Her father had said a great deal more. Something about bad luck and how he’d hate for her to have to find a position to support herself.
Every word had been aimed at making one thing clear…. Denying Mr. Macklemeyer’s attentions would have dire consequences.
And so she stood with her gloved hand under his thin lips and waited, with what she hoped was a reasonably genuine smile, for the exchange to be over.
“Come, son. Allow me to introduce you to our distinguished friend. You know my brother, of course, General Wright.”
Her uncle gave a silent nod. He’d not said a word, but Violet got the impression he liked Mr. Macklemeyer about as much as she did. Perhaps it was the way he always straightened when Macklemeyer was near or how a frown line creased his forehead at the mention of Macklemeyer’s name.
“General,” Macklemeyer replied, letting go of her hand. She attempted not to sigh in relief.
“And this is Russian diplomat, vice-chancellor Alexander Ivanovich.”
Macklemeyer gave a stiff bow as the other man dipped his head. “A pleasure, Mr. Macklemeyer. Viscount Smithfield tells me you are in the business of shipping.”
Macklemeyer smiled. “Yes. That’s right.”
“Though what he ships, precisely, he keeps to himself, but we know he’s quite successful.” Her father chuckled as though he’d made a rather funny jest and not spoken a truth that was mildly alarming.
“You give me too much credit,” Macklemeyer said with an easy smile. “I’ve explained. I own a shipping company for hire. It means I have no regular product but that I help businessmen in need. It’s both rewarding and lucrative.”
Her father laughed again, as though that were the most amusing thing he’d ever heard. Violet dipped her head, attempting to hide her frown.
But a voice behind her had her head snapping up once again. “What products have you shipped recently, Mr. Macklemeyer?”
Who was that? The voice was deep, not loud, but somehow it carried. Slowly, Violet turned, wondering what the man with such a voice might look like. She wasn’t disappointed.
In fact, it took every ounce of self-control not to gasp aloud.
He was tall. That was what she noted first. And broad. His shoulders were so wide she felt like she had to swivel her head to take them both in. His chest was broad and even in his finery, she could tell he carried a great deal of muscle.
Her eyes drifted up to the thick cords of his neck, the hard square line of his jaw, his angular cheeks and then lower to his full lips. They were the only thing soft about him.
His dark eyes pierced into her very soul as their gazes met and she sucked in a small breath then because it felt as though he’d actually touched her.
“Do I know you?” Macklemeyer said next to her, his fingers wrapping about her elbow. Tightly. She looked down at his hand even as he pulled her closer. She resisted the urge to jerk her arm from his grasp.
“Come now.” The tall, dark, and dangerously handsome man gave Macklemeyer a hard stare. “We’re old friends.” Then he looked to her father, giving a bow. “My lord, I don’t believe we’re acquainted. I am Lord Justice, here tonight with my brother, the Duke of Whitehaven.”
“Ahh,” her father said. “I was sorry to hear of your father’s death, but glad to see you and your brothers rejoining society. I am most pleased to meet you.”
Lord Justice? What an unusual name for such a…compelling man.
“And I you,” Lord Justice answered.
Introductions were again made but after the men were introduced, her father turned to her. “And this is my daughter, Miss Wright.”
“A pleasure,” he murmured, bending low over her hand. Even through her glove, she could feel the roughness of his palm against the silk.
The strangest tingling started up her arm as she gave a nod in return. “The pleasure is all mine.”
He let go, straightening, but he continued to hold her gaze.
“How does your brother fair in his new duties as duke?” her uncle asked.
“Very well,” Justice replied, finally looking away. Violet’s shoulders slumped in either relief or disappointment. She couldn’t be certain.
“I hear he is newly engaged,” her father interjected.
“That’s right. We’re thrilled,” Justice said, his eyes looking to the ceiling. Was that an eyeroll? “My other brother, Lord White, will wed soon enough as well.”
“Is that so?” her father asked, smoothing his white hair back from his forehead. She knew the gesture. He was plotting... “You boys have all decided to marry, have you?”
Justice only smiled, his gaze travelling from Violet to Macklemeyer and back to her. Whenever his gaze touched her, her skin heated in the strangest way. “Do I give the impression of a man intent upon marriage?”
“You’re here, aren’t you? Why else would you rejoin society?” her uncle said, stepping up onto her other side. He deliberately took her hand, and tucked it into his elbow, pulling her from Macklemeyer’s side and forcing him to release his grip on her elbow.
