Free Quick, Amanda by Dangerous

chamber was in complete darkness.
    Prudence stood in the doorway for a few seconds, letting her eyes adjust to the lack of light. When she
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    could just make out the bulky shape of a huge, canopied bed, she closed the door gently behind her.
    “Sebastian?” she whispered. “Where are you? I know you’re in here.”
    There was an almost soundless movement behind her. A man’s hand clamped over her mouth. Prudence
    froze in fright as she found herself pinned against a large, hard body. Then she started to struggle
    furiously. Her teeth sank into the palm that covered her mouth.
    “Bloody hell,” Sebastian muttered in her ear. “I should have known it would be you. Give me your word
    you won’t raise your voice above a whisper and I’ll let you go. Nod your head if you understand.”
    Prudence nodded frantically. Sebastian released her, gripped her by the shoulders, and spun her around
    to face him. She could see almost nothing of his features in the darkness, but the tone of his voice and the
    manner in which his fingers dug into her shoulders told her he was furious.
    “What the devil do you think you’re doing up here?” he asked.
    “Following you.”
    “You little fool.” He gave her a small, exasperated shake. “Do you think this is some sort of game?”
    Prudence braced herself. “No, but you apparently do. What is all this sneaking about, sir? You’re
    clearly up to some mischief. You should be ashamed of yourself. What sort of behavior is this for a man
    of your background and title?”
    “Just what I needed. A lecture on my behavior.”
    Too late, Prudence had a sudden, dreadful thought, one she had
    Prudence put the two facts together and came to the uneasy con-clusion that Sebastian might have
    developed a penchant for opening closed doors and prowling through locked safes in crowded houses
    merely because it amused him to do so. Perhaps he enjoyed the thrill of discovering hidden jewels even
    though he was richer than most of his hosts.
    Sebastian surely wouldn’t steal whatever valuables he chanced to find, Prudence assured herself. But he
    might very well revel in the dangerous business of searching for them.
    The game he was playing involved far too much risk. He needed to be stopped before he got himself
    into trouble.
    She took a last swallow of her punch and put down her glass with a firm resolve. Tonight she was going
    to find out just what sort of unholy business the Fallen Angel was engaging in when he disappeared from
    a crowded ball. When she discovered the exact nature of his amuse-ments, she was going to give him a
    stern lecture. Boredom was not an excuse for engaging in mischief.
    It was a simple task to slip through the crowd in Sebastian’s wake. The people who noticed her nodded
    pleasantly, no doubt assuming she was on her way upstairs to one of the withdrawing rooms provided for
    the ladies.
    Prudence smiled and chatted briefly with one or two of Hester’s acquaintances, all the while edging
    toward the hall where Sebastian had vanished.
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    Several minutes later she found herself alone in an empty corridor. She glanced quickly around, picked
    up her mustard-colored muslin skirts, and hurried toward the back stairs.
    When she reached the staircase, she paused again to check that none of the household staff was in the
    vicinity. None of the Thorn-bridges’ handsomely liveried servants were in sight. At this hour they would
    all be occupied in the kitchens or circulating through the crowds with trays of punch and champagne.
    Prudence gazed uneasily up into the darkness at the top of the stairs. Perhaps she was wrong in thinking
    Sebastian had come this way. She’d only had that last brief glimpse of him disappearing down this hall.
    She started up the stairs, her soft dancing slippers silent on the wooden treads. When she