Page 4 of The Devil’s Waltz

But Annelise was made of sterner stuff than that.

She swallowed, then found her voice, grateful that it came out calm and cool.

“That was Miss Chippie,” she said. “And she had no business being out here without a chaperone, meeting a gentleman. Though no gentleman would have ever agreed to such a meeting in the first place.”

He appeared unruffled. “And what business is that of yours? Hetty didn’t mention she had an ogre spying on her every move. I would have been more discreet.”

“I doubt you know what discretion is,” she said. “—and I’m a friend of the family, keeping her company while she makes her debut.”

“No, you’re not,” he said, tilting his head to survey her more closely.

“The Chippies know very few members of society as yet and you’re clearly not of their world.

You’re not a governess—you’re not meek enough.

If I guess right, you’re a woman of breeding who’s fallen on hard times. So exactly who are you?”

A number of retorts came to her, most of them originating from the stable.

She had learned a very colorful vocabulary of curses from her father’s stable lads, but she tried to keep them to herself.

It was a cold spring day, but he was radiating heat, and those exotic eyes of his were very. ..disturbing.

“I’m someone who is going to make your designs on Miss Chippie impossible to carry out,” she said. “So cast your lures elsewhere.”

He laughed. Like everything about him, his laugh was enticing. “That sounds like a challenge. And a gentleman never resists a challenge.”

“But I thought we’d already ascertained that you’re no gentleman.”

He didn’t even blink after so heinous an insult. “I’d kill a man for saying that,” he said mildly.

“Then it’s fortunate for me that you have some standards, despite all rumors to the contrary. Goodbye, Mr. Montcalm.”

Another figure stumbled through the bushes, this time a shorter, slender man, with his hair askew and a faintly bleary expression on his face that signaled either dim wit or too much wine at such an early hour. Annelise didn’t care to find out.

“Who’s this Long Meg, Christian?” the man demanded. “And where’s the pretty little chit? I was going to keep watch for you but demme, I think I’d prefer to go inside and get something to warm me up.”

“Go right ahead, Crosby,” Montcalm murmured without moving his gaze from Annelise’s. “I still have some business to conduct.”

“Not with her, old man!” Crosby protested. “The woman’s a dragon. And a bit long in the tooth. Not your type at all.”

“I’m open to all possibilities,” Montcalm murmured in a silken voice. “She’s not that old, and if I can get her to remove those spectacles she might be quite entertaining.”

“There’ll be no getting beneath her skirts, old man. I know the type—too starched to even bend at the waist.”

Annelise had had enough. Bravery was all very well and good but standing so close to Christian Montcalm and listening to his friend insult her was more than she cared to endure.

“Good day, gentlemen,” she said, letting a lingering, ironic emphasis on the word gentlemen make her point. It sailed straight past Crosby, but Montcalm simply laughed that dangerously seductive laugh.

“You may be sure we’ll meet again, dragon,” he said, and for some reason the term sounded more affectionate than insulting. No wonder the man was so dangerous—even she was not totally impervious to his wicked charm.

“I doubt it.” She wheeled around and took off, back stiff, shoulders straight, as dignified as she could manage being outside without a coat or a hat.

She wouldn’t look back—they were probably laughing at her—and she wouldn’t run.

Though it would take forever, she would walk back up the hill to the street and across to the Chippie mansion; she would not let him see that for the first time in what seemed like years, she was unaccountably close to tears.

“Bastard,” she muttered under her breath, liking the sound of the curse. “Goddamned rutting bastard.” Even better. Now she was feeling better. The tears had vanished, the house was in sight, and the next time they met she’d be better prepared.

But she was going to make every effort to ensure that there was not going to be a next time.

“Who the hell was that?” Crosby demanded. “You told me you were meeting the heiress.”

Christian Montcalm turned to look down at his slightly inebriated friend. Crosby had never been the most reliable of his cronies, but then, Christian didn’t tend to consort with reliable people. “The dragon got in the way. Don’t worry—there’ll be other chances.”

“You’re the one who should be worried. If you don’t come up with some money soon you’ll be in the river tick.”

“Nonsense.” He shoved the loose strand of hair away from his face. “There’ll be cards tonight, and I can make more than enough to tide me over until the engagement can be announced.”

“But you can’t always count on the cards, old man. They don’t always fall your way.”

Christian smiled. He wasn’t about to point out to Crosby that not only was he absurdly lucky when it came to cards, he was also skilled and unscrupulous enough to do something about it if the cards misbehaved.

“I don’t expect to have any problem.” He turned his gaze back to the tall figure of the woman marching away from them.

She was almost out of sight, which was a pity.

She was really quite diverting—more interesting than the tiresome beauty was.

His conversation with Miss Chippie, when he wasn’t stopping her mouth with temptingly chaste kisses, consisted of an unending line of compliments.

For such a beauty she demanded constant reminders that she was, indeed, unmatchable. It was very tedious.

The dragon was far more interesting. True, she was no young maiden, but he’d had mistresses far older than she and enjoyed them tremendously.

She couldn’t be much more than thirty, making her younger than he was, a thought that amused him.

She spoke to him like a maiden aunt, scolding a naughty boy.

Ah, but he was a naughty boy. And he had every intention of becoming a great deal naughtier. The dragon was just the sort of woman he could make mischief with.

He wouldn’t, of course. He was a pragmatic man, and he’d set his sights quite clearly on Miss Hetty Chippie, the underbred, over-rich, delectable morsel who’d just been snatched from him.

Marriage to a compliant young heiress was just the thing to smooth his way for the time being, and even if Hetty seemed to have a mind of her own he had little doubt that he could control her.

He had enough tricks up his sleeve to keep her docile and well behaved—sex always had the most interesting effect on virgins, and there were any number of ways he could manage to throw her off balance.

And it would be most pleasant, given that trim little body of hers.

Then, when she grew tiresome, as they always did, he could further his acquaintance with the dragon, which he suspected would be far more interesting and a much greater challenge.

How would she look without her spectacles? How would she look without her clothes? She would have long legs to wrap around him, and he was connoisseur enough to see that despite her general skinniness she had a decent bosom. Yes, she’d strip quite nicely.

As soon as he could talk her into it.

But first things first. “We’ll go play cards, Crosby,” he said pleasantly. “And then perhaps I’ll decide to attend Lady Bellwhite’s soiree so I can further my suit.”

“With the heiress? Or the dragon?”

Christian glanced down at him. Crosby was never the brightest of men, but every now and then he was surprisingly astute. Or perhaps Christian had been too transparent. No, that was impossible. He’d spent years perfecting his charming, impassive facade.

“How well do you know me, Crosby?”

“Well enough.”

“Then you know I am, in all things, a practical man. Miss Chippie will become the future Viscountess Montcalm, and if the dragon gets tumbled somewhere along the way, then so much the better.”

“You’re an inspiration,” Crosby said fervently.

“Indeed,” Montcalm murmured as the dragon disappeared from sight. “I know.”