Forever Your Earl (36 page)

Authors: Eva Leigh

Backstage, all was controlled chaos. Still in costume, performers of every stripe milled aroundâÂincluding acrobats, a dog act, a cloud of dancers, clowns, and the rouged, adorned actors and actresses from the final burletta. In addition to the performers were the stage crew, taking away painted flats, gathering up properties, and generally looking put out by the fact that they had to work in the middle of this bedlam.

Cam stopped in the wings and drew a deep breath. It wasn't a pleasant breath, thick as the air was with the scent of paint and sweat, but to Cam it still smelled as rich and heady as a fine perfume. This was the fragrance of the theater, of the magic of make-Âbelieve. It was slightly stale and very human. Precisely the reasons why he enjoyed it so much.

Many gazes landed on Cam as he paused in the wings. Within a moment, three actresses in their pretend silks and velvets gathered around him like painted butterflies. They batted their kohl-Âlined eyes at him, draping their soft ivory arms around his shoulders, and smiling with pretty little teeth. Beads of sweat that jeweled their hairlines only added to their appeal. Unlike the women of ballrooms and Society teas, these women had a realness about them, grounded as they were in the theater and its work. It was a paradox that, though they invested themselves in the realm of the pretend, they were more genuine to Cam than any debutante. He accepted his own contradictions.

“My lord,” a brunette actress cooed. “A pleasure.”

“Pleasure is my fondest pursuit,” he answered with a grin.

The female performers giggled.

He was gratified to see that Miss Smith was among the actresses' numbers. Tall and willowy, with ash blond hair and gray eyes, she had the figure of a woodland sylph but a knowing gaze. And equally adept hands.

Those hands played across Cam's waistcoat, pressing against his chest. She would've made a lovely pickpocket. No man would have resisted getting fleeced by those pretty fingers.

“Oh, my lord,” she sighed. “You're not soft like the other gents that come back here. You're hard all over.”

“Indeed, I can be,” he replied.

More titters arose from the women.

“Did you enjoy the performances tonight?” Miss Smith asked.

“Everyone was in rare form,” he answered honestly. “Tears nearly rolled down my cheeks at the tragic conclusion of the final burletta. And I wasn't the only one in the audience who felt that way. We were all in a swoon.” He spoke no exaggeration.

He didn't believe in false flattery. It was a cheap trick used by rogues and frauds who hadn't enough skill to win a woman through the truth.

“In fact,” he went on, “I'd very much like to show my appreciation for such a performance by inviting all of you out for a private supper.”

The actresses squealed with happiness. Miss Smith beamed at him, and her eyelashes batted so furiously, they nearly tangled. Cam realized that he'd told Eberhart that he'd meet him at the gaming hell in an hour, but he knew the other man wouldn't mind if Cam decided to entertain a small collection of actresses instead. A fellow had to have his priorities.

Cam was about to suggest to the women that they go change out of their costumes, when a movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Or rather, the absence of movement. In the sea of commotion, there was a small spot of stillness, and it drew his gaze.

A woman. Petite yet curvaceous, with a mass of nearly black hair piled atop her head, she read over a sheet of paper. Unlike the actresses and dancers, she wasn't in costume. She wore a simple russet woolen gown with a high neckline and long sleeves. Her face was tilted down as she examined the document in her hands, yet Cam could see that she had a small, pointed chin, nearly severe dark eyebrows, and a wide, lush mouth. Not precisely beautiful, but certainly striking.

Within the confines of her small, curvy body, she held a unique gravitas. A purpose and intent. She fairly burned with it. And damn him if that didn't appeal to Cam.

A sudden need to be near her blazed through him. She seemed familiar to him, somehow, yet he couldn't quite place her. Whoever she was, he wanted to smooth the crease between those arresting eyebrows. He needed to hear her voiceâÂwhether it was high and girlish, or low and husky. He wanted .Â .Â . he didn't know what he wanted. Only to be close by her side.

“Excuse me for a moment,” he murmured distractedly, disentangling himself from Miss Smith and the other actresses. As if in a daze, he crossed the wings, barely seeing anything and anyone.

Only the mysterious woman before him.

About the Author

EVA LEIGH is the pen name of a RITAÂ® Award-nominated romance author who writes novels chock-full of smart women and sexy men. She enjoys baking, Tweeting about boots, and listening to music from the '80s. Eva and her husband live in Central California.

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By Eva Leigh

F
OREVER
Y
OUR
E
ARL

Coming Soon

S
CANDAL
T
AKES THE
S
T
AGE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Excerpt from
Scandal Takes the Stage
copyright Â© 2015 by Ami Silber.

FOREVER YOU
R EARL
. Copyright Â© 2015 by Ami Silber. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

EPub Edition OCTOBER 2015 ISBN: 9780062358639

Print Edition ISBN: 9780062358622

FIRST EDITION

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