For Her Spy Only (Entangled Scandalous) Read Free Page B

Sir Mirren is dead,” she said abruptly.
    He frowned and tapped his cane against his boot. “I am sorry to hear that. Were you related to Mirren in some capacity?”
    “I am his widow.” She looked down at her dress, then blushed. “I know it is dreadful that I am not still in mourning, but there are extraneous circumstances.” Her brow furrowed and it was then that he noticed she did look somewhat different. Delicate lines fanned from her eyes. “Is there something I can help you with?”
    “Married? To Mirren? Since when?”
    She chewed at her lip and her brows rose. “Since shortly after we met, actually.”
    She’d quite obviously had been engaged to marry Mirren when she’d had her affair with him. “I thought you had been left at the altar.”
    “I was. My union with Reggie occurred after we met, my lord. He and I had been friends for a while and a marriage seemed a logical conclusion to our relationship.”
    She wasn’t at all the woman he’d thought her to be—impulsive, passionate. No, this woman before him spoke of practicality. Not at all the Winifred who had invited herself into his bed. The woman who had taken refuge in his castle, in his arms, had been bold, refreshing—he shook his head, unable to reconcile the Winifred he’d bedded to the woman looking at him.
    Well, none of that mattered now. He had other concerns at hand. “I need use of your husband’s maps.”
    “His collection of maps is quite extensive. Perhaps you could narrow the selection for me?”
    “I don’t see why that is necessary.”
    Her eyes darted to the door behind him, then back to him. “If you could tell me which maps specifically you need to see, then perhaps I could locate them and have them brought to you.”
    “Your husband had hundreds upon hundreds of maps. You couldn’t possibly search through them and find the ones I need.”
    Her posture stiffened, and her eyes narrowed in a glare. “Rest assured I am certainly capable of doing so. And I am certainly more familiar with my husband’s collection than you are.”
    “Don’t be ridiculous. It would take you days to sort—“
    She stood, her glare intensified. “So now I am ridiculous?”
    Somehow they had ended up in an argument. If people would simply concede to his requests, these sorts of fruitless battles would not ensue. She had no reason to be irritated with him.
    “A man I barely know comes to my home, insults me, and demands to paw through my late husband’s belongings, and you find me ridiculous?”
    “I merely didn’t want to inconvenience you. It makes far more sense for me to do it as I know what I’m looking for. There is truly no reason for you to get involved.”
    A door sounded in the corridor, then voices, followed by a childish giggle. Winifred came around the desk. “I don’t see how I could grant you permission. Good day to you, my lord.” She walked as if to leave the room.
    He grabbed her arm as she passed him. “Winifred, it is of utmost importance that I have access to those maps.” His form towered over her slighter one. She’d grown fuller over the years, and the curves did lovely things to her body. She was still a most handsome woman. He pulled her closer.
    She swallowed visibly, her gaze darting to his mouth.
    “I shall consider it, but you must be forthcoming with me,” she said.
    “The way you have been with me?” he asked before he thought better of it. Had he expected her to send him an invitation to her nuptials? “My apologies, it is not my concern whom you married.”
    An expression clouded her features, an emotion he did not recognize. Fear, perhaps, though her jaw was clearly set with stubbornness. “I shall consider it. I shall send notice to your address and let you know what I’ve decided.” And then she disappeared out of the room.
    Damnation. He was a spy. An elite spy, at that. He would not be outmaneuvered by a woman, no matter how alluring her curves. By the time that Alistair entered the