Bride Enchanted

383 Pages·2007·1.08 MB·English

by  Edith Layton

Bride Enchanted
Edith Layton
To brand-new Hugo Norbert Holland,
nmy brand-mnew hero.
Contents

Chapter 1
Good lord, but he was beautiful. Not the right
word… 1
Chapter 2
Eve was ready to see the man who had
asked… 12
Chapter 3
She leaned forward in her chair, a smile
on her… 30
Chapter 4
It was a sparkling ball, masquerades always
were no matter… 49
Chapter 5
Eve shuddered. Aubrey’s lips had left hers,
his hands slowly… 65
Chapter 6
“You’re nervous,” Aubrey told Eve as their
carriage drove through… 81
Chapter 7
She woke to a kiss, a light warm velvety
touch… 98
Chapter 8
The night was almost done, and gray shadows
in the… 117
Chapter 9
Sheridan, for once, was speechless. He looked
up and down… 133
Chapter 10
The night of the ball finally came, and when
it… 152
Chapter 11
If Far Isle were in London, the ball would
have… 170
Chapter 12
Aubrey was gone when Eve awoke in the
morning. He… 187
Chapter 13
He came to her in the night, to their bed,… 206
Chapter 14
Aubrey came in from the cold. His high
cheekbones were… 226
Chapter 15
Eve didn’t know what to say, or if she
should… 242
Chapter 16
If he was any mythical character, Eve thought
sleepily, then… 258
Chapter 17
The note she left for him, on her pillow,
was… 275
Chapter 18
The physician was well known for his
treatment of the… 292
Chapter 19
“I had planned to take you when my sister
lost… 310
Chapter 20
“I’ll never run away from you again,” Eve
assured Aubrey… 329
Chapter 21
They left her father’s house together. 348
Epilogue
Apple blossoms fell like fragrant snow onto
the daisy-dappled grass. 369
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Other Romances
Cover
Copyright
Abouth the Publisher
Chapter 1
nm

G
ood lord, but he was beautiful. Not the right
word for such a masculine man. Not exactly
the wrong one either. He moved like a freshen-
ing breeze through a field of ripened grain as he
crossed the crowded ballroom. Bodies shifted to
form a path, voices murmuring in his wake. Bright
as the sun and cool as deep water. He was, Eve
thought, surely the most handsome man she’d
ever clapped eyes on. But what was odd was that
his brilliant dark brown gaze seemed fixed only
upon her.
Eve turned her head to see whom he was star-
ing at as he approached. The sea of transfixed
females standing behind and beside her on the
fringes of the dance floor didn’t offer a clue. Dewy
miss to dowager, they were all staring at him. So
she turned back to get a closer look at the new-
comer, the fascinating Aubrey Ashford, before he
passed her by.
2 EDITH LAYTON
He was everything they said, but much more
so: tall, lithe, and graceful. Well dressed, of
course, in immaculate linen, a high neckcloth, a
dark tightly fitted jacket stretched over his wide
shoulders, and formal breeches and stockings
that showed off straight, strong legs. But it was
his face that stopped her breath. He had thin dark
brows arched over watchful eyes. His complex-
ion was smooth, his dark hair slightly overlong,
his cheekbones high, his mouth classical. A pro-
nounced chin was the only thing that gave that
glorious countenance a slight imperfection, mak-
ing it seem a bit more human than a face seen in
marble in a museum. And so, far more accessible.
He stopped, directly in front of her.
Eve was caught in his steady gaze. She won-
dered vaguely if she should move aside. She was
too enthralled, head back, staring at him, to think
clearly. She tried to shake herself to action so she
could step away. She was many things, but not a
ninny.
She was Eve Faraday, a woman of three and
twenty, and no fool. She was a bit too short for
fashion, though a little too tall to be called a
“pocket Venus.” She was wearing a charming
gown tonight, in green, her favorite color. Her
figure was slender, with just enough bosom to do
justice to the low neckline, but she knew it wasn’t