Excerpt of Her Notorious Viscount by Jenna Petersen

The corner of Stoneworth’s lips lifted, but it made more of
a snarl than a smile. “And who are you?”

Jane lifted her gaze to his, startled. “Oh, yes. I
apologize. My name is Jane Fenton.”

“No, not your name. Who are you?” He tilted his head. “I
don’t think we’ve met before. Although you do look…
familiar somehow.”

She nodded, thinking of the brief way he had looked at her
earlier in the evening. Trying not to think of the shameful
thrill his meaningless perusal had given her. Now he didn’t
even recall her face.

“Y-You might have seen me tonight at the Glouchester ball,”
she explained.

“In that gown?” he asked, tilting his head to the side as
if he were examining her serviceable, woolen frock.

More heat flooded Jane’s cheeks, but this time it was
angry, as well as embarrassed. “Your cravat was crooked and
you haven’t shaved for two days, at least. You have no room
to judge-”

She caught herself, swallowing back the rest of her heated
response to his jab. When she was pressed, Jane often had
the terrible habit of letting honesty get in the way of
tact. Her father had sometimes joked that she got her
temper the moment she inherited the ruddy highlights in her
otherwise plain brown hair. Now that “red-headed temper”
might have cost her dearly.

She held her breath as she awaited Nicholas Stoneworth’s
reaction.

But when he moved even closer, she found he was smiling at
her. Something a bit more genuine than the feral snarls and
false smirks she had seen him exhibit tonight.

“It seems I have hit upon a sore spot for you,” he said
with an exaggerated bow. “I do apologize.”