Dare to be Mine (25 page)

A moment later Daniel
clasped Elyssa's hand in his own and led her out onto the dance floor.
She tried to protest, not certain she could master the steps, for it had been
many months since she had danced. Daniel would not be denied, however, and
within seconds Elyssa was gliding gracefully and effortlessly within Daniel's
arms. He was a most impressive dancer and Elyssa knew without a doubt that she
would be the most envied woman at the ball. That was not something she was
comfortable with, however, for she had no desire to worry about every breathing
woman trying to tempt Daniel into her arms, or worse, her bed.

"You are a wonderful dancer,"
she softly complimented just after the music ended. Taking her aside, Daniel
retrieved two drinks of champagne from the gold tray of a passing servant.

"As are you, my love," he
replied. Saluting his glass toward Elyssa, he toasted softly, "to us,
dearheart".

Elyssa sipped the expensive champagne,
her spirits lifting beneath Daniel's sweet attention. She could see the longing
in his gaze, felt his need to kiss her amid the hundreds of guests, and it
thrilled her. He managed to overcome the need, not wishing to give further talk
for the gossips no doubt already spreading rumors about the two of them. Daniel
didn't voice his thoughts to Elyssa. He wanted her to have a wonderful,
memorable evening.

They shared another dance before Daniel
insisted he was famished. Elyssa was too nervous to eat anything, content to
simply watch Daniel eat. His mouth really was sinfully tempting, she mused, as
he devoured another piece of hide down the corridor.ed to ">CHAPTER ously expensive lobster. A sensual smile
claimed Daniels’ lips as he took note of Elyssa’s apparent fascination with his
eating habits. She swallowed nervously at his heated gaze. Was it normal to be
so infatuated with your future husband? She was glad when Daniel finished his
food. Just afterward, a business acquaintance approached Daniel in desperate
need of financial advice on a venture he was considering. Daniel asked if
Elyssa would mind him leaving her side for only a few moments. He needed to
discuss a delicate matter of finances with the man. It would not take long,
Daniel insisted, as he placed a quick, chaste kiss on her forehead.

Suddenly alone, Elyssa felt vulnerable
and unsure of herself. Already she counted the seconds until Daniel's return,
hoping and praying that he would come back quickly. Moving slightly to the
strains of the music, Elyssa was more than a little surprised to suddenly find
herself surrounded by a throng of young handsome men, each of them wishing to
dance with her. They were curious, every last one of them, to discover the
beauty's identity. And that she was with the notorious rake, Daniel
Fredrickson, was proof that
whomever
she was, she was
quite a catch, both in and out of the bedroom.

They delighted in the fetching blush of
her cheeks at their attentions, betraying an innocent charm they all vowed
Fredrickson had likewise found beguiling and quite a change from his normal
doxies, were all the rumors even half truths. The generous swell of her breasts
above the low cut decolletage drew many a hungry gaze

Elyssa did her best to deny them
sweetly, but one of the boldest took it upon
himself
to quickly pull her out to the dance floor. She was aggravated at his audacity,
unable to loose herself from his grasp. But before she knew it, Elyssa was
helplessly giggling at something witty he'd whispered about the couple next to
them. He was charming to be sure, this Baron John Adderly, and quickly on his
way to becoming a noted rogue. Although she thought of him as quite young, he
was actually a year older than Elyssa. His easy charm took her by surprise and
Elyssa found herself answering his every question about
herself
.

The music ended, much to John's
disappointment, and as they turned to go back to Elyssa's spot against the far
wall, Daniel stood blocking the way. A touch of amusement in his voice, Daniel
asked, "Did you very much enjoy dancing with my fiancee?"

Striving to overcome the shock at
hearing the young beauty was engaged to Fredrickson, the insolent pup finally
replied, "Why yes, I find Elyssa quite charming and easily the best dancer
here."

