Read Online Dangerous to Hold by Elizabeth Thornton - Free Book Online

impression that he was a slow, plodding kind of fellow. Marcus knew that this impression was deceptive. Of all the soldiers who had served with Wellington, Major Peter Farrel was most often mentioned in dispatches.
    “That’s right,” said Marcus. “Damn fool shot my hat clean off my head when I was walking on the bridge overthe Serpentine. Naturally, I jumped in after it. It was a damned expensive hat.”
    After the laughter had died down, Farrel asked, “What about this
El Grande?
Who is he anyway?”
    “That,” said Marcus, “is el Marqués de Vera el Grande, my brother-in-law.”
    Freddie Barnes left Lady Tarrington’s house in a troubled frame of mind. Though he’d told a small lie, which bothered him, there was more to it than that. He hadn’t known about the attack on Marcus. Now that he did know, his mind was sifting through everything, trying to find a connection. Perhaps there was no connection between the accidents to Sheppard, Brinsley, and Harris, as well as the attack on Marcus. But it seemed an odd and frightening series of random events.
    As the first heavy drops of rain splashed on his face, he turned up his coat collar and hailed a hackney. His rooms were in St. James’s, but the hackney did not stop there. It turned the corner into Piccadilly, and made for Bond Street. Freddie knew that he wasn’t expected. They had an understanding that they should meet only by appointment, but he felt that these were exceptional circumstances.
    The moment he entered the vestibule, he could smell the sex. He heard a woman’s voice, crying out in pleasure, and the guttural sounds of her partner. He was enraged, and at the same time he was sick to his stomach. This was the real reason his lover didn’t want him to come to his rooms uninvited. He was a faithless, promiscuous libertine. All he cared about was the money Freddie Barnes supplied to keep him in style. There was one other thing his lover required from him and that was his silence.
    He was turning to leave when the door to the bedroom opened, and his lover stood framed with the light behind him. He was dressed in a maroon brocade robe. When he saw Freddie, he closed the door with a snap.
    “Freddie,” he said in a cajoling way, “I thought it might be you. You shouldn’t have come here like this.”
    “No,” said Freddie, and couldn’t prevent his bitterness from showing. There was no remorse on his lover’s face. He didn’t even have the grace to look embarrassed. Freddie said, “Now that you’re here, I might as well return this.” He held out a key.
    His lover came forward to within a pace of him. “Why? Because of the woman? Freddie, Freddie, you know she means nothing to me.” He placed a hand on Freddie’s shoulder, and squeezed gently. “I was lonely without you. She was there. It’s as simple as that.”
    Though he despised himself, Freddie felt himself relenting. Love did this to a man. It made him weak. And he was a man, a real man, in spite of the scorn his friends would heap upon him if they knew of his secret life. He’d been an Observing Officer. He’d fought hand to hand with his enemies. He’d commanded men in battle. He was a man, but not man enough to finish with a young lover who made a fool of him.
    He felt suddenly, desperately weary. “Look,” he said, “I met Wrotham tonight. No, I haven’t told him anything, not yet, but that’s not the point. There’s something strange going on. It’s probably nothing at all, but I thought you should know. There have been accidents, attacks. I’ll explain later. Just be on your guard, all right?”
    “I don’t understand. You’re not making sense.” The young man looked over his shoulder at the closed door, then looked back at Freddie. “I’ll get rid of the woman. Why don’t you go on home and wait for me? I’ll be along as soon as I can. Then we can talk.”
    A bitter retort formed on Freddie’s tongue, but he couldn’t bring himself to utter it. He