Free With His Ring (Brides of Bath Book 2) by Cheryl Bolen Page A

eternal love.
And nothing would ever quench her thirst to love and be loved by
Gregory Blankenship.
    She smiled and greeted Appleton, then the
twins, whom she was forever getting mixed up. George, too, had been
unable to determine which twin was which. The only person who could
tell them apart was Blanks.
    Glee moved to Blanks's side. "I had hoped
for a dance with you tonight."
    "You've not lacked for partners," he said
with an air of indifference.
    "But none of them have been the man I'll
wed," she countered. "We simply must satisfy all the wagging
tongues, my dear Mr. Blankenship."
    His dark eyes flashed with some emotion she
could not name, then he excused himself from his friends and
offered Glee his arm as the violins signaled a waltz.
    Though she had danced with Blanks many
times, she had never waltzed with him. She was completely
unprepared for her reaction to being held so closely to him. It was
as if the dance floor were a cloud. She felt so light and utterly
feminine. And so wholly aware of his masculinity as he lightly held
her, his sandalwood scent rushing to her blossoming senses. Her
heart accelerated and she hoped she would not be called upon to
speak, for she feared her trembling voice would betray her.
    She need not worry that he would address
her. Mechanically conducting the dance steps, he had no desire to
converse with her. She wondered if he was thinking of Carlotta.
    With mere inches separating the length of
their bodies, Glee unexpectedly drew the parallel that their
position in relation to one another was not unlike that of two
lovers sharing a bed. She fleetingly wondered if a man and woman
could perform the sexual act standing up. Then she thought of
Blanks making love to Carlotta. Had he enjoyed Carlotta's body
today? The thought brought pain. For the virgin Glee hungered to
feel Gregory inside her.
    "You're not pleased that I came early," she
said.
    "Why would you say that?" he asked in mock
outrage.
    "Because I've known you all my life."
    "Then your knowledge extends to
clairvoyance?"
    "Not to clairvoyance. To reality. I know
you, Blanks, as no other woman ever will. I vow to make your life
as happy as I possibly can."
    "You have a most peculiar way of doing
that."
    Her heart sank. Of course he was referring
to her entrapment of him.
    They spoke no more for the rest of the
dance.
    The last dance of the night Glee granted to
William Jefferson. It was a waltz. When he placed his hand to her
waist, she felt none of the raw emotion she had felt when Blanks
had done the same thing. Mr. Jefferson was much shorter than
Blanks—and though not as handsome as Blanks—he was considered one
of the finest looking men in Bath. It was said that his dress was
all that was fashionable in Paris and London. Whatever was the
latest rage from the Continent, Mr. Jefferson eagerly adopted. He
was the first man in Bath to sport long, white pantaloons. He
flaunted his costly snuff boxes as some women did their bonnets.
And the man prided himself on the fact he wore a different colored
waistcoat every day. Tonight's was kelly green.
    Glee preferred a man with more subtle taste.
A man like Blanks.
    "Mr. Blankenship is a most fortunate man,"
Jefferson said.
    Glee feigned ignorance of what he spoke.
"Pray tell, why?"
    "Because he has stolen the loveliest girl in
Bath. You must know you have broken many hearts."
    "Fie, Mr. Jefferson, you will turn my
head."
    "I speak the truth. I'm one of the men who
would wish to do harm to Mr. Blankenship."
    Even though she knew the man jested, his
statement caused her heart to trip. "I beg that you not say
that."
    "I would never knowingly distress you, Miss
Pembroke."
    With surprise—and not without a trace of
disgust—she suddenly realized the man was flirting with her, even
though she was engaged to be married to a man standing no more than
twenty feet away.
    Perhaps she could use his flirtations to her
own advantage. After all, Mr. Jefferson was possessed of some
social standing and