For Her Spy Only (Entangled Scandalous) Read Free

large, imposing desk. But what the marquess had in his study that she had not seen before were the medals. Several of them graced one shelf, and they gleamed in the candlelight.
    “Were you in the military?” she asked.
    He glanced up from his book and nodded. “I work for the Crown.”
    “Still? You are active? Are you a captain?”
    “I have no classification. I merely work for the Crown.”
    She wasn’t certain what that meant, but he seemed finished with the conversation, so she allowed it to drop.
    It took her the better part of thirty minutes once they were settled in the library—him in a large leather chair, her in a softer chaise—to pull together the nerves to approach the subject.
    She cleared her throat.
    He did not look up from his reading, no longer the Shakespeare, but now a book from Sophocles.
    “I should tell you,” she began. “That is, I want you to know that I am open to the possibility of being ravished.”
    That stole his attention from Sophocles, though aside from one cocked eyebrow, his expression was unreadable. “I beg your pardon?”
    “Well, I find myself quite intrigued by the kiss we shared, and if you do not object, I should like to explore—”
    “Are you trying to seduce me?” he asked. His tone spoke of surprise, but certainly a man as confident as he would not be caught unaware by a woman taking a fancy to him.
    “I am. Though perhaps not successfully. You seem surprised.”
    “Surprised by your boldness, perhaps.”
    “I know it is unbecoming for a woman to be so bold,” she said, suddenly feeling quite embarrassed and wishing a hole would open in the floor and swallow her.
    He set his book aside and stood. “On the contrary.” He took a step toward her. “I find your brazenness refreshing.”
    Warmth spread through her arms and legs.
    “What of your reputation?” he asked.
    “Well, it would seem that I have recently been accused of being a wanton harlot.” She swallowed hard. It had taken her several months to learn to ignore the stares when she shopped for new dresses on Bond Street. And her invitations to social gatherings had all but dried up. “I was thinking that if I have to endure such rumors, I should get to behave thus at least once.”
    The marquess eyed her a moment, then tipped his head back and laughed riotously. “Miss Wilmington, you are most assuredly a refreshing female. Why is it that people claim you are a wanton?” He held up one finger. “Though I could point out that if this is not your first proposed seduction, that could be the reason.”
    “No, of course not.” She smiled in spite of herself. “This is the first time…that is, you are the first man I have proposed such a thing.” She inspected her fingernails, concerned that if she told him the truth about Theodore that he might decline her offer. “I was engaged and my would-be groom left me at the altar. He then told people that he’d done so because he’d discovered me in the arms of another man. A blatant lie, but it would seem that people don’t care about my side of the story.”
    “Is this seduction your way of trapping me into marriage?” He took a couple steps closer to her. “Because as you’ve heard, I had to kill my first wife to get out of that union.”
    She laughed.
    “Most people don’t find me amusing.”
    She stepped closer to him, so close that she could feel the heat radiating off his body. “I’m not most people.”
    “Why me? Why seduce me?”
    She looked up and was caught in the depths of his green gaze. “I find you intriguing and attractive. And judging by my reaction to the kiss in the carriage, it is safe to say that I desire you.”
    “I see.” He was quiet for a moment, as if weighing her argument. “I have precautions to ensure you will not get with child.”
    Her heart fluttered. “Does that mean you accept?”
    “I am a peculiar sort, Miss Wilmington, a bit of a recluse, most say. I much prefer the company of books to that of