Dangerous to Love

Chapter One The first time Serena saw him, she knew there was going to be trouble. He had that look. It was the sudden stillness that alerted her to his presence. She looked up from the cards Flynn had just dealt her and became aware of a silent, menacing figure in the open doorway. One hand rested casually on the hilt of his smallsword, and even in that dim light, she could see the distinct challenge in his eyes as they scanned the various tables in the tavern's crowded, smoke-filled common room. Dangerous. Reckless. Wild.Those were the words that passed through Serena's mind. When his glance fell on her, taking in her filmy costume, lingering on her artfully painted face framed with soot-black curls, and the wide expanse of white bosom, especially the wide expanse of white bosom, her fingers itched to reach for her cape to cover herself. She had no idea why his interest should fix on her. In relation to some of the other "ladies" who were present that evening, she was hardly worth a second stare. Nothing too much, nothing too obviousthat was the rule she and Flynn followed. Remembering the role she was playing, she smiled at him vaguely and drew Flynn's attention to the stranger by fingering the black silk patch at the corner of her mouth, her signal to be on the alert. Then the stranger's eyes passed over her, and calling for a tankard of ale, he found a place for himself at a table against the wall. Only then did the hum of conversation resume. Serena darted a quick, questioning look at Flynn. It was one of the other players, however, a resident performer at Drury Lane, who answered Serena's pointed look. Cassie, in Serena's opinion,was worth a second stare. The girl's looks were dramatic, and her tightly laced hooped gown of crimson damask set off her supple curves to admiration. Serena had left off her hoops this evening, knowing that they would only get in the way once she and Flynn embarked on their mission. "Julian Raynor," whispered Cassie, her eyes fairly devouring the gentleman in question, "you know, the gamester. Oh Lud, he's looking our way," and she slanted Raynor a flirtatious look that was half challenging, half mischievous. Cassie's partner, a young actor, let out an impatient sigh. "Ladies, may I remind you that a card game is in progress? I suggest you mind your cards." "And I second that suggestion," said Flynn, giving Serena a very straight look. It was hard to concentrate on the game of whist that was in progress when the name of London's most notorious gamester was reverberating inside her head. Somehow Serena managed to contribute to the lively conversation that went on about her, as well as play her cards without drawing attention to herself. But behind her smiles and carefully untroubled expression, her mind was hard at work. What she could not fathom was why Raynor would deign to visit a ramshackle place like this one. The Thatched Tavern was not, by any means, a hovel, but it was no palace either. Its patrons were a motley lot, ranging from the upper echelons of household servants to the odd student as well as a plethora of theater people from nearby Drury Lane. As for the gambling, it was desultory, and rarely for high stakes. For their purposes, the tavern was an ideal rendezvous. There was much coming and going. Neither Flynn's untutored tongue nor her cultured accents would rouse anyone's suspicions. Flynn was, in actual fact, a footman. She was passing herself off as an actress, or an aspiring actress to be precise. The most compelling reason for choosing The Thatched Tavern for their rendezvous, however, was because it sat above a secret Roman drain which led to a labyrinth of underground passages. Flynn knew these underground pThornton, Elizabeth is the author of 'Dangerous to Love' with ISBN 9780553567878 and ISBN 055356787X.