Brazen Angel

"Excuse me," she said, her skirt brushing against him. The rustle of fabric snapped Giles to attention. "May I offer you my assistance?" He held out his arm to her She shook her head slightly. "No, thank you." Giles did not miss the dismissive tone, nor the slight accent to her speech. Though fluent in many languages he, too, had to admit he was stumped as to its origin. "Oh, I insist, my dear lady." He took her hand and settled it on his forearm, holding her in place. "Besides, you appear to have been left alone. I wouldn't call myself a gentleman if I didn't help a lady in distress." She tugged her arm to free herself, but Giles only held on that much tighter. "My lord, your reputation precedes you. My escort will not appreciate your efforts." Again she turned her face from him, obviously searching the crowd for someone. Her next victim, Giles guessed. "And who is your escort? Perhaps I have seen him recently." Her sensuous pink lips pursed in concentration. "That is none of your concern. Now, if you don't release me I'll make a scene." "I doubt that," he stated confidently. "A lady like yourself, so concerned with appearances, wouldn't want to attract such untoward attention." He started to stroll through the crowd, dragging her toward a side door. "Tell me your name, for I have a feeling before the evening is out we'll be old friends." She did not reply. "No name?" he teased. "What a terrible shame. Since I have never seen you before, I therefore must assume you are a princess from a faraway land, which would account for your accent and your shocking lack of a protector. Am I right?" "A princess, my lord?" She shook her head. "I would have expected something much more original from you. I am hardly a princess in need of a knight's rescue." "From your answer can I assume we have been introduced before?" he asked as they continued their halting procession through the room. As Giles towed her along he couldn't help but notice how the lady resisted each step forward. "Oh, in a manner of speaking." She laughed, as if over some private joke. Even as she enjoyed her jest at his expense, he began to notice subtle changes in her behavior. She still pulled against his grip, but the lady's strategy started to change. "Perhaps in Vienna?" he asked, searching his memory of all the ladies he'd met and tarried with on the Continent. Her face upturned, allowing him a chance to study her. Her hand on his arm relaxed, while a flirtatious light sparked in the mischievous blue fire of her eyes. The enticing fullness of her lips widened to an engaging smile. "You don't know me, do you?" she teased, leaning closer to him until her shoulder brushed ever so slightly against his arm. "I suppose I would be insulted if we had met before, but to be honest, we haven't, my lord. Not formally." For once Monty hadn't been exaggerating. The woman was an angel to behold. And he felt himself falling under her tempting spell. Obviously, he'd been out of the field too long if some misguided member of the ton could pique his professional curiosity so thoroughly with her antics. "Then let me be so forward as to introduce myself," he said.
Boyle, Elizabeth is the author of 'Brazen Angel' with ISBN 9780440613701 and ISBN 0440613701.