiled. Her smile was brilliant, and bathed him in warmth. “Thank you,” she said softly. “I knew you were a gentleman at heart.”

  “You know more than you let on,” he said waspishly.

  “Why would you say that?” she asked, blinking her eyes in mock innocence.

  “If you know what you are…and you are in control of your powers…then, why didn’t you save your uncle? Why let my friend do it? Why would you let the Colonel suffer for so long?”

  “Now, you are starting to worry me, Gil. I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  “I am talking about curses…”

  “Curses? I wouldn’t know anything about those, but if I did…I would say that some curses can only be broken by certain people, again, that’s pure supposition on my part. You see, there is a little thing called destiny—or so I have been told.”

  Her eyes flashed. For one moment, he thought he saw his future in their sparkling green depths. What was it with magical creatures and having green eyes?

  Her eyes were like Lewis’s, but a little different. They had a hint of mischief to them that Doc’s did not possess. Lewis’s words came back to him.

  Fairies do things for their own amusement.

  Unsettled, he tried to put more distance between them. With every step he took backward, she took one promising step forward. Where the hell was everyone else? Did she not have anyone to worry about her? She had a bunch of aunts and not one had come to collect her yet.

  “Kiss me again,” she said in a sultry tone. “I want to feel your lips against mine again.” He shook his head. She was so vivacious. How could he resist her? Stay strong. Resistance was the only way he would survive her thrall.

  “I would rather kiss a frog,” he muttered.

  “Oh, come now. Speak the truth, Gil.”

  “I…I want to kiss you and never let you go,” he exclaimed.

  “That is more like it,” she said silkily. “Alas, you shall have to wait for your kiss. I think we are about to be discovered, and I wouldn’t want us to be found in a compromising position. That wouldn’t do…not at all.”

  He pulled at his cravat, the color edging up his neck to flood his cheeks. Now, he was the one undone. She liked seeing their places switched. It entertained her.

  “Lucky, what are you doing? There are plenty of ladies waiting to take a turn with you on the dance floor…” Lord Blessing demanded, his voice trailing off as he realized that Gil was not alone.

  She turned to face the two lords that had interrupted their little rendezvous. It was Lord Cary and she already knew the one that had spoken was Fanny’s husband, Lord Blessing.

  Her spell had been shattered. She had to away.

  “I am terribly sorry, my lords, but I must go and talk to my aunts. Lord Langford might need your help. He looks as if he could use a little a fortifying tipple,” she laughed.

  Brushing past them, she walked back into the house and headed for the ballroom. As she left, she heard a bit of their conversation.

  “She…she was using her magic on me, Lewis.”

  “Magic?” Lord Blessing asked completely dumbfounded.

  “You have to stop her,” Lord Langford said.

  “I don’t think I want to. You do not look as if you are suffering much,” Lewis muttered. “Besides, she looks as if she is having too much fun, and so do you.”

  Oh, she was enjoying herself, and she would continue to do so for the rest of the night. Lord Langford had made his feelings for her apparent. Now, she only had to give him a bit of a nudge in the right direction. Staying at Elysium Hall was starting to become a tedious affair. She wanted to spread her wings. She wanted to soar. Somehow, someway, she would find a way to claim her freedom and marrying Lord Langford would help her to do just that.

  “What have you been up to?” Desi asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. “You look like you have been making mischief, and I don’t like it. That’s my role in the family.”

  Hope smiled indulgently at her little sister. Even sour old Desi couldn’t ruin her elated mood.

  “I don’t think you should worry about what I am up to, Desi, dear. Mayhap, you should worry about what you are doing. You need to stop pulling unsuspecting suitors onto the dance floor. You are making a spectacle of yourself, and someone other than me is bound to notice. Do you understand?”

  “I shall do whatever I like. I do not need your permission.”

  “Maybe not. But you do require Mama’s permission, and I am of the mind to tell her that you are misbehaving, and if she finds out that you are doing something that Papa forbade…well, you would be in for a world of hell.”

  “If you tell her I am misbehaving, I shall tell her what you are up to with Lord Langford.”

  “Oh, Desi. If you do, she will welcome the news, and embrace me happily—she will even help me in my endeavor to land Lord Langford. She wants me to find a husband, but I can assure you of one thing, she won’t want you bringing scandal down upon our heads. Not that kind of scandal. Now be a good little girl and mind your manners. Leave Lord Chorley alone—he is not meant for you.”

  “And what if I don’t?”

