Jim Tanner lingered in the alley just off Curzon Street, and bided his time. A blade lay in his palm, which he kept in the pocket of his long black coat, ready to sink it into the flesh of those pompous lords across the street if they interfered with his mission.Soon, he promised himself.His employer had urged him to wait, to snatch the girl without a fight. The order had been issued not out of any need to prevent violence, but to give Tanner time to get away before the alarm was raised. Bloodshed would shorten his exit strategy.Blankenship was a fool to want nothing more than the little chit. The house he stared at now was probably filled with expensive items he could fetch a fair price for on Shoe Lane or Saffron Hill. The nouveau riche were only too happy to buy aristocratic items that would fool the ton into thinking they weren't the descendants of lower or middleclass men.He'd been only too eager to steal the Parr girl away from Essex when Blankenship agreed to his hefty p

Lucien sat at the table in Cedric's dining room, reading the morning paper. Cedric fed Penelope scraps from his chair next to him. The dining room was large for a London home, furnished with walnut chairs and a table, all gilded with scrollwork. Lucien looked over to Ashton and Charles, who were speaking near the large wood, glass-paned window overlooking the gardens.The lords were enjoying themselves, having successfully seen Godric and Emily off on their honeymoon, and were now resting at Cedric's townhouse after the adventures of the last few weeks."Well, Lucien? Anything interesting?" Ashton asked as he took a seat, leaving Charles alone to gaze out the window, lost in thought."There's an interesting tidbit in the society pages.""Not Lady Society again?" Cedric chuckled. Penelope barked sharply at him. He reached down and picked her up, setting the foxhound on his lap. She was no longer a puppy.All things grow up some day, Lucien thought to himself."Are you going to rea

Horatia pressed two slim fingers to her temples as the bouncing form of her younger sister flitted past, distracting her from her latest book. It was not the way a young lady ought to behave, but trying to stop Audrey was like trying to command a storm. Horatia attempted to concentrate on the words, but between Audrey's chaotic squirming and memories of this morning's incident, she couldn't. The remnants of her fear tasted bitter in her mouth. She despised herself for being so weak as to let such anxieties rule her. One minute she'd been enjoying a walk, and the next there were horses screaming, curricle wheels spinning and icy cold water soaking her to the bone as she hit the pavement.It was like her childhood all over again. Death had struck out at her without warning, and like last time, she'd been spared. But the event had awakened old fears. As before, Lucien had saved her life. He would never know how alive she'd felt when he'd knocked her back into the snow in the alley or how

When Lucien came down to breakfast late the next morning, he noticed both Horatia and Charles were missing."Where is Charles?" he asked, stopping himself short from asking about Horatia as well.Cedric glanced up from his plate. "He's taken Horatia riding in Hyde Park to exercise my Arabians.""Oh?" A stab of jealousy lanced through him like a hot poker. The idea of Horatia with someone elseespecially Charlesmade his vision turn crimson.Audrey was quieter than usual. Her youthful gaiety, which so often amused him when he was over, seemed to be absent.Cedric seemed to have noticed it as well. "I say, what's gotten into you, my dear? First Horatia is in a fit of the blue-devils, and now you are quite Friday-faced."It was no secret that Cedric didn't like to see his sisters unhappy. It was something Lucien understood all too well. He had a sister of his own, and seeing her upset always set his teeth on edge."I wished to go shopping today, but Horatia went riding and you've bus

Lucien began with her silver slippers, sliding them off and setting them on the floor. His palms slid up the length of her calves and along her thighs to unfasten her stockings and unhook her garters. He removed her stockings with ease and kissed the sensitive skin behind each ankle. He could feel every tremble, every shiver as his hands explored her body.He forced himself to focus solely on Horatia and not his own arousal. Her pleasure had to come before his because he could not have her fully. He would push her to her limits, but he would not take her innocence. Not in the way that mattered for dowries and weddings at any rate.Kneeling between her parted legs, he coaxed her to bend her knees up and widen. He needed to have her open for his tasting. He slowly slid his hands under her gown up to her hips and assessed her undergarments. Usually women in the Garden did not bother with much in the way of underclothes, but Horatia had enough petticoats on underneath to decorate a castl