The Naked Baron
Chapter One
Lady Grace Belmont stepped through the wide
double doors into the Duke of Alvord's ballroom.
Dear God.
She froze on the small landing. Hundreds of candles
lit hundreds of faces-and she'd swear every single face
was turned toward her. Men in precisely fitted black
coats and snowy white cravats raised their quizzing
glasses. Brilliantly-gowned women, plumes bobbing,
fans shielding their lips, tittered and whispered.
Dear, dear God. She couldn't escape fast enough-except
she couldn't escape at all. A gaggle of elderly
women blocked the stairs.
Blast! Grace swallowed and clenched her hands. She
tried to take a deep breath, but the air was too thick with
the scent of candle wax, perfume, and infrequently
washed bodies. Black dots swam before her eyes. Was
she going to swoon? That would be an even more entertaining
spectacle for the duke's guests-the Amazon
from Devon, all five feet nine inches and eleven stone of
her, collapsing into an ignominious heap-a very large
ignominious heap-on the ballroom floor. What a lovely
way to begin her ... read full excerpt from: The Naked Baron ebook