Sabrina Jeffries - The Forbidden Lord (Lord Trilogy, Book 2)

Youre not shocked? She shrugged. Why should I be? Im from Scotland, where the men wear nothing under their kilts. When she peered closer at the carving, he actually found himself jealous. The man is quite well

rendered. Well rendered? Did she mean well hung? Deuce take her! A Vindication of the Rights of Women Derbyshire, England March 1819 I might as well be playing hide-and-seek in a circus, Emily Fairchild thought as she surveyed the ballroom at the Marquess of Drydens country estate. There were hundreds of masqueraders, four hundred at least, all wearing exotic, expensive costumes far beyond Emilys means. And none of them was her good friend Lady Sophie. Where was she, for goodness sake? Emily couldnt leave the ball without finding her; Sophie would be so disappointed if she couldnt get the elixir Emily had made up especially for her. Do you see her, Lawrence?

Emily asked her cousin in a voice pitched to be heard over the delightful orchestra. Youre tall enough to spot her. Lawrence frowned as he craned his head forward. Shes over there, engaged in that absurd and pointless activity society considers entertainment. In other words, she was dancing. Emily bit back a smile. Poor Lawrence. Hed come from London to visit her and her father at Willow Crossing for the first time in years, and in return, had been forced to stand in for her father by escorting her to a masquerade ballan event Lawrence considered stupid, wasteful idiocy. Well, at least he neednt be further tortured by having to dance with her. Propriety forbade her from dancing, since she was in the final weeks of mourning for her mother. Indeed, she was the lone guest wearing black bombazine, with a silk mask her only concession to the masquerade theme. Whos Sophie dancing with? Emily asked. I believe her partner is currently Lord Blackmore. The Lord Blackmore? Shes dancing with him? A man of some consequence, the Earl of Blackmore was the brother of the Drydens new daughter-in-law. Envy quickly assailed Emily, and just as quickly she banished it. How silly to envy Sophie what was hers by birthright. It wasnt as if Emily would ever have the chance to dance with the earl herself. She was merely a rectors daughter with no lofty family connections. She was lucky to be here at all. Lady Dryden had only invited her in payment for a small service Emily had rendered her. The marchioness had no reason to introduce Emily to any of the wealthy,

sophisticated lords and ladies whod traveled from London for the

occasion. Still, what would dancing with an earl as famous as Lord Blackmore be like? Nerve-wracking, she imagined, especially if he were handsome. Was he? She stood on tiptoe and squinted through the slits in her eye mask, but couldnt see a thing beyond the sea of wigs and odd headdresses that swirled and churned about her. Do tell me whats going on, Lawrence. Are they dancing a waltz? Does Lord Blackmore seem to be enjoying it? How could he? First of all, hes dancing. Secondly, he has Sophie for a partner. He deserves better. What on earth do you mean? Lord Blackmore is a man of some substance, you know. Despite being one of the youngest members of the House of Lords, he has instituted more reforms for the poor than any other

member. And why does that mean Sophie isnt good enough for him? Lawrence shrugged. It pains me to tell you this, but your friend is a twit, wholly unsuitable for a man of intelligence and experience. She is not! What do you know of her? You only met her yesterday! Yes, and she spent the entire visit snubbing me. I suppose she considered a London barrister far beneath her notice. His attempt to sound nonchalant failed so miserably that Emily had to stifle a laugh. Oh, Lawrence, you misunderstood her entirely. She wasnt

Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html snubbing you. She was terrified of you. Terrified? There was skepticism in his tone. Why on earth should a marquesss daughter be terrified of me? She cast a sideways glance at her cousin. Like many of the young men who hadnt bothered with costumes, he wore standard evening attire with his mask. But although the mask covered his straight nose and part of his smooth brow, it didnt disguise his silky auburn hair or good looks. Not to mention that Lawrence was a trifle opinionated, which in itself would cow the timid Sophie. Well? he asked impatiently. Why is she afraid of me? Because, my dear cousin, you are a man. A handsome, bold, and consequently terrifying man. When he snorted in disbelief, she added, Trust me, Sophie was only too painfully aware of your presence yesterday. Thats why I couldnt coax her into mumbling more than a few words until you excused yourself from the room. Thats absurd. A woman of her situationpretty, rich, and well connectedhas nothing to fear from anyone. At her coming out, shell have numerous suitors clamoring after her inheritance. Shell make a spectacular marriage and go live in a grand estate with some duke or marquess. That may be true, but it doesnt prevent her from fearing your sex. A sudden commotion on the dance floor roused the crowds attention. Lawrence peered over their heads, his eyes narrowing. Well, that put an end to that, didnt it? Doesnt surprise me, either. Put an end to what? A bald man in a toga wearing a lopsided crown of laurels swayed in front of Emily and blocked her view. Goodness gracious, what she wouldnt give for a stepping stool right now! Whats happening? Sophies father just wrenched her out of

Blackmores arms. What a fool Lord Nesfield is. He leaned forward to survey the scene she couldnt see. Now hes shouting at Blackmore. Poor Sophie!

She must be mortified! Poor Sophie? What about Blackmore? He adjusted his mask with tapered fingers. Wait a minute. Why, jolly good, Blackmore!

Thats the way to handle a fool. She rose up on tiptoe again, but could only see a giant Merlins hat. What is it? Whats he doing? Hes walking away, cool as a cucumber. Nesfield is following him, ranting, but Blackmores ignoring him, which makes Nesfield look ridiculous. I dont understand. Why wont Lord Nesfield let Sophie dance with Lord Blackmore? Around her, people were murmuring, and they seemed to share Lawrences opinion of the Marquess of Nesfield. Nesfield is Blackmores chief opponent in Parliament. An acid tone entered his voice. The marquess believes in leaving people downtrodden, because helping them might encourage them to rise up and overthrow the aristocracy. To him, Blackmore is the worst of rabble-rousers and thus much too sullied for the pure Sophie. The marquess has always been suspicious of men where Sophies concerned, she said indignantly. Ever since she was a girl, hes been worried that some blackguard will carry her off. Thats why shes so afraid of menbecause he hasnt allowed her to be around boys her age, and she knows only what he tells her about them. Lawrence cast her a skeptical glance. I thought she had a brother. Surely he taught her better. Her brother ran off when she was eight. He was very