Read Online The Wolf's Pursuit by Rachel van Dyken - Free Book Online Page B

three men were suspected of treason.
    Lord Trehmont, Sir Hollins, and Lord
Redding.
    Men who, by all appearances, valued propriety
above all else.
    But she knew their secrets.
    Trehmont was in debt up to his ears, and to
some powerful people within the fallen French aristocracy. Meaning
they were finally calling out all the debt. But was he desperate
enough to betray his country? Or murder someone because of it?
    Hollins was a young idiot who had more money
than sense. His desire was to buy himself a better title, but
nobody seemed to be willing to give him the time of day. It was
rumored he also enjoyed sexual escapades that were enough to make
any debutante, or woman for that matter, cringe. She could see him
killing someone. In fact, she could see him doing a lot of terrible
things in order to gain power.
    And finally Redding. Unfortunately, she knew
nothing about him. Only that he was devastatingly handsome and
rumored to have grotesque scars from the war. Though one couldn't
see the scars by looking at him.
    He still walked with a slight limp, but that
didn't keep females from chasing after him. The poor man often
resorted to hiding. He was akin to the last antelope at a dinner
party for lions.
    With a sigh, Gwen squared her shoulders and
batted her lashes at the men surrounding her, each of them in her
mind a suspect.
    She ignored most of the conversation,
allowing them to fuss about her and compliment her dress. The smile
felt frozen across her face as each and every one of the men,
around ten of them, continued to pay her false compliments, all the
while leering at her breasts and panting after her.
    Gwen wasn't vain enough to think it was her
looks that gained her acceptance, but the fact that the great Wolf
had declared her pure and she had slapped away his advances.
Men.
    After being asked if she was receiving
callers in the afternoon, to which she replied yes, she decided to
remove herself from the situation.
    "Gentlemen, it is dreadfully hot, is it not?"
With a flourish, she pulled out her fan and began dramatically
fanning her face.
    "Well then." Trehmont cleared his throat and
stood directly in front of her. "It seems all the lady needs is a
brisk walk into the cool night air with a willing gentleman." He
reached for her free hand, but was slapped away by another
intruder.
    "Terribly sorry, Trehmont, but it seems the
lady has already promised to take the air with me." Hunter's voice
was like silk compared to the rest of the men's.
    "As the lady wishes." Trehmont grimaced,
showing his vast irritation. Gwen thought it a kindness that she
would talk to him at all, considering the circumstances. It would
be a trial to even speak with the man longer than a few minutes,
let alone let him touch her person.
    She shivered at the thought as Hunter led her
toward the outskirts of the ballroom.
    "Trembling beneath my touch, my sweet?"
    Gwen rolled her eyes but kept her smile
firmly in place as they passed curious onlookers. "Yes, it seems
you've caught me, Hunter. Your touch turns me to liquid, your kiss
makes my knees weak, please, let us marry and be done with this
whole charade."
    Hunter sighed. "I leave you for five minutes
and the dove turns into a shrew."
    "Are you always this poetic?"
    Hunter clenched her arm tighter as he led her
toward the doors to the balcony. "Always."
    Gwen smirked and stole a sideways glance at
the man. His golden eyes were trained on the door, his perfect
devil-may-care smile in place, but he was rigid with tension.
    She cleared her throat. "You should have
given me more time with the gentlemen. I need to be in their
confidence if I am to find out their secrets."
    Hunter snorted and finally looked at her.
"Believe me, they were within seconds of blurting every blasted
secret in the known universe." Why did he sound so irritated?
    "You need to let me do my job."
    He smirked. "And you, my dear, need to allow
me to do mine." He pushed through the door and led her out into the
cool night air.