Free The Marriage List by Dorothy McFalls

slope of the hill turned steep. May’s thoughts drifted off as her gaze turned to the ground and her concentration on keeping her balance.
    “Ho there!” a voice called out as she neared the top.
    May cupped her hand over her brow and peered up at the broad silhouette of the Viscount Evers standing on the ridge, his hands on his hips like a conqueror. She was only a few yards below him and could not politely turn around and pretend she hadn’t seen or heard his call.
    The best she could do was curse quietly under her breath and brace herself for the encounter. A shame, really. She was looking forward to enjoying the sweeping vistas of Bath and a few blessed moments of solitude to straighten out her poor, mixed up head. Seeing the viscount, now, when she needed to forget him, could do nothing good for her nerves.
    “Do you require assistance?” he asked.
    “I can manage well enough,” she said through clenched teeth as her foot slipped on a rock. Her balance wobbled for a heartbeat—much too long for her pride. Belatedly she added a half-cowed “thank you”.
    “I doubt I would be able to rush after you if you were to trip. You would undoubtedly roll all the way back to Bath,” he said. An unmistakable lilt of laughter moved underneath his smooth tone.
    “I would never expect you to make such an effort for my sake, my lord.” She’d taken a difficult path and was forced to lift her skirts in order to make the last steep step to the top. The bounder didn’t have the good graces to avert his gaze.
    A fiendish grin spanned the length of his cheeks and he crossed his arms over his chest. “I cannot tell you how glad I am that you refused my helping hand. I would have hated to miss such a view.”
    “You are a cad, my lord.” May lowered her head and made a show of smoothing her skirts in an effort to hide her embarrassment.
    “And you, Miss Sheffers, must be a shameless hoyden.”
    May’s head came up with a snap. “A what?”
    “A shameless hoyden, Miss Sheffers.” Viscount Evers held her gaze prisoner with his peculiar expression, a heady mixture of amusement and attentiveness.
    The look stole May’s breath. She could only whisper, “I do not know what you could mean, my lord.”
    An ebony brow rose on the viscount’s perfectly serious face as he looked around. “Perhaps you have hidden your companion or outpaced her?” he said. “For only a hoyden would venture so far afield alone. Wouldn’t you agree?”
    Having been raised by a very proper aunt, she naturally agreed. May only took these occasional early morning excursions of hers to places she supposed deserted.
    “My aunt is not well enough to take such a hike and our housekeeper is far too busy to be burdened with the responsibility of following me about.” It wasn’t a strong argument, but it was the best May could utter.
    Blast the man. His wicked presence muddied her mind. She was an independent woman, well accustomed to free use of her thoughts. She would not let him do this to her.
    “I had hoped for a few moments quiet, my lord. Your presence here intrudes on that.” She managed to say in the gentlest tone possible. She did well to keep her passions in check around a rake who could lure her into a kiss with the mere brush of his thumb against her lips.
    Viscount Evers lowered himself to sit on the ground, struggling with his stiff leg. “I believe we both are looking for the same thing. Join me.” He sat with his legs sprawled out in front of him and patted the ground beside him.
    May lifted her chin. “It would not be proper.”
    “Because your Mr. Tumblestone wouldn’t approve?” Evers asked, his tone mocking. “He will soon be your affianced, will he not? Your name and his rose amongst the tittering last night. You should be grateful to have found a willing man, one woman said. She made some vague allusion to your family background.” He tilted his head toward her.
    May’s back stiffened. Her family history was none of