Read Online The Devil's Own Luck (Once a Spy) by Diana Douglas - Free Book Online

began laughing.
    “What are you laughing about?”
    Still laughing, he stood. “You don’t want to know. Now, what on earth are you doing here?” Glancing up at the skies which had darkened considerably while he slept, he added, “The heavens are looking fairly ominous. You shouldn’t be this far from home.”
    She shrugged off his statement. “A little water never hurt anyone. I’m foraging for food. I haven’t eaten for hours.”
    He smiled. “That, I can help you with. What would you like?”
    “Have you any biscuits?”
    “Will pastries do?”
    “Wonderful.” She sat on the quilt and arranged her skirts around her as he set four pastries on a small plate and handed them to her along with a white linen napkin. “Thank you, kind sir.”
    “Wine, my lady?”
    “Please.” He filled two glasses and set one next to her.
    She reached for a lemon pastry. “I’ve such a weakness for sweets. Miss Thornton, our headmistress, said I should only take a bite or two and then leave the rest on my plate. But I don’t see the sense in that, do you?”
    He shook his head and smiled. “No, I can’t say that I do.”
    She finished her pastry and took a sip of her wine. “I’ll probably get caught in the rain, but it was such a perfect chance to escape. Aunt Mirabella had company all morning and she chose to nap this afternoon, rather than be read to. And we’ve a number of new servants as well and that always seems to cause untold confusion. And Biggs’s wife has reached her time and he’s not paying a bit of attention to the stables. Everyone was frightfully preoccupied and I was able to leave without being overly specific as to where I was headed.”
    He narrowed his eyes at her and groaned. “You definitely need a leash, my girl. And as soon as possible. When is the illustrious Mrs. Weathers scheduled to appear?”
    Her expression brightened. “Oh, I’ve the best news! She has gout!”
    He fought to keep his laughter at bay and failed. “What a brash young lady you’ve become. What has happened to the well mannered Lady Cecelia who charmed the matrons of Almachs? We must find you a companion before all is lost.”
    “It’s been near impossible. Mrs. Elliot’s brother is ill and she won’t leave his side until he’s fully recovered. Miss Hearn has left for a post in Cornwall. Mrs. Saunders can’t come for another three weeks. Mrs. Callahan is afraid of dogs, even little bitty ones like Aunt’s terriers.”
    "I don’t think it’s the size of them. I think it’s the quantity.”
    “At least, Aunt Mirabella stopped at an even dozen, though with Athena breeding... Thankfully, Aunt doesn’t mean to keep any of the pups. She plans to give them all away.”
    He was surprised. “Not a single one?”
    “I think she believes thirteen might bring bad luck.”
    “Bad luck,” he hooted. “Correct me if I’m wrong but it seems they’ve already created more than their share of bad luck. Weren’t they the culprits behind several injuries when a stable hand and your head gardener tripped over them during a mongrel melee in the back garden in Mayfair? They ate the furniture in Stratton’s office, demolished several of your hats, tore up your neighbor’s tulip beds, ruined the Aubusson rugs in the dining room and now Lady Fitzberry has fallen over one and sprained her ankle.”
    “Well, I suppose if you look at it that way.” Then she laughed. “Do you remember that awful pink headdress that Aunt Mirabella had?” “The contraption that looked as if she were wearing a flamingo on her head?”
    She grinned and nodded. “Hercules and Adonis tore it to bits.”
    “But that would be considered good luck, wouldn’t it? That hat was a monstrosity.”
    “Luck had nothing to do with it,” she retorted. “He wouldn’t admit it but