A Taste of Temptation by Amelia Grey Page B

not the facts. She had made her point well.
    His good friend Chandler had never thought a ghost had stolen the raven but somehow the story had gotten started among the ton and it made good fodder for the gossip columns. And Andrew knew for a fact that it was no ghost that rode atop John’s horse. In fact, the lady who rode his horse that early morn a year ago later became his wife, yet rumors still lingered that a ghost had once ridden John’s horse.
    “Miss Banning also said something about having her sights set on a man in Kent.”
    “That could very possibly have been a ruse.” Claudette paused. “But if not, you can handle that. She is beautiful and articulate. I’m sure more than one man has been interested in pursuing her.”
    “You would want me to marry a woman who desires another man?”
    Claudette took a sip of port before she looked him squarely in the eyes and said, “As her husband, it would be your responsibility to make her forget any other man she has ever thought about.”
    “And just how am I supposed to do that?” he said without really thinking about what those words meant.
    “In your bed, my dear Andrew. Once you get her there, make her forget any other man exists.”
    “Aunt Claude, please,” Andrew said, not wanting to discuss such matters with his aging aunt.

    “Don’t act surprised to hear me say that. I’ve had three marriage beds and I know what a good lover can do. Judging from your reputation you won’t fall short in that department.”
    “You do know how to get to the heart of a matter, don’t you?” he grumbled more to himself that to Claudette.
    “Miss Banning might have gone into your bedchamber, but you didn’t turn her out. You kissed her, we all saw it, and you had her backed up against the dressing table, no less, not the other way around. You might not like the outcome, Andrew, but now you have a moral obligation to make it right.”
    “I can make it right by finding her a husband who would be pleased to marry such a beautiful and tempting young lady.”
    “And no doubt he would be much older than you. I know Agatha and she will not allow her niece to be married off to an old lord more than twice her age just to save her reputation. Nor would she allow her to marry a penniless baron who would be supported by her dowry for the rest of his life.”
    His aunt’s words struck him hard just as she’d intended.
    He had to admit he didn’t like the thought of Miss Banning being married off to an old man who couldn’t tap into the passion he sensed and felt inside her last night. She had way too much inner anticipation in her to be resigned to that fate.
    He didn’t like the thought of a young man touching her any better.
    Andrew’s gaze shifted from his aunt to the Seth Thomas clock on the mantel. It was four thirty.
    What was he going to do about Miss Banning?
    If she pushed marriage as her aunt indicated by mentioning the powerful Duke of Norfolk, there were several things he could do to counter that. He could simply leave Town under the guise that he was looking for Willard Hawkins. He could even arrange a marriage for her to someone else.
    He instantly dismissed those ideas. He might have done something like that a few years ago but not now. Leaving his estates in the hands of others and not taking an interest in his affairs until it was almost too late had cost him dearly. It had also helped him to mature.
    If nothing else, his problems with Willard Hawkins had taught him the hard way not to let unpleasant things continue.
    It took a while for him to come to this point. He was a year past thirty. He wanted to be active in what went on in his life and not leave what affected him for others to handle.
    If something wasn’t right, he intended to take the matter fully in hand, which was one of the reasons he wouldn’t stop looking until Hawkins was found and thrown in prison.
    So what did that understanding tell him about what he should he do about Miss