Only the tick in Daniel's jaw gave evidence
at his underlying anger, and he silently watched as Adderly bowed to Elyssa,
bidding her good night. Though had he seen the down the corridor.ed to ">CHAPTER bold wink John bestowed upon
Elyssa, he might have throttled the life from him. John took his leave and
needless to say, Elyssa's other admirers had already scattered at the sight of
the possessive Lord Fredrickson.

“Darling, I cannot leave you for five
minutes without you drawing a crowd," he mocked in severity. "What is
a man to think when his fiancee is so quick to take up with a group of rogues
the moment his back is turned?"

"Perhaps that you should not desert
me?" she charmingly replied.

"Minx," he teased softly,
leading her out onto a secluded balcony well away from anyone’s watching eyes.

"It is cold out," Elyssa commented.

"No matter, darling, I shall keep
you warm,"
came
the husky response. He wrapped
his arms about Elyssa. "Don't worry, we'll go back in. I just couldn't
wait any longer to do this."

Daniel stole her breath away, so sweet
and insistent was his kiss. His mouth covered hers, his lips warm and slanting
against her own
. Elyssa moaned softly at the feel of being
in Daniel's arms, crushed against his hard chest, his tongue thrusting against
her own. It was the enchantment dreams were made of, and Elyssa felt she was
the luckiest woman on earth.

The kiss gradually ended, although
Elyssa couldn't recall exactly when Daniel had managed to back her up against
the wall,
nor
when his hands had moved to cup her
bottom in effort to pull her closer against his hardness.

Shaking his head mockingly over his own
lack of self-control, Daniel said, "You are a witch, darling. How else can
I explain this ever present need to touch you and kiss you?" His soft
laughter was music to her ears and Elyssa placed her head against his shoulder,
inhaling the scent of him, reveling in the masculine feel of him. Kissing the
top of her head, Daniel told her, "Wait here, darling. I just saw a
servant walking by with glasses of brandy. That will warm us and I can
selfishly keep you to myself a few moments more."

Before Elyssa could protest, Daniel was
gone. Seconds later, she turned to the sound of returning footsteps. She
turned, the smile dying on her lips as she spied a familiar young woman.
"You are the woman that was in Daniel's bed. so callous and deceitfulmi l"

"What a clever girl you are,"
came
the short reply.

It was a shock seeing the beautiful
young lady here at the ball, and Elyssa's doubts were beginning to surface
already. It was clear the woman was here to voice her claim on Daniel yet
again, but Elyssa trusted Daniel's words that she was nothing to him.

"What are you doing here?"
Elyssa asked.

"I live here." She laughed at
the look of confusion on Elyssa's face. "Catherine Edmonton. Surely Daniel
mentioned something about me after you found me in his bed?"

Elyssa searched her mind for Daniel's
exact words. Catherine Edmonton. Blake's younger sister.
Always
wreaking havoc wherever she went.
Elyssa unwittingly spoke the words
aloud and Catherine giggled in amusement.

"Well yes, Daniel and I both
wreaked havoc together.
Both in and out of bed."

Catherine's positively smug look ate
away at Elyssa's heart. She suddenly felt lacking in appearance next to the
petite beauty. Catherine's ivory gown was spectacular. Her eyes betrayed a
decadence that would have taken Elyssa years to gain.
A
decadence
shared with Daniel, and Elyssa's heart sank a bit more in that
knowledge.

"Why would he have brought me here
to your home?" Elyssa asked aloud.

A condescending snicker answered that
question, and Catherine said, "Why do you think?
To be
with me.
Why do you think Daniel is spending his last night as an
unmarried man under my parents' roof? So he can sneak into my bedroom
tonight."

"Daniel will be back in just a
moment. I am sure he can put your ridiculous claims to rest," Elyssa said,
though the tremor in her voice betrayed the fear she actually felt.

Stepping closer to Elyssa, the haughty
smile died on Catherine's face and a look of anger took its place as she
"What is it?"g">CHAPTER grabbed Elyssa's arm. "The only reason Daniel is marrying you is because
of his father’s amended will."

