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."If I thought only of you, Miss Germain, myfeet would stumble to a halt, my chin would drop to the floor, and all I would beable to do is stare at your beauty in stupefied amazement.""You would be the first to do so," she assured him."With all respect, I doubt that."It was with difficulty that Carr kept from complimenting her so lavishly that hewould appear foolishly smitten.He managed to conduct himself with commendablerestraint.This was his second Season in London, and by now he considered himselfto be morethan proficient in the art of flirtation.He had even thought of himself asbecoming rather cynical, though not quite as impressively jaded as his cousin Alec.Women, all women, had once possessed the power to make Carr feel awkward andtongue-tied& and just when he had congratulated himself on overcoming such anaffliction, this small woman in his arms had brought it back in less than a minute.Hewas bewitched by her, and moreover, he could feel the jealous stares of hiscomrades as they watched him dance with her.A night like this was the stuff of ayoung man's fantasies.Carr gave up all attempts to make conversation and simplyconcentrated on memorizing each detail of her face.Content to dance in silence, Mira followed him easily, her fingers resting lightly onthe metallic fibers of Carr's costume.It was with great reluctance that she realized thewaltz was ending.She walked back very slowly with Carr to the Berkeleys, whowere conversing with Helen of Troy, Shakespeare, Delilah, and Henry VIII."He is perfect for you," Rosalie whispered behind her fan to Mira."Young andsweet, and very handsome.Play your cards wisely.""I will," Mira whispered back, unable to think of any way to explain to Rosaliethat Carr would have indeed been perfect, had he not been so young& had he notbeen Alec's cousin.Aside from the fact that she would inevitably find herself makingcomparisons between the two of them, she knew that Alec would not tolerate anyinvolvement of hers with a member of his family.What would he do if Carr becameseriously interested in her? The thought was both amusing and horrifying.As she turned her attention to the conversation and laughed at a quip Carr hadmade, she felt a sudden prickling sensation along the back of her neck, as ifsomeone's eyes were on her.Glancing over her shoul-der, she saw Alec in the midstof a large group& j and he gave her a long, measured glance before turn- j ing away.His gray eyes had been smoky with jeal-; ousy.A quiver of excitement raced through her.That j doesn't change anything, she told herself sternly.Itj doesn't matter that hestill might want you, and you're't a fool to care& But she couldn't deny that it had ifelt good to have him stare like that& yes, it felt i very good.And even though shehad disclaimed any j tie with him, she couldn't repress a twinge of pride as 't shelooked at him; he was very handsome tonight,; even more thanusual.iThere was something unspeakably potent about his? darkness, a virility that fewmen possessed in such! abundance.He was not a man who brought to mind;thoughts of fairy-tale princes and knights on white chargers.When a woman lookedat him, she thought i of forbidden pleasures and clandestine meetings.He was thekind of man who seemed to have been created expressly to bring women heartache,yet even knowing that, how could she help but be drawn to him? To possess a manlike him, even for a short time, was every woman's private dream.Apparently Rosalie had noticed Alec as well, for her slim brows had liftedslightly, lending her an expression of thoughtful disgruntlement."I've seen thatcostume before," she said in a low voice, making certain that Rand and Carr wereengaged in conversation before she continued: "but I'll admit that no man has everbeen able to carry it off so well.I'm afraid it's far too suitable for him."Alec's tall, broad-shouldered form was clad in black breeches, a crimson damaskwaistcoat, fringed gauntlets, and high-topped boots of spur leather.His black hair,uncovered by any hat, shone with the gleam of pure obsidian.Around his neck hunga gold cross, and a sword was strapped to his lean waist."What cos-tume is it?"Mira whispered, moving her gaze back to Rosalie's face with an effort."Captain Bartholomew Roberts you can always tell by the cross.A pirate, quiteswarthy from what the legends say, who was killed in battle during the sixteenthcentury.A heroic figure, though reputedly not a very kind man.""I'm going to dance with him if it takes me all night to get an invitation," Helen ofTroy said, following Rosalie's eyes and sighing as she stared at Alec."Bonne chance," Mira murmured, staring down at the floor as a secret smileforced its way to her lips, no matter how she tried to prevent it.Tonight it would notbother her if every woman at the Pavilion plied her wares on Alec Falkner& for justnow he had been staring at her, only her, and the knowledge made her heart sing.As the ball continued, Mira was buffeted with a large number of introductions andinvitations to dance.Rosalie was clearly delighted by Mira's popularity, and evenmore so by the fact that Carr made every effort to monopolize Mira's attention.Theball was interrupted for a few minutes while the assemblage received the news thatthe king was indisposed and would not be able to attend the festivities that night.Afew people seemed regretful at the announcement, but none seemed surprised,attesting to the truth of what Rosalie had said earlier about the king's indolence.Standing near one of the tables of refreshments and sipping punch, Mira stood byCarr's side and conversed idly with a small group of people.Nothing more thanmundane comments were exchanged, which caused Mira to relax in their company. She listened to the latest gossip and laughed in all the appropriate places until herattention was occupied by a minor catastrophe
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