Read Online Clementine by Cherie Priest - Free Book Online Page A

admiration.”
    “For my acting skills?”
    “That and more,” he hid a smirk behind a delicate clearing of his throat.
    Against her better judgment, Maria asked, “To what do you refer?”
    “Only that I’ve long heard tales of the Southern girl with a tongue like a razor and a smile that moves mountains…or dirigibles, as the case may be. That was quite a lashing you gave the poor gent at the ticket counter.”
    “I’m well past girlhood, Mr. Kulp; and as for the ticket agent, I did him no harm whatsoever.”
    “Yet the threat was rather present, I think you must admit—to yourself, if not to me.”
    “I haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re talking about,” she lied, but it was a worthwhile lie because she’d decided to keep him talking, if only to lead him into saying something useful. His true intent still eluded her by design, and she didn’t care for it.
    He cleared his throat again, using the expectoration as an excuse to cover his mouth with his fist. “Since you’ve not denied being the actress Belle Boyd—which is just as well, since we both know precisely who you are—and since you’ve already so eloquently confessed to your wartime activities, I might assume that once or twice, you’ve been known to hurt a man or two.”
    “Once or twice, plus half a dozen or more. And if you don’t vacate these premises, perhaps that tally will rise.”
    He pouted. “Come now, Belle. There’s no need for threats. Why can’t you give me the same sort of smile you’ve given our illustrious captain?”
    “Because Captain Oliver was a gentleman.”
    “And I’ve shown you something other than the utmost chivalry?”
    She shook her head. “The circular talk will get you nowhere.”
    “Except back to the beginning. Shall I try again?”
    “You shall not, Mr. Kulp. You shall return to your seat with all haste if you have nothing of substance to tell me, and if you are likewise incapable of leaving me in peace.”
    He shrugged merrily and said, “How on earth am I supposed to comply with such contradictory instructions? You’ve now ordered me to say something pertinent, and yet to keep quiet.”
    “No, I suggested either one or the other. Meet one of these goals or be on your way .”
    Finally, for a moment, he was silent. He stared pointedly at the folder in her lap, and something in his voice changed when he said more quietly, “So it’s true. The Pinks have snatched you up and put you to work.”
    She hesitated in her response. “It’s not a secret,” she said, which was true.
    “It’s not a widely known fact,” Phinton Kulp replied, and this was also true.
    “Then what’s it to you?” she asked him flatly.
    “Nothing at all. It’s as you said before, ‘A lady has to eat.’ But there must be a less dangerous way for a woman of your notoriety to keep herself in skirts and furs.” He retreated several inches, giving her both more breathing room and yet, cause for a little more worry.
    “My state of employment is no concern of yours,” she told him.
    And he said, “You’re right. But you can’t blame me for being curious, and you might want to treat interested strangers with less defensiveness. Pinkerton has operatives and informants from coast to coast, you know; and it won’t serve your purposes very well to send them trundling off to their seats, as if they’re naughty children caught under the tree before Christmastime. There are networks in place, alliances and allegiances to be balanced. Not everyone loves the Pinkerton name—even among those who sometimes serve it.”
    She guessed, “You’re no operative.”
    “At this time, you are correct. But I’m still a useful man to know—even Mr. Pinkerton will tell you that, if you ask him.”
    “How convenient for you, that he isn’t present to interrogate on the subject.”
    “On the contrary, I’d be pleased to see him, if only to see you set at ease with his reassurances. It must be difficult,” he said, keeping