The Siren's Gentleman
Fate of the Worthingtons #4
To deny fate is to deny the love you hold in your heart.
A gentleman smitten with a mysterious lady. A lady in search of a knight to rescue her.
Graham Worthington had spent most of his career searching for a notorious villainess. Now, with her capture near, he becomes distracted by a lady who was just as elusive. While trying to avoid his family’s matchmaking attempt, he meets his mystery lady by chance in a moonlit garden. After sharing a few kisses, his heart declares the lady his soul mate. They share stolen moments, exploring the passion that drew them together. However, he must decide if he would set his honor to the side to secure her safety once he learns of her true identity. Could he rescue his true love before terror strikes again?
Sabrina Langdale spent the past few years in one disguise after another. She longed for a simple life with the hero from her dreams. However, she must avoid her hero at all costs. If not, then he would distract her from seeking revenge against her stepmother. When his kisses tempted her to abandon her vengeance, the evil surrounding her left her vulnerable to its clutches. Still, she risked every moment to spend in Graham’s company. He gave her the security she craved with each embrace and every passionate kiss. Their time together left her wondering if every sacrifice she made was worth it. Would Sabrina open her heart to trust the gentleman she fell in love with?
A couple who was destined to defy all odds and fall in love. Would they overcome the dangerous obstacles in their path? Or would they fall victims to the evil forces in their midst?
The Siren’s Gentleman is the final book in Laura A. Barnes’s Fate of the Worthingtons Series. If you love a drama filled, passionate love story, then you’ll love the outcome of Graham and Sabrina’s destiny.
Find your next favorite read in The Siren’s Gentleman.
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Chapter One
Graham rushed along the hallway, the flickering candles in the scones only offering him a small amount of light in his endless pursuit. He followed the white billowing skirts trailing behind the mysterious figure who was always within his reach, yet unable to be grasped. She haunted his dreams, consumed his every waking moment, but he held no clue about who she might be. Even now he couldn’t call her name and beg for her to wait for him. Because without a name, she would forever be a figment of his imagination.
She led him along one hallway after another, teasing him with a glance of her features when she looked over her shoulder to see if he still followed her.
“Stop,” Graham yelled, but she responded by running away. The farther she ran, the more the shadows following them closed in, suffocating him with their heaviness.
Graham rounded the corner and came to a halt. She had stopped on the edge of the decaying house. Strong winds whipped the air, lifting the locks of her raven hair to swirl around her, and the layers of her skirts slapped against her legs in a billowing haze. The girl slowly turned, and once again Graham stood speechless at her exquisite beauty. There were no words to articulate the beauty he gazed upon.
Lightning slashed as the sky opened up to pelt them with harsh raindrops. Graham wiped his face to focus on pulling her to safety before she fell off the edge. He took a tentative step forward, but the girl shook her head in response for him not to move. Graham was so close to her.
He reached out. “Take my hand,” Graham roared above the thunder.
A mixture of impish delight, seduction, and sorrow lit her face in a smile before she stretched her arms out to the sides and fell backwards off the ledge. Graham screamed and reached out to catch her, but he only caught the emptiness of the air as he plunged to the ground. She had disappeared before him and left him falling.
Falling.
Falling to his impending doom.
Graham Worthington jerked awake, sitting up and gasping for air as the darkness clung to him. His panicked gaze roamed around, and his heart rate slowed as he calmed at the familiar sight of his bedchamber. Collapsing against the pillows, he swiped a hand across his face.
Once he realized he wouldn’t fall back to sleep, he rose and drew on his robe. Following the same routine as the other nightmares that haunted his sleep, he moved to the terrace to savor the heady drag of a cigar and a warming shot of whiskey. He sprawled in a chair and tipped his head to stare at the stars. No angry storm taunted him with danger. No. It was a peaceful evening that fooled one into believing goodness was within their reach. However, it was all a sham. Evilness surrounded him, beckoning Graham closer because it wanted to wreak its havoc on him.
It was an evilness Graham swore to obliterate. It had spread its disease long enough. At first he had fought to destroy it because of the injustices it spread while it played its game. But once it struck to torment his family, it became personal. He vowed he would bring about its demise.
