Brazen Temptress Read Free

or fifteen had been.
    "Welcome to my humble abode, Captain Hawthorne," Captain Johnston said, sweeping up the steps in the familiar rolling gait of a man who'd spent most of his life at sea. He glanced back at her and then just as quickly looked away, with something akin to panic behind his hooded glance.
    Why did he have the feeling he knew her? Knew her better than she knew herself?
    The guard at Maureen's elbow gave her a rough shove, and she stumbled forward.
    "There now," Captain Johnston told the man, "that is no way to treat a lady."
    " 'er, a lady?" The grinning oaf laughed.
    "You'll treat Miss Hawthorne with respect," Captain Johnston repeated. "Or you'll be reassigned to guarding prison hulks. It's your choice."
    The man shrugged, but his next push wasn't as forceful. "Come along with ye,
miss."
    Maureen studied her newfound champion as he retreated into his house, following the path cut by the Lord Admiral. For a moment she'd seen past the ravages of alcohol and years of disappointment lining Captain Johnston's face. Once again he'd been a captain, a leader, a man others followed.
    "Lucy?" he called out. "Where are you, girl?"
    A maid appeared from a doorway and bobbed her head. She smiled politely at the Captain and the Lord Admiral until her gaze fell on Maureen. The girl's eyes widened with horror, while her mouth fell open like a day-old mackerel.
    "Tell her ladyship that we've got company."
    The girl just stood there staring at Maureen.
    "Lucy!" he barked. "Off with you. Tell your mistress we've got company."
    "Yes, Cap'n," the girl stuttered, backing down the hallway, her gaping features never leaving Maureen's disheveled appearance.
    They were here, Maureen knew, to see if Captain Johnston's wife, Lady Mary, would be willing to play a part in the charade the Lord Admiral proposed — a ruse to turn Maureen into a lady who could move amongst the
ton
and ferret out de Ryes.
    Once she'd found their man, she and her crew would have their freedom. A more than fair bargain, in Maureen's humble estimation.
    As she passed through the open doorway into the ordered world of Captain Johnston's home, a house ruled by the smell of lemon oil and beeswax, of polished candlesticks and faded but clean carpets, she couldn't help but wonder about the woman who held sway over this small corner of London, a place far removed from the rough-and-tumble world of the sea.
    She glanced up to find herself staring at the portrait of a much younger Captain Johnston and his smiling bride. The young demure woman in the picture hardly seemed the iron-willed matron capable of turning Maureen and her rough ways into a lady society would accept.
    Lord knows, Aunt Pettigrew had tried and failed.
    Maureen could only hope Captain Johnston's Mary was made of sterner stuff.
* * * * *
    "Madame," the young maid said. "The Cap'n is home and asking that you attend him in your parlor."
    Lady Mary Johnston glanced up and noticed the odd look on the girl's face. "Is there more, Lucy?"
    The girl nodded. "His lordship is with 'im. The one with the great bushy eyebrows and ... and ... they brought with 'em a ..."
    Mary held up her hand to stave off any more. "Thank you, Lucy. Will you see that refreshments are brought in immediately? Something appropriate for a celebration and for a man of the Lord Admiral's tastes."
    Lucy sniffed. "There ain't nothing in the house but them cakes," she said with a nod toward the sad plate of stale cakes on the table, "and the cordial yer aunt sent last Christmas."
    Never quite resigned to her reduced status, Mary nodded for the girl to get to work.
    Well, cordial and day-old cakes it would be, but now that William had a commission again, their days of this hideous reduced state would be over.
    His half pay barely covered their expenses, so full pay would be like a small fortune. And if he was able to take a prize while at sea, perhaps a small ship or one of the highly prized new American frigates William had been talking