Elyssa's look of confusion spurred
Catherine's revelation. "Your husband changed his will before he died and
left everything to you.
Greystone and all the money.
Daniel found out but couldn't tell you. And that, my gullible Lady
Fredrickson,
is the only reason my lover is marrying
you."

Elyssa cried out, snatching her arm
loose from Catherine. "It isn't true!"

"I'll tell you what isn't
true," Catherine rebuked. "Daniel's love for you isn't true. His
desire for you isn't real. He loves me. And once everything is his again after
the marriage, he will annul it and wed me."

Elyssa struggled to catch her breath,
blindly stepping inside from the balcony, needing to get away as quickly as
possible. Her entire world was threatening to collapse and Elyssa felt she
would die from the intense pain squeezing her heart. Before allowing Elyssa to
leave, Catherine left her with one further thought.

"If you don't believe me, find the
will and read it yourself. It's most likely locked in a desk drawer or a safe.
Marry Daniel and you will be welcoming certain heartbreak. He belongs with me,
do you hear?”

Elyssa was already out of sight, though
Catherine's taunting words rang in her ears as she hurried down the corridor.
Tears blinded her steps and Elyssa nearly tripped over the hem of her gown. She
didn't bother retrieving her cape or gloves, only wanted to flee the horrible
place. Elyssa felt like retching at the thought of Catherine's words, and
although she longed to scorn the woman a liar and a fool, Elyssa knew it would
be too easy to verify her accusations. What had she to gain by concocting such
a lie? She had to find the will, had to prove Daniel's innocence in the bitch's
petty scheme to steal him away.

Catherine followed from a distance,
making sure Elyssa left the mansion. Smiling in satisfaction at Elyssa's
departure, Catherine had one of the servants find Daniel and inform him that
Lady Fredrickson had left for the night pleading a horrible headache, and that
she would see him two days hence at the church.

Elyssa cried off and on the entire way
home, certainty that the woman was lying alternating with the fear her life
would never be the same. The trip was agonizingly slow, even though the driver
was going as fast as humanly possible in response to Elyssa's curt orders. down the corridor.ed to ">CHAPTER

She ran up the stairs into Greystone and
into the study, where they'd first sat after the original reading of the will.
Frantically, Elyssa opened and searched through each and every drawer and was
surprised to find the original will in plain sight as she opened the top right
drawer.

Taking a deep breath and with trembling
hands, she opened and read the legal document. Dropping into the chair, her
fear and trepidation vanished as she read that all was as she had hoped. It had
all been left to Daniel. Nothing indicated otherwise.

Relieved, she leaned back in the chair
to relax and calm her tattered nerves. Her hand idly went into the drawer and
she casually searched through the remaining contents within to make sure she
hadn’t missed anything else. Still a little shaky, she lifted what appeared to
be the last document only to find underneath, a folded parchment carelessly
shoved to the back of the drawer.

Elyssa hesitantly and with a foreboding
premonition, opened the document. Immediately fear and dread returned, because
at the bottom was Percy’s scrawled signature. Her world seemed to cave in and
her head spun as she read the damning words. She had found Percy’s final will.

Everything was left to me,
her mind cried.
Greystone...the money...but it all means absolutely nothing!
Catherine had been brutally honest in her hateful attack!

Finally the reality sank into her
conscious thoughts.
I don’t have
Daniel...not his heart nor his
slightest regard. Oh yes, he wants me––rather, needs me––to regain his
inheritance, but then he probably plans to callously discard me after I have
served his nefarious purpose.

Her breathing was shallow, her heart
shattering as the ultimate truth of Daniel’s sordid plan penetrated her mind.
He did not really love her after all. He was marrying her only to regain
possession of Greystone. A swirling darkness enveloped Elyssa and she slid to
the floor in a dead faint, the wrinkled document still clutched loosely in her
hand.

  to keep hernot l