Read Online Intriguing Lady by Leonora Blythe - Free Book Online Page B

reflexes felt numb, except for the pounding of her heart, which she couldn’t control. She tried to sink back again to her pillow, but his hand held her arm.
    “Now tell me where it is, and I will leave you in peace.”
    “In the pocket of the dress in the wardrobe,” she said wildly. “Take it and go!”
    She looked away, afraid that he would ask her why she had taken it, that he would guess she had made a copy. He didn’t, though, and she breathed a sigh of relief when he relinquished his hold of her. He rose and stood towering over her for several seconds, his shadow dancing on the walls in the candlelight. Her nerves felt frayed; she opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came.
    “It was very foolish of you to take that,” he said. “What did you hope to gain except my attention?”
    Without waiting for an answer, he picked up the candle and walked over to the wardrobe. Then, with his injured arm, he gingerly prised open the door and fumbled awkwardly with her dress until he finally found what he was looking for. He grunted in satisfaction and scanned it quickly, then placed it in his pocket.
    “Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Rushforth,” he said, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “I am sorry if I have caused you any discomfort.”
    She sat, transfixed, as he allowed his gaze to wander over her. Then, without warning, he blew the candle out. Then, and only then, did she sink back.
    “I would advise you to lock the door behind me, Miss Rushforth,” he said, his voice penetrating the darkness like the crack of a whip. “Your lack of modesty will, of a certainty, land you in a great deal of trouble.”
    She heard him returning the candlestick to the commode, and in a fit of ungovernable rage, she reached behind her for a pillow. She hurled it at him with all her might, but he was out of the door before it landed. She relit the candle to see what had caused his final comment, and blushed. The coverlet had slipped right down to her waist, and beneath her transparent gown, her breasts were clearly visible.
    “Damn you, Sir Nicholas,” she muttered in most unladylike tones. “You are going to pay dearly for this.”

C hapter 7
    The final stage of the journey was concluded in silence. Mrs. Ashley, who felt some resentment that no one had acknowledged her efforts to hoodwink the stranger the previous night, could not but notice the deliberate rudeness Roberta displayed toward Sir Nicholas. She was perplexed by Roberta’s attitude, for she had never before seen her charge act in such a way.
    She stole a look at Sir Nicholas, who appeared to be composed, almost to the point of boredom. Roberta, on the other hand, looked angrier than a wet hen. Mrs. Ashley shrugged and decided to ask Roberta what it was all about, when they were alone.
    This, however, didn’t occur until long after they had reached Lord Bromley’s house in Grosvenor Square. After such a long absence, all the servants had lined up to welcome Roberta home. The house steward, with his prepared speech, managed to put a smile on Roberta’s face, Mrs. Ashley was pleased to note. Perhaps afterward would be a good time to question her charge. Unfortunately, the housekeeper, a motherly soul, whisked Roberta away before Mrs. Ashley could even beg a private word, and she felt exceedingly annoyed.
    By late afternoon, though, when the excitement of their arrival had died down and the household staff had resumed its normal duties, Mrs. Ashley sent word to Roberta to come and join her for a cup of tea.
    “I received the distinct impression this morning that you were annoyed with Sir Nicholas over something,” she said without preamble when Roberta eventually joined her.
    “Annoyed, Ashley?” Roberta queried with a laugh. “No, annoyed is to be provoked, and I refuse to acknowledge that someone of Sir Nicholas’s color can affect me so. I have merely followed your lead, Ashley, dear, and have taken him in dislike. I cannot think why I