“You said you were taking a widow home, but Gideon had met both Emily and Lawrence, and knew she was a rector’s daughter and Lawrence was her cousin. He told me he thought you’d made a mistake.”
“For God’s sake, why didn’t you say something? I can see how that deuced pirate husband of yours would think it was all a good joke, but surely you knew better. You might have saved Emily considerable embarrassment.”
“Yes, but then she wouldn’t have met you, would she? Besides, I decided that a rector’s daughter might be exactly the thing for my brother.” She laughed. “You see? I do know a good couple when I see one.”
“That was sheer luck,” he grumbled, unaccountably irritated. It had always pleased him to think that a whim of Fate had brought him and Emily together, and he didn’t like knowing that his sister had been involved, even if it were only in the most limited capacity.
“Would you rather we hadn’t met?” his wife asked quietly, misinterpreting his scowl.
Angry at his sister for bringing the entire thing up, he cast her a pointed glance. She mumbled something about having to find her husband and hurried off, leaving them alone in their corner of the room beside the balcony doors.
“You know the answer to that,” he said softly. He took his wife’s hand and kissed it. “And if you aren’t sure, come outside, and I’ll…remind you of how I feel on the subject.”
She glanced shyly away, though she let him lead her onto the balcony. “Really, Jordan, in the middle of a ball?”
In some ways, she was still the sweet innocent he’d fallen in love with. Indeed, it was her peculiar mixture of innocence and worldly instinct that always delighted him. “Yes.” He drew her into his arms and kissed her hair.
She gazed up at him with a smile. “It’s cold out here, you silly man.”
“Exactly what I need. It’ll keep me from ravishing you the way I’ve wanted to for the past two months.”
“Ah, but you don’t have to keep from ravishing me anymore. The doctor told me today that I can resume all ‘marital activities.’ Why do you think I wore this gown tonight?”
He caught his breath, his body giving an instant response. “What the devil are we doing here then? We’re going home. Now!”
She laughed delightedly as he pulled her back into the room and headed toward their hostess. “Oh, good,” he heard her whisper beside him. “I do so like doing it in the carriage.”
Author’s Note
The discussion about whether the Elgin marbles belong in England continues until this day. The Greek government has been fighting to have them returned, but the British Museum believes they should remain in England. To read more about this fascinating dispute, visit the Parthenon Marbles web site at http://www.rethymno.forthnet.gr/marbles/index.html.
About the Author
After a past patchwork of jobs like technical writing and teaching, Sabrina has decided that her favorite job so far (even more than manning the ice cream machine at a summer camp) is novel writing. In novels, she can meddle in people’s lives without getting into trouble, and meddling in her character’s lives is what she lives for.
She love hearing from readers, so feel free to write her c/o
The Ahearn Agency
2021 Pine St.
New Orleans, LA 70118
or check out her website at
http://sabrinajeffries.home.com.mindspring.com.
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Books by
Sabrina Jeffries
MARRIED TO THE VISCOUNT
DANCE OF SEDUCTION
AFTER THE ABDUCTION
A NOTORIOUS LOVE
A DANGEROUS LOVE
THE DANGEROUS LORD
THE FORBIDDEN LORD
THE PIRATE LORD
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
THE FORBIDDEN LORD. Copyright © 2006 by Sabrina Jeffries. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
ePub edition September 2006 ISBN 9780061743832
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