Free An Unexpected Proposal (St Daine Family 1) by Leighann Dobbs

lifted an injured thumb to her lips, but she did not rise when Melisande burst into the chamber, almost winded and completely neglecting to offer an apology for bustling in without an invitation.
    “Claire! There you are! I've searched practically all of Rothwyn House for you, only to find you still lounging about here in your chambers!” Oblivious to the somewhat strained atmosphere in the room, she grabbed Claire's hand and promptly towed her toward the door. “The duchess has seated me beside the duke tonight and I haven't a clue which dress I should wear. You must help me decide!”
    Claire cast an apologetic glance back over her shoulder at her mother, immensely grateful to Melisande for the interruption, although she had to admit she also felt a bit uncomfortable facing her friend with the memory of the duke's kisses still fresh in her thoughts. Still, she allowed Mel to draw her from the room, calling her excuses to her mother back over her shoulder as she went. “Please excuse us, Mother. Melisande seems to have stumbled into a bit of a wardrobe emergency.”
    Her mother nodded and waved them away and Claire thought she might actually somehow survive the moment—until a door opened across the hall from hers and the man from last night stepped out. He paused, closing it carefully behind him, and causing both ladies to draw up suddenly in surprise.
    Like a blond gypsy pirate, his shoulder-length hair had been left free of proper restraint and it looked as if he had just emerged from a bath because beads of water still dripped from the burnished lengths onto the front of his white lawn shirt—a shirt left scandalously open to the ladies' shocked gazes—and down the equally scandalous expanse of his broad, sun-bronzed chest. Thankfully, he had taken a moment to tuck the hem into the top of his thigh-hugging black breeches, Claire thought, the legs of which were also neatly pushed beneath the fold at the top of a pair of expensive black leather boots.
    Glancing up at his face again, the shining loop of gold suspended from his left ear should have stricken fear into her heart, Claire thought, but it was the intensity in those piercing blue eyes of his which held her rooted to the spot. She held her breath while his dark gaze inspected Mel from head to hem, and then, when his eyes met hers, she had to bite her lip to hold in the squeak of fear which threatened to erupt. She noted the quick flare of recognition in his gaze, and her heart thudded hard in her chest. Would he give her away?
    After several long, quiet seconds which felt quite like hours trudging past, his lids lowered a bit, shuttering the intensity of his gaze, and he dipped his head in silent acknowledgment.
    “Ladies,” he murmured low and then walked away in the opposite direction, leaving Claire to surreptitiously pull in several deep, calming breaths without drawing Melisande's attention to the fact that she was doing so. By the time Claire realized Melisande also had yet to move after their run-in with Lucien's guest, there was no time to speculate over her friend's hesitation. The fellow might decide to come back and Claire had no wish to be caught out here alone with him again should he do so.
    “Come along, Mel. Let us find the perfect dress for you,” she said. Grabbing the other girl by the sleeve, she tugged Melisande the last few steps to her chamber and then inside.

7
    H aving temporarily lost both the strength and support of her legs beneath her, thanks to the icy fear which had exchanged places with her blood when Lucien explained where Tristan was currently residing and why, Phoebe dropped heavily into an armchair.
    Her hands shook so badly in reaction to his news, she finally had to clasp them together in her lap to keep them still. She could feel the pressure of her pulse thumping against her eardrums, which was likely the reason for her sudden light-headedness, she surmised, and her mouth worked silently until she found her voice