Free Lord Beast by Ashlyn Montgomery Page A

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Gabriel across the crowded room and a smile touched her lips. “Now, tell me
about your man. How did you meet him?”
    Dani stifled a sigh. There was
really no point in hiding the obvious from her closest friend. Victoria knew
her better than anybody else. Even her own mother hadn’t known Dani as well as
Vicky knew her. Although her mother had been submerged in spirals of
self-absorbed depression, Dani’s association with her was restricted solely to
tending her ailments and ensuring that she didn’t commit to anything irrational
and devastating. Only Vicky knew the extent the impact her mother’s illness had
on her, saw her tears of frustration and dejection. Dani couldn’t be more
grateful for a friend like her in a very lonely world.
    “Exploring, I suppose,” Dani
explained tentatively. It wasn’t a lie, exactly. “But don’t read too much into
it. He has made it very clear that he wants nothing to do with me.”
    Vicky snorted dismissively. “They
all do at first,” she mumbled. “What’s he like? Is he handsome?”
    Lord, how to swerve around this
question. Dani hummed and hawed for a few moments. “Well… I can’t say he’s bad looking,” she said, satisfied with that answer.
    Vicky gave her a queer look and
opened her mouth but- thankfully- her interrogation was cut short when her eyes
narrowed on a particularly stunning blond accosting her orange husband from
across the ballroom. “ Desdemona ,” she breathed venomously.
    Dani rolled her eyes. Vicky, it
seemed, knew the name of every beautiful woman Gabriel had associated with
before his marriage and had made it her personal vendetta to weed out any
nefarious intentions on his previous and would-be lovers.
    “Leave it be, Vicky,” Dani urged
and began to steer her in the other direction. Victoria, however, did not take
her eyes from the other woman.
    “Victoria, trust him. He wouldn’t
dream of hurting you.”
    Exquisite sapphire eyes turned to
her excitedly. “Oh, I know, but it’s just so much fun chasing off his
admirers.”
    “You’re evil.”
    She grinned wickedly in response
just as their stroll was intersected by a Pirate and a Jester.
     
    He hadn’t meant to attend.
Really, he hadn’t. The last thing he had ever intended to do for the remainder
of his pitiful existence was attend a wretched masque ball. For the love of
God, he was a grown man, thirty-four years and counting, and he had very little
interest in prancing around in a bloody costume for an evening.
    But there was an added incentive
of anonymity that the masquerade afforded him. He could attend and not be Rhys Ashcroft, Earl of
Falmouth .
With a mask on, he could lavish the attention of the women… a woman …
freely and without hindrance and that was his biggest incentive of all.
    He wanted to go. He wanted to know what it would feel like to flirt with Miss Carmichael, to talk and
touch her without inhibition, without fear, without hindrance. The thought was
too enticing. She wouldn’t know he’d come. In fact, she’d probably expect him
not to come. Having never seen his face, she wouldn’t know it was him that
approached her, that flirted with her and enticed her into shaded alcoves or
private terraces…
    His voice he would have to alter
but that shouldn’t serve as a problem. Having a faint Irish brogue, he’d just
adjust it faintly so that he sounded primarily English.
    So he went. Dressed as a
highwayman, he attended the masquerade against his better judgement. It was
dangerous. He’d risk exposure- someone would probably recognise him despite the
mask that covered most of his face- and then what? He didn’t want to face the
questions or the speculation. He’d come to fancy his existence as a recluse and
to value his privacy. If word got out that he was making a re-emergence… Rhys
shuddered. He couldn’t think about it. He had to keep his mind on why he came
to the ball in the first place- Danielle. It was her he wanted to see, to dance
with,