“Only the most fawned-over rake to ever grace the Society pages.I recognize him from the caricatures alone.He once—Is that hisbrother?”Gloria let out an appreciative whistle beneath her breath.“It must be a brother.He looks just like him.Don’t look!They’ll know we’re talking about them.My heart is pounding.I can’t believe this is happening.”
“I can’t believe you’re overreacting.”Penelope gave an exaggerated yawn.“How handsome can two men be?”
“I’m not overreacting,” Gloria promised.“I’m just the first to—”
Audible female gasps rippled through the crowd, followed by several dramatic swoons.
“—the first to notice,” Gloria finished smugly.“They call him ‘Saint Nick’ because he’s as wicked as they come.One look and you’re smitten.”
Penelope raised a brow.
Gloria fluttered her eyelashes.“At least I didn’t swoon.”
“No, but you bruised my arm.”Penelope wrenched out of Gloria’s grasp and angled her head toward the open ballroom doors.“Where are they?”
Gloria fanned her throat.“Saint Nick is the gentleman with—”
“Found him.”The strangled words barely escaped Penelope’s suddenly dry throat.Gloria was right.
From a biological perspective, he was the finest male specimen Penelope had ever seen.And as a living, breathing woman… Good heavens.
Features: symmetrical.Jawline: chiseled.Visage: arresting.Light brown hair tumbled over a perfectly shaped head.His cravat was as white as chemists’ talcum, a subtle explosion of sharp points and soft folds designed to add elegance without distracting from the rest of the package.
And Saint Nick made one tempting package.
The hard curves of his muscled arms and wide shoulders were shown to advantage in a dashing coat of black superfine that begged to be touched.His waistcoat was the shimmery silver of magnesium, an element oft-combined with iron.She wondered if his will was just as strong.
Coal-black boots, tight-fitting buckskins, kid gloves… All he’d need to do was jingle a bell and every woman present would clamor to be his.
Every woman but Penelope.
Yes, his looks were the very definition of all that was virile and desirable in a gentleman.But his approach to life made him the last man who could hold her interest.He was an accomplished rake.A man who relied onromanceto woo silly women.
The urge to spread one’s seed might be a natural male directive, but Penelope would never fawn over a man with nothing to recommend him beyond symmetrical features and pretty words.She had better things to do.Her mind preferred the comfort and excitement of her laboratory to pointless strolls down moonlit paths with a man who couldn’t hold a meaningful conversation.
Penelope cared about facts, about science, about logic.A natural philosopher would never select a mating partner based on external beauty alone.
“Uninterested,” she said abruptly.“Shall we find the dessert buffet?”
“We should find someone to introduce us,” Gloria breathed.“I had no idea Saint Nick had a younger brother.I’m very, very interested.”
Penelope frowned.“If you had no idea he existed, how do you know he’s the younger brother?”
“Because Nicholas Pringle is first in line to a dukedom,” Gloria replied with a cheeky grin.“Scoff at Society papers all you like.Some of us use them for important research.”
Penelope gave an affectionate roll of her eyes.“I wouldn’t want a husband who must mind a dukedom.”
“Low probability,” Gloria answered promptly.“He’s heir presumptive to the Duke of Silkridge, whose first banns were announced last Sunday.The Pringle brothers are his cousins.They’ve no other titles, which means they visit London for social reasons, rather than to attend the House of Lords.I presume their country piles are elsewhere.”
Penelope burst out laughing.“Youhavedone a lot of research.”
Gloria gave an angelic smile.“What else am I to do?Spinsters like me have to wait around for your new perfume in order to have a chance.Unless opportunity knocks.Let’s go introduce ourselves to the Pringle brothers.”
“Absolutely not.”
Gloria’s brows arched in surprise.“Because Saint Nick is a rake?Since when do you care about propriety?”
Penelope shook her head.“Because you’re right.I should be working on the new perfume.I started a female version at the same time as the male version, butDukewas easier.I halted the other project when I learned the Natural Philosophers Guild was seeking applicants to research practical applications of John Dalton’s atomic theory.”
