An Artful Seduction Read Free

her lap. “What do you think we should do, Eliza?”
    Eliza hesitated, then worked to keep all expression from her voice. “I have to get the painting back before Lord Huntingdon discovers the truth.”
    Amelia looked at her as if she had lost her mind. “You can’t be serious? It’s too risky.”
    “He doesn’t know who I am,” Eliza pointed out.
    “What if he suspects you?” Amelia countered.
    Eliza stood and stiffened her spine with resolve. “He won’t. My acting skills have been honed over the past five years.”
    Chloe’s nose crinkled. “You are overreacting, Lizzie. The dead viscount had that painting for years and no one suspected a thing. What makes you think anyone will now?”
    Because of him. There had been something sinister in Huntingdon’s jet eyes. Something that raised the hair on her nape. He was not a man to be trifled with, but to be taken seriously.
    Her future course of action was clear. The truth must never come out, no matter the price.

Chapter Two
    Eliza stared at the white stone walls of the imposing mansion in Mayfair. She clutched her cloak with one hand, held a leather satchel with the other, and drew a deep breath.
    I can do this, she thought. I’ve fooled many men over the years.
    She proceeded to the front door and lifted the heavy brass knocker. A moment later, a somber-faced butler opened the door and stared down at her.
    “Mrs. Eliza Somerton to see Lord Huntingdon.”
    “His lordship is not receiving calls this afternoon,” he said coolly.
    Eliza handed him an embossed card. “This is my establishment. Lord Huntingdon expressed an interest in some rare prints to add to his collection,” she said with just the right note of impatience. “I assure you he will want to see me.”
    The man’s mouth thinned with displeasure, but he nodded curtly and opened the door wide for her to pass.
    Eliza stepped inside a grand vestibule with black and white marble tile, crystal chandeliers, and a winding staircase with a gilded balustrade. A footman immediately appeared to take her cloak.
    Eliza followed the butler down the hall. Opening a door, he motioned for her to enter. “Wait here while I advise his lordship of your presence.”
    Eliza entered a drawing room and surveyed her surroundings. It was decorated in shades of blue, with striped azure silk drapes, an Oriental carpet, and Roman inspired settees. Eliza hadn’t set foot in such an elegant room since she was a child and her father had visited a duke intent on commissioning his portrait.
    She felt dwarfed by the tall frescoed ceiling, but it was the gilt-framed artwork on the walls that caught her breath. Works by sporting artists George Stubbs and James Ward were displayed for her perusal. She walked close, marveling at the meticulous detail of hunting dogs and muscled prized stallions with glistening coats. She wondered if Huntingdon had a private gallery in his mansion and if the treasures displayed here were but a sampling of his collection.
    “Do you like what you see?”
    She spun around at a masculine voice. Huntingdon stood in the doorway—tall, broad, and compellingly male. Her heart started to pound. Goodness! In the afternoon sunlight from the drawing room windows, he was even more handsome than at the auction. He was dressed in a meticulously tailored jacket of navy superfine, buff-colored trousers, and shiny black Hessians. His dark hair curled around his collar, and he appeared to be a gentleman of fashion that matched the artwork in his drawing room.
    But Eliza wasn’t fooled. There was a predatory gleam in his dark eyes that simmered beneath his polished veneer.
    How long had he stood there observing her?
    “I was told you weren’t receiving,” she said.
    “I wasn’t. Until Hutchins informed me I was to buy artwork from you.” His tone held a note of challenge.
    She forced herself to smile, all the while wondering if he would have her thrown out.
    But the earl strolled into the room and held up her