Graham threw back two shots of whiskey before lighting his cigar. After taking a long drag, he rested the cigar on the tray provided and rubbed at his temples, but nothing helped to ease the headache that plagued him after his nightmares.
He caused them by the relentless stress he placed on himself to capture Lady Langdale, a notorious mastermind who tormented the wealthy with her vindictive schemes. The investigation had come to a standstill after they captured most of her crew a few weeks ago and locked them behind bars. They had attempted to sabotage the ball his family had thrown to celebrate his two younger sisters’ marriages. Lady L had fled and hid underground with the members of her crew that didn’t abandon her. She remained elusive, leaving no trace of her whereabouts.
Graham’s tortured thoughts caused him another sleepless night. They were a dangerous mix of the unknown, leaving him feeling out of sorts. All because of a lady he had only caught glimpses of. His mystery lady haunted his every thought and vanished whenever he got too close.
He scoured endless musicals, balls, brunches, soirees, all hoping to find her. Since the first evening he saw her at the theater, he had sat through every play and opera, assuming she was a performer. But he never saw her once. She remained a mystery.
But he didn’t imagine her. She was as real as the emotions she stirred in him. Fate called them together. Destiny aligned for their souls to meet. She may run away from him all she wanted, but he would catch her eventually. And when he did, she would accept fate’s calling just as he had.
Because he didn’t dream of the sorrow mixed with determination she held in her gaze before she fell over the edge. He also saw in the depths how she longed for him to catch her. And he would one day.
Another promise he made.
~~~~~
Sabrina understood the risks involved in lurking in the dark shadows as she did now. However, she found more comfort in the darkness than she did under the fresh rays of sunshine. Still, she needed to stay hidden now more than ever. She couldn’t risk the exposure or the questioning if someone caught her. Her assignment was far from over. The danger had escalated, making it vital to keep her identity a secret.
However, her craving to live a normal existence led her to spy on the gentleman who held the ability to ruin what she had worked so hard to achieve. If she allowed herself a chance at happiness, it would make her sacrifices worthless. Not to mention, once he learned of her connection to Lady Langdale, he would refuse to acknowledge her.
Every desire she held was nothing but a fanciful imagination never to come true. She needed to keep reminding herself that. Then perhaps she wouldn’t face danger every night while she waited outside his terrace, hoping for a glimpse of him. Hoping for him to climb down the trellis and sweep her into his arms. Hoping he would bestow his charming smile on her. Hoping for him to draw her out of the shadows and into the rays of sunshine surrounding him. She must stop wishing for the impossible to occur.
It bothered her to see him so troubled. He should rest comfortably in his bed, not sit in the dark, smoking and drinking. His determination to destroy the evilness of Lady L consumed him. However, Sabrina couldn’t allow him to achieve his goal quite yet. She still had much to do.
Sabrina leaned against the tree, fighting back a yawn. She needed to return to safety, but she didn’t want to leave him. Not until his troubled mind eased and he returned to bed. Maybe then her guilt would ease a bit for the hardships she caused him and his family.
Sabrina whispered his name. “Graham Worthington. Worth.”
His name fit him. Strong, yet playful. While she had yet to enjoy his charming nature, she had studied him enough to understand his character. She watched him mingle with his peers, captivate every lady’s attention, and play with his friends’ children. He didn’t act like an arrogant arse like the other gentlemen she had met this season. But he wasn’t too pleasant to keep her from the wanton thoughts, which had led her to him this evening.
Every lady in Graham Worthington’s radius wondered how his kisses would feel. Well, wondered about more than kisses, actually. She had heard the whispers of his prowess. Discreet as he may be, it never stopped a lady who enjoyed his magical touch to boast of his attention on them.
Sabrina touched her lips, imagining his mouth pressed against hers. Would he be gentle? Or would he take her lips under his with a force of a passion he barely kept contained? Her fingers trembled at the very thought.
Sabrina turned around. She must leave before she acted on her desires and called out his name. Spying on him had been a mistake, one she must never make again. Because Graham Worthington held the power to destroy her, and a kiss would only be the start of her demise. And she couldn’t afford to give herself up to that power.
She had a promise to keep.