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Lord Percy was a nice enough gentleman with a decent income, but his dancing skills left a lot to be desired. Unfortunately,he also seemed largely unaware of this fact and would take to dancing with nearly every young lady in attendance.

“I would have liked to be able to dance tonight,” she said woefully, showing Phoebe her empty dance card. “I might have even danced with Lord Percy if he was kind enough to offer.”

Her friend frowned as she scrutinized the card. “Well, that is a rather strange occurrence.”

It was strange indeed, for not only was Evie well-liked amongst the ton, but one might also even go so far as to say she was the Season’s Incomparable.

From the moment she made her bow and gained the Queen’s favor, it had seemed she was destined to sweep the rest of London off its feet. Combined with her extremely generous dowry, gentlemen had been queuing up to her parlor to call on her. Her dance cards had never been empty.

Except for tonight.

Evie had a sinking feeling that somebody was responsible for the distance her suitors had taken to putting between her and themselves, but she could not be so sure. After all, the goal of the Season was for her to find a suitable match.

Daniel could not possibly have been sabotaging her success, could he?

At that moment, the butler announced the arrival of the Duke of Ashton, and as one, all eyes swiveled to the door, where a tall man with eyes as green as emeralds strode in with a self-assured air.

Speak of the devil and he appears!

Evie groaned inwardly.

“Evie, you do not perhaps think that His Grace?—”

“I do not care what His Grace thinks,” she quipped rather quickly.

I do not even want to see him tonight!

Seeing him only dredged up that feverish recollection of his hard body pressing against hers, his hands pinning her wrists over her head.

Evie had never been so close to a man as she had been to Daniel that morning.

And she most certainly had never felt that keen sense of awareness, that fragile vulnerability juxtaposed with a strange, dark, feminine power. It was a most contradictory feeling and one that thrilled her to no end.

Looking at him now, she only wished that he would not notice her. That he would leave her to enjoy the rest of the night without his interference.

However, when he shifted that intense green gaze in her direction, she knew that such fancies were not meant to be.

Why oh why had she been cursed with such ill luck ever since Colin left her care in his hands?

CHAPTER 3

Icould think of a hundred better ways to spend the night than this.

Daniel narrowed his eyes as he swept his gaze around the ballroom. When it landed on a familiar figure with dark brown hair, her pale, creamy skin seemingly glowing in contrast to the deep midnight of her dress, he could not help but clench his hands into fists at his sides.

And then, he saw the hungry gazes that more than half of the male population in the ballroom was throwing at her, and his anger surged to unparalleled heights.

He had told the Dowager Duchess to keep an eye on her at all times. Why was that infuriating woman standing in the ballroom with no one else but Alice’s younger sister? Where was her grandmother, the esteemed Dowager Countess? She should have known better than to leave her charge alone in a pit of vipers!

He quickly made his way to the pair and glared at Evie, who tried to avoid his gaze.

“Why are the two of you unaccompanied?” he demanded.

He saw her bristle, as if she considered decking him right where he stood, if such a laughable notion were possible.

“There is quite the crush tonight,” Evie retorted. “We are hardly unaccompanied.”

It was true, of course. With a full ballroom, the two young ladies could hardly be considered alone.