Read Online Lady Sophia's Rescue (Traditional Regency Romance) by Cheryl Bolen - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Cheryl Bolen
Tags: Romance, Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Romance - Historical, romance adult fiction, english romance, historical ebooks
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his palm. "Say no more. I understand. You will not return to the vile creature."
"I did not know until this very morning of Finkie's wickedness – not until I realized he meant to force me back. Those men were so brutal."
His hands fisted. Leaving those animals tied up on Half Moon Street was too good for them! "Which is no accident. Be assured Finkel's servants have to be unscrupulous in order to work for him. He's been threatened many times. A pity no one's ever been able to prove his misdeeds."
"We must stop him."
"My thoughts exactly. And, of course, if the man's misdeeds can be proven, it should be a simple matter for you to annul the marriage. A woman cannot be forced to wed."
"Or to bed," she said, her eyes flashing.
The very thought of bedding her aroused him.
"But I shouldn't want the reference to my sister to ever come out." She tossed her head back and smiled. "I suppose I could say I was the one who'd be ruined by the printer's revelation. I daresay my reputation's already ruined by my association with the wretched Lord Finkel."
Why would a woman who smuggled gold bullion ever have been concerned about protecting her reputation?
Suddenly a loud commotion came from his entry hall. Panicked voices. He catapulted toward the door.
Just as it slammed open, barely missing him. He froze. A band of six men – sinister looking, all of them – stood there, and the one in front directed a musket at him. When the man's glance moved from Dorothea to settle on Isadore, he smiled. His teeth were rotten. "I'll jest relieve ye of these women, Mr. Birmingham."
Isadore immediately stood and turned to William. "It's all right. Please don't try to be a hero. I shouldn't like to see you killed."
She moved toward the man wielding the rifle. Then her silent sister joined her.
"One more thing, Lady Finkel," the gang's leader said. "We'll be needin' that valise you stole from his lordship."
Isadore froze for a moment, then she said, "You'll find it upstairs in the second room on the left, the Blue Room."
Her room .
A minute later one of the men returned with a dark green valise.
"Before you take me away, sir," Isadore said to the man with the gun, "I beg that you allow me to kiss my lover good-bye. I promise to go quietly after that."
The swarthy man peered from her to William, then he nodded.
What the hell?
She moved to William, her back to the men, and he drew her into his arms and lowered his head. Just before his lips brushed across hers, she whispered. "You must get the other valise from my sister's room." Then her arms came around him, and she settled her lips upon his for a long, extremely satisfying kiss that left him stunned when she walked away.
Chapter 6
Was this the case Finkel wanted to get his hands on? Obviously, Isadore was substituting her bag for the one Finkel really wanted. Valises far better than this could be found at any second-hand shop in London. William bent over and opened it. It was empty, and it was still damp from the rainstorm which deluged all of them the night before last. Good God, had he only known Isadore that short a time? He felt so intimately connected to her. Even more so since the scorching kiss.
Why in the hell was the vile Lord Finkel so mad to get his hands on this? Had it been the means by which the bullion was transported? But if it were, there was no way Isadore could have had the strength to lift it, much less carry it. William was almost ready to clamp it shut when he noticed a slight bulge along the seam of its lining. "Pray, give me your penknife," he said to Thompson, who stood over him.
His servant proffered the instrument, and William used it to pry open the seam. He felt the heat of Thompson's body as he stood directly behind him, peering over his shoulder. The opened seam revealed a flattened pouch made of thin oilcloth that had been folded over in much the same way as foolscap. "What have we here?"
He unfolded the oilcloth, found three handwritten pages,
"I did not know until this very morning of Finkie's wickedness – not until I realized he meant to force me back. Those men were so brutal."
His hands fisted. Leaving those animals tied up on Half Moon Street was too good for them! "Which is no accident. Be assured Finkel's servants have to be unscrupulous in order to work for him. He's been threatened many times. A pity no one's ever been able to prove his misdeeds."
"We must stop him."
"My thoughts exactly. And, of course, if the man's misdeeds can be proven, it should be a simple matter for you to annul the marriage. A woman cannot be forced to wed."
"Or to bed," she said, her eyes flashing.
The very thought of bedding her aroused him.
"But I shouldn't want the reference to my sister to ever come out." She tossed her head back and smiled. "I suppose I could say I was the one who'd be ruined by the printer's revelation. I daresay my reputation's already ruined by my association with the wretched Lord Finkel."
Why would a woman who smuggled gold bullion ever have been concerned about protecting her reputation?
Suddenly a loud commotion came from his entry hall. Panicked voices. He catapulted toward the door.
Just as it slammed open, barely missing him. He froze. A band of six men – sinister looking, all of them – stood there, and the one in front directed a musket at him. When the man's glance moved from Dorothea to settle on Isadore, he smiled. His teeth were rotten. "I'll jest relieve ye of these women, Mr. Birmingham."
Isadore immediately stood and turned to William. "It's all right. Please don't try to be a hero. I shouldn't like to see you killed."
She moved toward the man wielding the rifle. Then her silent sister joined her.
"One more thing, Lady Finkel," the gang's leader said. "We'll be needin' that valise you stole from his lordship."
Isadore froze for a moment, then she said, "You'll find it upstairs in the second room on the left, the Blue Room."
Her room .
A minute later one of the men returned with a dark green valise.
"Before you take me away, sir," Isadore said to the man with the gun, "I beg that you allow me to kiss my lover good-bye. I promise to go quietly after that."
The swarthy man peered from her to William, then he nodded.
What the hell?
She moved to William, her back to the men, and he drew her into his arms and lowered his head. Just before his lips brushed across hers, she whispered. "You must get the other valise from my sister's room." Then her arms came around him, and she settled her lips upon his for a long, extremely satisfying kiss that left him stunned when she walked away.
Chapter 6
Was this the case Finkel wanted to get his hands on? Obviously, Isadore was substituting her bag for the one Finkel really wanted. Valises far better than this could be found at any second-hand shop in London. William bent over and opened it. It was empty, and it was still damp from the rainstorm which deluged all of them the night before last. Good God, had he only known Isadore that short a time? He felt so intimately connected to her. Even more so since the scorching kiss.
Why in the hell was the vile Lord Finkel so mad to get his hands on this? Had it been the means by which the bullion was transported? But if it were, there was no way Isadore could have had the strength to lift it, much less carry it. William was almost ready to clamp it shut when he noticed a slight bulge along the seam of its lining. "Pray, give me your penknife," he said to Thompson, who stood over him.
His servant proffered the instrument, and William used it to pry open the seam. He felt the heat of Thompson's body as he stood directly behind him, peering over his shoulder. The opened seam revealed a flattened pouch made of thin oilcloth that had been folded over in much the same way as foolscap. "What have we here?"
He unfolded the oilcloth, found three handwritten pages,
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