The Charmer (31 page)

She wondered if only the physician had recognized her or whether the other man had as well. He spoke in the cultured manner that said he moved in the sort of circles where she could have met him at some point over the years.

She clung to the hope that he was not anyone who had anything to do with Gregory, and certainly not the man who had spent last night bargaining for her like she was some four-hoofed animal.

A door below closed on mumbled farewells. Boot steps sounded on the stairs. Someone entered the chamber. She closed her eyes but she felt the warmth of the candle near her face.

“He is gone. Let us see if we can make you more comfortable now, Miss Monley.''

She heard his voice plainly this time. Jolting up on her good arm, she twisted in shock.

And looked right into the resplendent brown eyes of the most charming wastrel in England.

The women of English society could bicker and argue with the best of them, but on one point they had always been in total agreement.

Dante Duclairc was a beautiful man.

That was the word they used. Beautiful. His luminous eyes, thick, lustrous brown hair, perfect face, and devilish smile had mesmerized any female he chose to conquer since he turned seventeen. Fleur knew three ladies who had committed adultery only once in their lives. With him.

The years had added some hardness to his countenance, but they had not dulled the heart-skipping effect that his attention provoked.

Even in her, and he wasn't even trying.

His expression bore curiosity and wry amusement. He smiled with warm familiarity, instantly bridging time back to that period ten years ago when his brother Vergil, the Viscount Laclere, had courted her. And yet underneath his cool, refined composure there shimmered a dangerous, exciting energy. With Dante it was always there.

Right now it frightened her speechless.

Somehow she knew without asking that they were alone. There was no female servant in this cottage, which meant that Dante had probably undressed her and put her in bed. What he had seen while the physician tended her had been the least of it.

“You are uncommonly brave,'' he said. “Wheeler never suspected that you were awake.'' His tone implied that he had known the exact moment when she had come to. He had caressed her head aware that she would feel him do it.

“It was my hope to avoid giving explanations to strangers.''

“Since I am hardly that, you should not mind giving one to me. Let us get you comfortable first.''

Her reaction the the Dante Duclaircs of the world had always been to run away, but she could not do that now. She suffered his lean strength hovering over her bed, propping pillows and arranging to her comfort. When he began to ease her onto her side she stopped his hands with a freezing gesture and managed it on her own.

That left he looking up at him and him looking down at her. He had removed his coat and collar, and his shirt gaped open above his waistcoat. As an unmarried woman, she never saw men this relaxed in their dress.

Her vulnerability hit her with force. She said a quick prayer of thanks that of all the libertines in England, she had been fortunate enough to fall into this one's hands.

After all, they had come close to being related. That should count for something. She hoped.

He crossed his arms and regarded her. For a man with a reputation for being good-natured, his scrutiny appeared more critical than one would expect. She tucked the bedclothes around her neck.

“This is a remarkably singular occurrence, Miss Monley. Finding you, of all women, in my bed.''

He wasn't going to make this easy.

Journey back to an age of seductive danger,
passionate intrigue, and scandalous love as nationally
acclaimed author Madeline Hunter draws you into
the hearts of three irresistible men:

THE SEDUCER

Daniel St. John
         Charismatic and mysterious,
this dangerously seductive man has survived a
treacherous revolution: a master at the arts of war
and intrigue, he knows the secrets of winning
a woman's heart . . . and body.

THE SAINT

Vergil Duclairc
         This dashing nobleman leads
a dangerous double life: beneath his perfect composure
and self-control is a sensual master whose mere touch
can tempt a woman to the wildest abandon.

THE CHARMER

Adrian Burchard                           
This virile aristocrat
was used to having women at his command: darkly
handsome, sensuous, magnetic, he lived in a world
of mysteries and secrets . . . a man dangerous
to love, impossible to resist.
Fighters, protectors, and lovers, they live in a dazzling
and treacherous world of glittering ballrooms and sinful
gaming halls, in a time of heart-stopping duels and
soul-searing passion.
These are their stories . . .
And coming in January 2004,

THE SINNER,
Dante's story

THE CHARMER
A Bantam Book / December 2003

Published by
Bantam Dell
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York

All rights reserved
Copyright © 2003 by Madeline Hunter

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Published simultaneously in Canada

eISBN: 978-0-553-89813-2

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