“Fair point, General.” He gave another sparkling smile.
“You should have dinner with us,” her father interjected. “We’d be delighted to aid you in rejoining society.”
“Most kind,” he said with quirk of his brow. “But I am here tonight in support of my brothers.”
“You’re in business together.” Her father moved closer, tweaking his mustache. “I’ve heard of your success.”
Violet’s brows lifted. Was her father still considering other options for her hand? She assessed Lord Justice, her pulse fluttering at the idea of being married to such a man.
“My brother and I have been shipping war supplies but with talk of peace… we’ll have to shift our focus I imagine.” And then he looked at Macklemeyer, his jaw tightening.
Vice-chancellor Ivanovich nodded. “Smart. From what I hear talks are going exceedingly well, and if Bonaparte can be defeated Europe will know peace for the first time in fifteen years.”
Lord Justice smiled and the hair on the back of Violet’s neck stood up. “Peace. What a lovely idea.”
“If you and Lord White are in shipping,” her uncle said as he looked over her head to her soon to be fiancé, “doesn’t it stand to reason that you and Macklemeyer are acquainted?”
“Quite right.” Macklemeyer frowned. “I’d forgotten.”
Even Violet’s father paused at that. “Really? Hard to mistake a White. You’re all so…large.”
Justice’s smile only grew. “True. The height is a White trait. And so is a large personality. We can be quite difficult to forget.”
“My lord,” Macklemeyer interrupted with another bland expression aimed over Violet’s head at her father. “I apologize for my interruption, but I do believe we have business to discuss.”
Her father tweaked his mustache as his eyes twinkled. “We do, indeed.”
Violet’s own pulse started beating wildly again but this time it didn’t thrum with excitement but thick dread. The business Macklemeyer referred to her was certainly her hand. The urge to run curled her toes in her dancing slippers.
“And I should take my leave.” Lord Justice bowed again. “It was a pleasure to meet all of you. This has been most enlightening.”
Violet watched him go from her place on the balcony, following him with her eyes until he finally disappeared from view, swallowed by the crowd. For a brief moment, she wondered what it might be to like to wed a different man. A man like Lord Justice.
Want to read more? Her Wanton White
Check out the entire series! The Dark Duke’s Legacy:
Her Wicked White
Her Willful White
His Wallflower White
Her Wanton White
Her Wild White
His Wedded White
His White Wager
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About the Author
Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of eighteen, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.
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Other Titles by Tammy
Lords of Scandal
Duke of Daring
Marquess of Malice
Earl of Exile
Viscount of Vice
Baron of Bad
Earl of Sin
Earl of Gold
Earl of Baxter
Duke of Daring and more!!!!
The Rake’s Ruin
When only an Indecent Duke Will Do
How to Catch an Elusive Earl
Where to Woo a Bawdy Baron
When a Marauding Marquess is Best
What a Vulgar Viscount Needs
Who Wants a Brawling Baron
When to Dare a Dishonorable Duke
The Wicked Wallflowers
Earl of Dryden
Too Wicked to Woo
Too Wicked to Wed
Too Wicked to Want
How to Reform a Rake
Don’t Tell a Duke You Love Him
Meddle in a Marquess’s Affairs
Never Trust an Errant Earl
Never Kiss an Earl at Midnight
Make a Viscount Beg
Wicked Lords of London
Earl of Sussex
My Duke’s Seduction
My Duke’s Deception
My Earl’s Entrapment
My Duke’s Desire
My Wicked Earl
Brethren of Stone
The Duke’s Scottish Lass
Scottish Devil
Wicked Laird
Kilted Sin
Rogue Scot
The Fate of a Highland Rake
A Laird to Love
Christmastide with my Captain
My Enemy, My Earl
Heart of a Highlander
A Scot’s Surrender
A Laird’s Seduction
Taming the Duke’s Heart
Taming a Duke’s Reckless Heart
Taming a Duke’s Wild Rose
Taming a Laird’s Wild Lady
Taming a Rake into a Lord
Taming a Savage Gentleman
Taming a Rogue Earl
Fairfield Fairy Tales
Stealing a Lady’s Heart
Hunting for a Lady’s Heart
Entrapping a Lord’s Love: Coming in February of 2018
American Historical Romance
Lily in Bloom
Midnight Magic
The Golden Rules of Love
Boxsets!!
Taming the Duke’s Heart Books 1-3
American Brides
A Laird to Love
Wicked Lords of London
His Wallflower White: The Dark Duke’s Legacy Page 13