Read To Tame a Highland Earl for Free Online Page B

to king and family, and brooked
no disrespect against his English wife.
    “ My apologies,” Erroll
said.
    “ I am sorry your duty is
such a burden.” His father’s gaze bore into him. “Do you believe
Ash is powerful enough to protect your sister Olivia from Lydia’s
wrath once we’re gone?”
    No. Sweet Lydia would sacrifice everything to
ruin the son and daughter of the marquess’ beloved Moira
MacLean.
    *****
    Kidnapping was a crime, but a wedding must
take place, and Eve had reconciled herself to the fact that she had
to get Lord Rushton married to Grace before their father enforced
his will. She slowed as she and her mother entered the ballroom of
Lord Grendall’s party. Her mother strolled on without looking back
as Eve scanned the crowd. Her gaze caught on a tall man on the
dance floor but when he turned, she saw he wasn’t Lord Rushton.
Nevertheless, her pulse refused to slow. He shouldn’t be here, but
the ballroom was immense and she could easily miss him in the
crowd. The time was ten thirty, and she hadn’t encountered him at
the other four soirees she had already visited. If all had gone as
planned, Lord Rushton had been shanghaied and was on his way to
Gretna where Grace waited to marry him.
    “ Eve?”
    Eve turned toward her mother, who had stopped
a few feet away and was looking at her.
    “ Are you
coming?”
    “ I see Miss Haverly,” Eve
said. “I want to say hello to her.” When her mother frowned, Eve
said, “Don’t worry, I will join you directly.”
    She hesitated, then nodded. “I will wait with
Lady Collins there in that alcove.” She pointed to the right wall
where a group of ladies stood, then started in that direction. “Do
not be long.”
    Eve angled left toward the first of the two
columns on that side of the room. She reached the column and
allowed herself to release a slow breath. This night couldn’t end
too soon for her liking.
    “ Really—” Eve stilled at
the sound of Lady Annabelle Quincy’s silky voice leaching around
the column “—how did their father decide which of them to saddle
Lord Rushton with?”
    “ And how did Lord Rushton
go from one sister’s bed to the other?” demanded a second woman,
Lady Willamina Consworth, if Eve wasn’t mistaken.
    Throughout the evening, she’d overheard women
making low comments within her hearing, pretending to be unaware of
her presence, but none so rude as this.
    Lady Quincy tittered a laugh. “I can’t
imagine his lordship settling for the older sister.”
    Disgust rolled over Eve.
    “ Perhaps the younger sister
did not prove to be as tasty as he had hoped,” Lady Consworth
said.
    “ Apparently, Eve Crenshaw
was not all that interesting either,” Lady Quincy whispered. “Laura
Greenwood was seen leaving Rushton’s hotel room this
morning.”
    “ No,” Willamina breathed.
“It seems the earl has no intention of giving up his pleasures even
long enough to wed.”
    Had she heard right? Lady Greenwood visited
the earl’s hotel room today?
    “ Why should he change
simply because he’s marrying?” Lady Quincy said. “After all, they
are only daughters of a baron. Getting compromised is the only
chance they have of marrying a man like Rushton.” She giggled.
“Imagine, if he marries Eve Crenshaw. Why, the three of them
might—”
    Fury swept through Eve and she nearly
stumbled in her haste to circle the column and confront the women.
They took a surprised step backwards toward the wall.
    “ Lady Quincy.” Eve swung
her glare onto the older of the two gossipmongers. “Lady
Consworth.”
    “ Miss Crenshaw,” Lady
Consworth sputtered.
    “ We did not see you there,”
Lady Quincy said.
    “ Of course you did,” Eve
said.
    “ Miss Crenshaw—”
    “ Do not act as if you
didn’t say those things just to be spiteful and crude.”
    “ How dare you?” Lady Quincy
hissed.
    Lady Consworth cast a glance around them.
“Keep your voices down.”
    “ Why?” Eve demanded,
raising hers. “So no one else