  “If you don’t, I might decide to cause you a
bit of trouble too. I am feeling wonderfully mischievous tonight. Do you understand my meaning?”

  Snorting loudly, Desi tried to look stubborn. Her expression wavered, and then completely broke. “Fine,” she said. Desi gave Hope one last dirty look, and stomped off.

  Desi had been dealt with. Now, she had to find a way to stay at Blessing Hall. Lord Langford was hers, and she wasn’t going to let him get away. Walking over to her aunts, she tried to look as pitiful as possible, and let out a little cough to help her performance.

  Instantly alert, her Aunt Priscilla’s eyes went wide.

  “I think you are right, Aunt Priscilla. I do not think I should have washed my hair so soon before going out in the carriage. I think I might have caught cold, and I do not think I am up for the ride back to Elysium Hall. Perhaps, Fanny would allow me to stay here for the night.”

  “Oh, yes, indeed,” Priscilla said. “You take my chair, and I shall go and tell Fanny that you are staying here. I am certain she can lend you some clothing during your stay.”

  “Thank you, Aunt Priscilla,” she said softly.

  Susanna eyed her with a raised eyebrow. “You do not look ill to me, Hope.”

  “Leave the girl alone,” Phoebe said hotly. “She knows how she feels, and we shan’t take any chances with her health, not after how her own dear papa passed.”

  “Quite right,” Abigail agreed.

  Hope’s stomach muscles clenched. Everyone knew that her father’s health had gone downhill almost overnight. One minute, he had been the picture of health, and the next minute, he was six feet under. That was one of the reasons why her aunts fretted over her and her sisters so. They believed that they had frail constitutions, and normally she would dispute that belief. Not tonight. No, tonight, she would use it to her advantage.

  Priscilla walked back toward them with Fanny. Fanny looked radiant tonight. She wore red, and stood out amongst the other guests.

  Her cousin’s penetrating gaze made more color flush her cheeks.

  “I welcome having you stay at Blessing Hall, Hope. Shall you take supper with us?”

  “Oh, no, Fanny. I really do think I should retire. My head is pounding terribly.”

  “Ah, in that case, you should go and rest. I shall send my maid, Kelly up to you and have some hot chocolate brought up to you.”

  “Thank you, Fanny,” she smiled widely at her cousin, and then took her leave.

  Once all of the guests had either left or retired for the night, she would seek out Lord Langford and keep him from doing something that he would regret for the rest of his life.

  Chapter Ten

  The bed was toasty warm, and she felt sleepy.

  Fighting the urge to fall into a dreamless slumber, she waited and watched the clock that stood on the bedside table. It was nearly three am. Surely, the guests had retired by now, or returned to their carriages to go home.

  Still, she was loathe to leave the bed. Perhaps, she should abandon her plan, and let Lord Langford do whatever he liked. She sighed. Try as she might, she could not convince herself to do that. If she stayed in her cozy bed, Lord Langford would depart Blessing Hall, and it would be that much harder for her to find him.

  No, indeed. She didn’t feel like traipsing halfway across England for him. He would have to abandon the notion of continuing his wanderings. It was time for him to settle down, and she would make that quite clear to him.

  She pushed back her covers, and jumped out of bed. Racing over to the wardrobe, she found the slippers she’d worn at the ball, and slipped them onto her feet. Something tickled her at the back of her neck. It felt as if someone had actually touched her there. Rubbing the spot, she walked over to the window that had a clear view of the stables. Squinting, she barely made out the form of a man walking in the darkness.

  “Oh, no, you don’t. You shan’t get away from me that easily,” she muttered. Abandoning all hope of enacting her plans in a quiet fashion, she bolted for her bedchamber door.

  Dashing down the steps, she ran for the door closest to the stables. Damnation. She could still hear the butler rattling about the place. Would he ever retire to his own quarters? She plastered herself up against the wall, and prayed that since she didn’t hold a candle, he wouldn’t notice her. He was whistling a jaunty tune, and his candle flickered in the darkness, as he went about his business checking all of the doors to make certain he had locked up the house for the night. He sounded a little too jolly. She smiled and resisted the urge to laugh. He sounded drunk, and by the way he was walking, he was obviously more than a bit tipsy. The guests weren’t the only ones who would be dealing with the effects of too much alcohol come morning.

