Excerpt of In the Thrill of the Night by Candice Hern

From Chapter 5:

"She is indeed lovely, Adam. She will make a beautiful
bride."

"Yes, she is lovely, but you, my dear, outshine every
other woman tonight. You look stunning in that dress. The
color suits you."

Marianne looked down at the mulberry crepe, its faint
sheen picked up by the moonlight. "Do you think so? You do
not think it too bold?"

"For such a brazen flirt? No, it is perfect."

Marianne laughed. "I confess I am feeling a bit brazen
tonight."

"So I noticed. How many other gentleman have fallen victim
to that fan?"

She shrugged and smiled. "Only a few."

He gave a snort and looked away. "I never before knew you
to employ a fan. Is this something new?"

"Wilhelmina gave us a refresher course in the language of
the fan, and I have come to find it quite useful."

"Us?"

Oh dear. She could not tell him about the Merry Widows. It
was a secret pact, and she had almost let it slip. "The
trustees. We got a bit silly at one of our meetings,
that's all. I had quite forgotten all those signals one
could send with a fan."

"It seems to have come back to you easily enough."

Marianne hunched a shoulder. "It has certainly made things
easier for me. I am still feeling awkward and uncertain
when it comes to attracting a man with words. I've never
known how to flirt properly, so all I've done is talk with
them. It seems to be working."

"My dear, you underestimate your powers. You don't need to
make a special effort to attract a man."

He reached out and ran the back of a finger gently along
her cheek. She caught her breath. He noticed, of course,
and his lazy green eyes twinkled.

"All you need to do," he continued, "is smile and look up
at him with those big brown eyes and he will be lost to
you." He gave a rueful little laugh. "I guarantee it."

"Thank you, Adam." Her skin still tingled where he'd
touched her. "I appreciate your advice, even though I know
you do not approve of what I'm doing."

"I do not disapprove, my dear. If I said anything to the
contrary the other night, you must blame it on the drink.
You are entitled to your pleasure. But you must permit me
to be provoked that I cannot be the one to share it with
you." He flashed a wicked grin.

He was teasing, of course — he was always teasing — but
she wished he would not. It only encouraged impossible
fantasies.

"So, have you made your way through the list yet?"

"Almost," she said. "I have not yet seen Lord Aldershot
this evening, but Sir Arthur and Mr. Gilchrist have been
most attentive. Not to mention Lord Hopwood."

"Hopwood? I don't recall discussing him."

"We didn't. It was an impulse."

"Hmph. He is too old for you."

"Nonsense. Oh, and there was Mr. Fitzwilliam as well."

"Fitzwilliam? Egad, another impulse?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. Just because I didn't think to
put a man's name on my list does not mean I cannot
consider him if I so choose."

"Fitzwilliam is too dreamy. The man always has his head in
the clouds."

Marianne laughed. "Adam, you are hopeless. You think no
one is suitable."

He leaned down and placed his lips so close to her ear she
could feel his breath. "No one is good enough for you, my
dear."

His breath and his words sent a shiver down her arms.
Lord, how on earth did people survive in such a charged
atmosphere? How had she lived almost thirty years without
recognizing it all around her? This new self-conscious
sexual tension she'd felt all evening with every man who
danced with her was even stronger around Adam. Had it been
there all along, the whole time she'd known him, and she'd
been too self-absorbed to notice?