How to Romance a Rake (40 page)

But it was too much to hope that she would be fobbed off with such a tale.

“I don’t believe you.”

Maddie’s gaze was cool, self-assured. At any other time he’d have found it damned attractive. To be honest, he found it attractive now. But he also recognized that her expression spelled trouble for him one way or another for the next few weeks.

“I thought it was odd for you to be in such a place as Mrs. Bailey’s last night,” she said conversationally. “You aren’t known for being much of a gamester. Even tonight you aren’t haunting the card room like most gentlemen do to avoid the matchmakers.”

“That doesn’t mean that I can’t have taken a recent interest in gaming,” Christian said, though he knew she would not believe him. Her skepticism had shifted into certainty.

“You were there following my brother,” Maddie continued, hammering another nail into the coffin of his peace of mind. “Or Mr. Tinker. It doesn’t matter which, only that you were there when Mr. Tinker was murdered and now you’re convinced that James had something to do with it.”

“You can’t know any of this,” he said, still keeping up the pretense of denial. “I am a gentleman and as such am free to go wherever I choose. It is a mere coincidence that I happened to be there on the same night that Tinker was killed.”

“You might even have killed him yourself,” she said suddenly, standing up, her hands covering her mouth in dawning horror. “Oh, God. You didn’t, did you?”

Leaping up from the bench, he took hold of her hands. “Maddie, you know that’s not true. You know it. I cannot tell you why I was there, but I can assure you that I did not kill Tinker. For one thing, if I had someone would have noticed me disappearing from the card table long before he was found.”

To his relief, she seemed to see the sense of what he said. Christian wasn’t sure just why he’d panicked at her accusation, but panicked he had. Doubtless it was because he’d come to appreciate her good opinion and he did not wish to lose it. Of course that was it, he assured himself.

“I suppose you’re right,” Maddie said, clearly unaware of the inner battle her companion was fighting with himself. “Though I still don’t believe it a coincidence that you were there last night. Nor do I believe your interest in James’s presence there last night is mere curiosity.”

“At least you don’t think me a murderer,” he said with more honesty than he’d intended. “I can live with your suspicion on the other matters, but not that.”

Maddie’s eyes softened as she looked up at him. “I don’t,” she said softly, reaching a hand up to touch him lightly on the cheek.

And all at once Christian became aware that they were all alone out on the Marchford’s terrace.

He wasn’t sure when Maddie had developed charms—the very idea would doubtless make her laugh—but ever since he’d held her in his arms last night, he’d had the devil’s own time trying to erase the memory of just how right she’d felt there. Not to mention the memory of her soft, spicy, floral scent. He’d noticed it immediately when he’d greeted her earlier this evening as well, but he’d been able to file it away for later perusal. Apparently later was right now, he thought, as he leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers.

Also by Manda Collins

How to Dance with a Duke

Praise for Manda Collins’s delightful debut …

How to Dance with a Duke

“Warmth, wit, and delicious chemistry shine through every page … With a heroine to root for and a hero to die for,
How to Dance with a Duke
is a romance to remember.”

—
Bestselling author
Julie Anne Long

“Sexy, thrilling, and romantic—whether she’s writing of the mysteries of the heart or of the shady underworld of Egyptian relic smuggling, Manda Collins makes her Regency world a place any reader would want to dwell.”

—New York Times
bestselling author Kieran Kramer

“Manda Collins writes sexy and smart historical romance, with a big dash of fun. Romance readers will adore
How to Dance with a Duke
!”

—
Vanessa Kelly, named one of
Booklist
’s
“
New Stars of Historical Romance”

“Regency lovers have a new author to add to their dance cards! Manda Collins heats up the ballroom and writes romance to melt even the frostiest duke’s heart. With sparkling Regency wit, a dash of mystery, and just the right amount of steam,
How to Dance with a Duke
is an enchanting debut, sure to sweep readers off their feet!”

—Tessa Dare, named one of
Booklist
’s “New Stars of Historical Romance”

About the Author

M
ANDA
C
OLLINS
spent her teen years wishing she’d been born a couple of centuries earlier, preferably in the English countryside. Time travel being what it is, she resigned her-self to life with electricity and indoor plumbing, and read lots of books. An affinity for books led to a graduate degree in English, followed by another in Librarianship. By day, she works as an academic librarian at a small liberal arts college, where she teaches college students how to navigate the tangled world of academic research. A native of coastal Alabama, Manda lives in the house her mother grew up in with three cats, sometimes a dog, sometimes her sister, and always lots of books.

Visit her at:
www.mandacollins.com

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

HOW TO ROMANCE A RAKE

Copyright © 2012 by Manda Collins.

Excerpt from
How to Entice an Earl
copyright © 2012 by Manda Collins.

All rights reserved.

For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

www.stmartins.com

eISBN: 9781466815438

St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / August 2012

St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.