  Before Mr. Davies walked back past her, she slipped out of the house, into the darkness of the night. Fortunately, the moon cast enough of a glow to illuminate her way to the stables. She stopped halfway to the stables, and watched as Gil halted and turned back to look her way. Thunder danced across his handsome features. She had been spotted, and he was heading her way.

  Lawks.

  He was going to kill her.

  Her plan had seemed like a good idea twenty minutes ago, and now, now, she wanted to run. He looked like God’s revenge against murder.

  This was a bad idea. How on Earth could she deal with a man like that? His power rivalled her own.

  Turning to flee, she tripped over her own two feet, and fell to her knees. For the first time, she noticed how cold it was.

  Why hadn’t she stayed in her bed?

  Just when she thought it couldn’t get any worse, the heavens opened up and it started pouring rain. “Thank you,” she muttered, looking heavenward.

  Lord Langford moved faster than she had anticipated. Strong arms lifted her from where she knelt, and he pulled her back against him. Her heart raced, and she felt a little faint. Desi was better at this than she was. She wouldn’t have mucked things up in such a way. Hope was sorely out of practice, and was now paying for it.

  “I should have stayed in bed where it was safe,” she muttered.

  “Aye,” he whispered against her left ear, “You should have,” his breath caressed her, and she shivered, “why don’t we return you to that nice warm bed, eh?”

  “No,” she said hastily, guessing what his intentions might be. “I only wanted to keep you from leaving Blessing Hall. I didn’t want to give you an invitation to my bedchamber, oh, no, I didn’t want to do that.” She looked to the ground. Snowdrops were blossoming around them. She wasn’t the only one doing that. She swallowed thickly.

  “You should have let me leave,” he growled, moving her in his arms, so she faced him. She looked up fearfully in his eyes. He left her breathless. “Why don’t we both return to your bedchamber, Hope? You are shivering dreadfully, and I have a few ideas on how to warm you up.”

  His words invited scandal.

  She had asked for this. She had begged for all of it with her foolhardy actions. She was a bloody nincompoop, and yet with the way his startling blue eyes filled with desire, she didn’t regret her actions.

  “If you do what you want to do, you shall have to marry me,” she said softly.

  “Only if we are caught, and I know how to avoid that,” he drawled his words out, and she gasped.

  “You wouldn’t do that to me. That would ruin me. That would…no. You can’t be that much of a cad. I read you earlier…your heart is pure.”

  “I don’t know what I would do. You are using your magic to muddle my brain.”

  “No, I am not,” she confessed. She wasn’t the only one working a bit of a magic at the moment.

  “Then, you do admit to being a fairy.”

  “You…” His words flustered her even further. “No…you…you misunderstood me.”

  “Why fight it, Hope? It seems a losing battle, dearest.”

  “Fight what?”

  “Fight telling me the truth. You will have to confess everything to me at some point, so why put it off? It seems rather cowardly of you.” />
  “I…” she couldn’t think of a word to say to that.

  “By saying that you read me…what did you do, use your special magical senses to look deep into my soul?”

  “Stop it,” she said harshly. “You must cease all of this at once. You must stop telling me what you think I am. You do not know one thing about me.”

  “I know that you are the eldest daughter in your family, and that somewhere in your ancestry, a fairy married into the Fortescue family.”

  “You are mad.”

  “No, you are the one that is mad. You are mad about me.”

  “And you feel the same way about me as I feel about you,” she said softly.

  “I do…the question is whether or not my feelings are genuine. How do I know you are not bewitching me into loving you?”

  “I would never do that. I could not do that,” she said, lifting her chin haughtily. “I am not a fairy.”

  “Aye, and I am not a powder monkey.”

  She looked away from him. “You are being quite the popinjay. It wrecks me to know that you do not trust my word.”

  “Insulting me one minute, and making love to me the next. Pray keep your behavior constant, my dear.”

  She pushed away from him. “Argh, you infuriate me. Lord Langford, you make me want to scream!”

  “If you scream, you shall wake the house, and then, well, then where will that leave you?” He had a cocky look on his face that she didn’t like. Planting her hands on her hips, she gave him a wicked smile. His eyes widened. “No…you wouldn’t dare,” he stepped toward her to put his hand over her mouth, alas, he didn’t move quickly enough. Before he could stop her, she let out the most blood-curdling scream she could muster.

  Falling silent, she grinned. “Never dare a fair lady like me,” she murmured, right before she threw herself into his arms, and clumsily smashed her lips against his.

  After tonight, her reputation would be irrevocably tarnished.

  But she didn’t care.