With This Ring by Amanda Quick

yourself, what with all this dashing about at midnight and getting shot."
    "Bloody hell. Maybe Finch is right. Perhaps I am getting too old for this kind of thing."
    Beatrice smiled very sweetly. "As he said, after a certain age a gentleman really must cut back on excessive, excitement."
    He winced. "Touch6, as your maid would say." Unfortunately Sally would not say it with such an excellent accent, Beatrice thought. She examined her work in the firelight. A small thrill of awareness coursed through her. She told herself to stay calm. True, it had been a long time since she had last seen a man who was not wearing a shirt. Nevertheless, she was a mature woman. She ought to be able to take these things in stride.
    A fleeting image of Justin's slim physique popped into
    W i t h T h i s R i n g
    her head. Odd, she had not realized until then that her husband had been a trifle too thin about the chest and shoulders.
    Of course, Justin had been much younger. There had still been a great deal of the slenderness of youth in his frame. Leo, on the other hand, was a man in his prime. Tough, sleekly muscled with very solid shoulders and a firmly contoured chest.
    It was not just the sight of so much bare, masculine skin that disturbed her, she realized. Leo's dark hair was windblown from his ride. He carried the scent of the night on him. She had not partaken of the brandy, but she felt a little giddy nonetheless.
    "How did your husband die?" Leo asked abruptly.
    The question jolted her out of her reverie. She collected her senses. "He was shot dead by a highwayman."
    He looked genuinely startled. "Good Lord. I'm sorry." "It happened a long time ago." She had repeated the story so often during the past five years that she no longer stumbled over the words. She sought to change the subject. "Do you know, sir, I believe this incident tonight detracts somewhat from the Monkcrest legend."
    "What the devil do you mean by that?"
    "A genuine sorcerer would surely have examined his oracle glass before riding out tonight. He would no doubt have canceled the affair once he viewed the outcome."
    Leo gave her a wry, fleeting grin. "Madam, I assure you the injury to my shoulder has taught me my lesson. There is no need to wound my pride as well."
    "But it is such a large target, my lord. How can I resist?" "Enough. I surrender."
    "Very well." Beatrice turned away to wash her hands. "You will be sore for a few days, but in the end I doubt that you will have anything more than a dashing scar to show for this night's work."
    The. amusement in his eyes evaporated. The brooding
     
    A m a n d a Q u i c k
    look returned as he watched her dry her hands on a clean towel. "I suppose I must thank you."
    "Pray, do not trouble yourself to be civil, my lord. I would not want you to do anything out of character." Finch appeared in the doorway. He cleared his throat. "Your clean shirt, m'lord."
    Leo glanced at him. "Thank you, Finch."
    Finch crossed the library and carefully draped the garment loosely around Leo's shoulders. Leo did not bother to put his arms into the sleeves. He left the shirt unfastened.
    Finch looked at Beatrice. "Will that be all, madam?" She smiled at him. "Yes, thank you. You've been most helpful."
    "Take yourself off to bed, Finch." Leo ran his long fingers through his hair, shoving it straight back from his high forehead. "You have, as always, fulfilled your responsibilities most admirably. Get some sleep.'
    "Yes, m'lord." Finch picked up the bloody cloths, the bowl, and the pitcher and made his way out of the library. Leo waited until the door had closed behind the butler.
    Then with a lazy movement of his hand he swirled the last of the brandy in the crystal glass. He gazed into the fire and said nothing.
    Beatrice sat down across from him and tried very hard not to stare at his bare chest. Unfortunately, the unfastened shirt did little to conceal the wedge of dark, curling hair that arrowed downward into his breeches.
    With a fierce