Read Online Daring the Duke by Anne Mallory - Free Book Online Page A

caught. He stroked her cheek, sending fire into her belly. He exhaled, murmured something that sounded like "I must be mad," and then he kissed her. A light kiss, almost a teasing caress.

    He pulled his head back and stroked her cheek again. "When you are ready to let me help, you know where to find me. Good night, Audrey."

    The footman opened the door, then Stephen was gone.·

    She stepped into the house feeling more on edge than when they’d been shot at an hour earlier.

    Stephen leaned into the squabs as the carriage rolled rhythmically down the street. His fingers still carried the feel of her cheek. Soft and smooth.

    Something told him that she wouldn’t have stopped him from deepening or lengthening the kiss. That piece of insight would make the next encounter all the more interesting.

    "You’re asking for a knife in your ribs." Roth watched him from across the carriage.

    Stephen smiled. "Perhaps."

    "You have responsibilities now, Stephen. It’s not just about you anymore."

    Stephen’s smile faded. "Don’t think I’ve forgotten it. Bloody title. I would have wrung my cousins' necks myself if I had known they'd leave me to this. At least I would have some pleasure out of the whole affair."

    Roth raised both brows. "Most people envy your turn of late."

    "Fools."

    Roth snorted. "When the Duke of Marston finishes feeling sorry for himself, let me know. Meanwhile, I'm thirsty."

    Stephen glared and tapped on the trap, instructing the driver to head to White’s.

    As soon as they were seated at the club Roth said, "We need to talk about Audrey Kendrick. You’re the one who discovered she was Hermes and that the wild thief Icarus was her sister. And now you are toying with her, or God forbid, courting her? Did your brain get left behind in the Thames?"

    "No, Roth, my brain is functioning very well. I know this girl. I’ve studied her for weeks in order to prove my suspicions."

    "And?"

    "And she’s hard as stone, but not rash. She’s the planner, the plotter, the mastermind. Not the fiery brash one. The other one would probably take my head first, ask questions later. This one? She’s methodical. She figures the angles before making her moves."

    " Then she’ll take your head. Sounds like a mere difference in timing."

    Stephen chuckled. "Roth, you worry too much."

    "And you, my friend, don't worry enough. You’re too cavalier about the consequences."

    "What better way to find out more about why she is here than to insinuate myself into her affairs?"

    "What better way to end up in the Thames than to insinuate yourself into her affairs? Listen, she looked lovely both tonight and at the Taylors', and she has acted the perfect part of a lady." Roth leaned forward. " Acted.
    She’s a hardened criminal. Possibly a killer."

    Stephen swirled his brandy, watching the liquid coat the glass. "We don't know that. All we know is that she was one of Flanagan’s Olympians.
    The only crimes attributed to Hermes are thefts."

    "Very large thefts."

    "Well, there you have it. Very large thefts is all."

    Roth stared into his wineglass. "Ever since you determined the identity of Hermes you haven't behaved like yourself. The bloodlust is gone. Some other kind of lust in its place."

    Stephen grinned. "She is rather beautiful for a thief who a month ago I had pegged as pockmarked, bucktoothed, and male."

    "Beauty only makes her more dangerous. She’s a thief. No different than any of the others. No different than the street thugs twenty years ago."

    Stephen gripped his glass but said nothing.

    Roth sighed. "I know I don’t want to hear this, but what is your plan?"

    "It's loose. She has a plan for me though."

    "Lovely. " Roth shook his dark head.

    Stephen had caught a fleeting glimpse of something in her eyes before she had been able to mask it. Audrey hadn’t looked scared when the men had passed by their hiding place. She had looked irritated.

    "She saved my life."

    Roth narrowed his eyes.