Read Online The Fortune Hunter by Jo Ann Ferguson - Free Book Online Page B

have been killed, although she is too generous to speak of it.”
    Watching Mr. Windham’s face, which was for once as blank as his brother’s could be, Nerissa wished she could silence her friend. She knew how futile any attempt to quell Annis’s righteous rage would be.
    â€œI am certain Lord Windham intended no harm to Miss Dufresne,” he said quietly.
    â€œIt matters little what he intended . Look at her!”
    â€œI have been,” he said, his smile returning, “and I am pleased to see her looking so well. Miss Dufresne, would you be so kind as to introduce me to your friend?”
    Nerissa took a deep breath to steady her voice, then said, “Miss Annis Ehrlich, this is Mr. Philip Windham, Lord Windham’s brother.”
    Annis’s intense color became ghostly as she pressed her fingertips to her lips. “Mr. Windham, I had no idea … I mean, I meant nothing …”
    â€œOf course you meant something.” His smile softened his words, as he added, “You have every right to come to the defense of your bosom bow, and I must tell you that your fervor is admirable. My brother and I have been haunted by the horror of the injuries Miss Dufresne has suffered.” Taking Annis’s hand, he shook it gravely. “It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Ehrlich.”
    Annis looked at Nerissa for assistance. Nerissa tried to think of something to fill the troublesome silence. She knew her words sounded strained when she said, “We are doing errands, Mr. Windham. What has brought you out on this dreary day?”
    â€œThe hope of finding something more pleasant than my own company.” His smile broadened, and Nerissa realized this Windham brother had been given a share of the charm his brother possessed. “I believe I have.”
    Mrs. Peach called, “Miss Dufresne?”
    Nerissa hesitated, then realized that Annis was laughing at something Mr. Windham was saying. The tension had vanished with his candor. Leaving them to talk, she gave her order to the shopkeeper. Nerissa watched Mrs. Peach measure out the snuff from the clay jar behind her counter. The sharp smell tickled her nose, but she struggled not to sneeze as the older woman prattled on about what a fine young man Nerissa’s brother was to recognize the qualities of Martinique snuff.
    â€œAnd a packet of Spanish Sabilla, too,” Nerissa said when Mrs. Peach had wrapped the package for Cole.
    â€œYour brother is trying some of that brand again? When you did not order it upon your last visit, I thought he had decided it was not to his taste.”
    Nerissa smiled rather than answered. She guessed Mrs. Peach, who was an avid user of the snuffs she sold, would be outraged if she learned that Nerissa used the finely ground, reddish powder to clean her teeth. Taking her package, she turned and gasped.
    Neither Annis nor Mr. Windham was in the shop. Was Annis all about in her head to wander away with a man she had only just met? After the dressing down she had given Nerissa, it seemed impossible.
    Rushing out onto the street, Nerissa grimaced when water splashed from a puddle over her half-boots. Her frown became astonishment when she saw her friend standing next to Lord Windham’s brother and pointing to something in the shop window next to Mrs. Peach’s store. With their heads tipped toward each other, they were chatting as if they enjoyed a deep amitié .
    Nerissa released the breath she had been holding. Walking to them, she said regretfully, “We told your mother we would return immediately, Annis, so we must bid Mr. Windham adieu. ”
    â€œI trust I shall see you again,” Mr. Windham hurried to say as he shook Annis’s hand lingeringly. “Mayhap at Rowland’s gathering this evening?”
    Before she could answer, a laugh sounded behind Nerissa. It sent a trill of pleasure cascading through her. Looking over her shoulder, she hoped her