Read Online My Lord Deceived by Rebecca King - Free Book Online

today,
thank you Agnes,” Jonathan replied. “I wish you good day.” He
nodded his head and moved away, his gaze riveted on the tavern
doorway.
    He had no idea
what was driving him to find out where she had gone with the man,
and why, but something kept pushing him, warning him that he needed
to know. If only to make sure that she was safe from harm.
    He was about to
go into the tavern when movement from the alleyway beside him drew
his attention and he watched as Kat said goodbye to the man before
they parted company. A dark scowl fell over his face, and he
watched in consternation as Kat returned to her mother’s side. The
urge to follow the man and find out everything about his opponent
was strong, but he knew that right now, he had other things to
contend with.
    The odd
conversation with Agnes was a little disconcerting, if only because
he now knew that he made Kat’s mother nervous, but it was the
knowledge that he really knew very little about the woman who had
held his heart for practically all of his life and it was strangely
disconcerting. If she was to become his wife, and he still
sincerely hoped that was the case, then he had to be on a
considerably better footing with her friends and family. How the
hell he went about that was anyone’s guess. Who was that man? Why
had Kat disappeared behind the buildings with him? Why was Agnes so
shaken by his arriving in the market today?
    He shook his
head, went to the bar and ordered a tankard of ale before he chose
a seat at a table overlooking the market. From his position, he had
a clear view of the market and a small view of Kat’s stall. As he
drank, his gaze remained firmly locked on the woman who brought
about so many questions. Not least of which was; what on earth was
she up to?
    From his
position he could see Kat, her mother and Billy, as they went about
their business on the stall. There was nothing untoward about any
of their behaviour and he started to wonder if he was chasing
shadows. After all, they had been polite, but were busy selling
their wares in just the same way as all of the other market traders
who were selling their goods at the market today. Did he suspect
that something was amiss because he had spent so much time working
for the Star Elite, and had learned to trust nobody, not even Kat?
That thought bothered him immensely. If Kat was innocent, and she
discovered that he had considered her involved in smuggling, she
would never forgive him and he would lose any chance he may have of
getting her to the altar.
    He sighed and
fought the urge to bang his head on the table. There were so many
possibilities and probabilities that he just couldn’t spend the
weeks he needed to make sense of it all. One thing was for certain,
he wasn’t getting his job done sitting in a tavern gazing at the
love of his life. He had a Frenchman to unmask, hunt down and bring
to justice, as well as an estate to put to rights, and a smuggling
gang to unmask.
    Maybe then, if
Kat wasn’t involved in smuggling, he could set about sorting out
his love life.
     

CHAPTER
FOUR
     
     
    Later that
afternoon, having watched Kat pack up the stall with her family,
Jonathan headed back toward Dentham Hall. He made a mental note to
speak to Harper as soon as possible to see if he had found anything
out about smuggling in the area. On his way through the large port
of Upper Dentham, he spied the Excise House and, without thinking,
headed in that direction.
    “Good
afternoon.” He wandered into the darkened recesses of the main
lobby and stopped at the officious looking man standing behind the
desk. The man immediately drew himself upright at the sight of
Jonathan, a lord of the realm, standing before him, and nodded his
head politely.
    “Sir.”
    For a moment,
Jonathan wondered if the man was going to salute him but, at the
last moment, he seemed to realise it wasn’t necessary.
    “Is Harrison
about?”
    “No sir, he is
out doing Excise business.”
    Jonathan’s
piercing