Read Online No Ordinary Mistress (Entangled Scandalous) by Robyn DeHart - Free Book Online
Authors: Robyn DeHart
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as you are. I don’t need rescuing.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Doesn’t matter. You made up your mind to believe what you wanted to believe, and you left me alone in Paris.” She wanted to get out of the bed, but where would she go? “You never even once offered to help me think of an alternative, or even better, told me that you understood, that no matter what I had to do, you’d…” She shook her head. “You walked away, Remy, don’t forget that. Proposal or no proposal. You left.”
“I didn’t just leave you. I made certain you would be protected, that they had someone else on hand to keep you safe. But I couldn’t stand by and watch you give yourself to that man only to steal his secrets. And you denied me. You wanted nothing to do with me. What else was I to do?” He was quiet for a moment before speaking again. “If you didn’t seduce him, how did you get the evidence?”
“I never said I didn’t seduce him. I simply didn’t sleep with him.” She shrugged. “I drugged him, put laudanum in his brandy, put him out rather quickly. Then it was just a matter of excising the evidence from the painting.” She shook her head. “It’s ancient history. The point was that you didn’t even give me a chance. You simply expected the worst of me, doubted I was capable of this job.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but she held up her hand to stop him. “None of it matters now.”
“On the contrary, it matters quite a bit. You have only been with me, Emma. That might not mean anything to you, but it sure as hell means everything to me.”
“We’ve wanted each other for years, Remy. Neither of us could deny that. Had we stayed together in Paris, it would have happened. It was inevitable. Now it’s done. Now we can move on. Carry on with this assignment, then go back to our separate lives.” She pulled the pins from her hair, then wove it into a plait. “I’ve told you before, I already made a commitment to the Seven.”
“If you think I’m going to walk away from you now, you’ve completely lost your senses. Like it or not, Emma Masterson, you are mine.”
“You orchestrated this entire thing. Forced me to work with you again to prove that I’m weak and I need protection. Well, perhaps you’re right, to an extent. In such assignments, it’s best to have a partner. But that’s as far as it goes, Remy.” She stood from the bed. “I’m going to dress, and then I think we should return to London immediately to find Penny.”
She walked away and stepped into the adjoining dressing closet. She leaned against the closed door and took several deep breaths. Walking away from him after what he’d said had taken every ounce of her strength.
She used the basin and washed up as best she could. The water was chilled now from sitting too long. Still, she wanted to wash him away, remove him from her body in a way she could not remove him from her mind. Her heart.
You are mine .
His words rang in her ears.
Chapter Six
No matter how many times Remy tried to discuss the future of their relationship, Emma either ignored him or changed the subject. She wasn’t completely silent, which he’d anticipated she’d try. Instead, she kept the focus on her conversation about the investigation.
“We know Penny is a woman. A woman Lord Comfry loved,” Emma said. She held the private diary they’d found. She opened it up, read some more, then folded it back over her hand. “But Penny is not his wife, which means he was having an affair.”
“Did you document any women visiting the townhome while you worked there?” Remy asked. He would persuade Emma to discuss the next step between the two of them at some point, but perhaps he needed to give her time to adjust to his way of thinking. Regardless, she would be his wife. He wouldn’t let her go now, no matter what. She was afraid, he knew that. He knew about her mother, who’d been a courtesan to a string of London’s elite aristocrats.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Doesn’t matter. You made up your mind to believe what you wanted to believe, and you left me alone in Paris.” She wanted to get out of the bed, but where would she go? “You never even once offered to help me think of an alternative, or even better, told me that you understood, that no matter what I had to do, you’d…” She shook her head. “You walked away, Remy, don’t forget that. Proposal or no proposal. You left.”
“I didn’t just leave you. I made certain you would be protected, that they had someone else on hand to keep you safe. But I couldn’t stand by and watch you give yourself to that man only to steal his secrets. And you denied me. You wanted nothing to do with me. What else was I to do?” He was quiet for a moment before speaking again. “If you didn’t seduce him, how did you get the evidence?”
“I never said I didn’t seduce him. I simply didn’t sleep with him.” She shrugged. “I drugged him, put laudanum in his brandy, put him out rather quickly. Then it was just a matter of excising the evidence from the painting.” She shook her head. “It’s ancient history. The point was that you didn’t even give me a chance. You simply expected the worst of me, doubted I was capable of this job.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but she held up her hand to stop him. “None of it matters now.”
“On the contrary, it matters quite a bit. You have only been with me, Emma. That might not mean anything to you, but it sure as hell means everything to me.”
“We’ve wanted each other for years, Remy. Neither of us could deny that. Had we stayed together in Paris, it would have happened. It was inevitable. Now it’s done. Now we can move on. Carry on with this assignment, then go back to our separate lives.” She pulled the pins from her hair, then wove it into a plait. “I’ve told you before, I already made a commitment to the Seven.”
“If you think I’m going to walk away from you now, you’ve completely lost your senses. Like it or not, Emma Masterson, you are mine.”
“You orchestrated this entire thing. Forced me to work with you again to prove that I’m weak and I need protection. Well, perhaps you’re right, to an extent. In such assignments, it’s best to have a partner. But that’s as far as it goes, Remy.” She stood from the bed. “I’m going to dress, and then I think we should return to London immediately to find Penny.”
She walked away and stepped into the adjoining dressing closet. She leaned against the closed door and took several deep breaths. Walking away from him after what he’d said had taken every ounce of her strength.
She used the basin and washed up as best she could. The water was chilled now from sitting too long. Still, she wanted to wash him away, remove him from her body in a way she could not remove him from her mind. Her heart.
You are mine .
His words rang in her ears.
Chapter Six
No matter how many times Remy tried to discuss the future of their relationship, Emma either ignored him or changed the subject. She wasn’t completely silent, which he’d anticipated she’d try. Instead, she kept the focus on her conversation about the investigation.
“We know Penny is a woman. A woman Lord Comfry loved,” Emma said. She held the private diary they’d found. She opened it up, read some more, then folded it back over her hand. “But Penny is not his wife, which means he was having an affair.”
“Did you document any women visiting the townhome while you worked there?” Remy asked. He would persuade Emma to discuss the next step between the two of them at some point, but perhaps he needed to give her time to adjust to his way of thinking. Regardless, she would be his wife. He wouldn’t let her go now, no matter what. She was afraid, he knew that. He knew about her mother, who’d been a courtesan to a string of London’s elite aristocrats.
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