Smuggler's Lair Read Free Page A

outrageously from behind her fan as she decided which of a dozen escorts to favor with a dance. She raised her lashes and looked full into the eyes of a dark man, with a powerful build and a strong face, whose manner had more than a hint of dominance.

C HAPTER 2
    â€œA note has been delivered from Sir Peregrine Fuller addressed to the Honorable Victoria Carswell. If it is an invitation to view Bodiam in daylight, as I expect, Edmund may chaperone you.” Edwina handed her daughter the letter with every intention of reading it once the seal was broken.
    â€œIf it is an invitation to Bodiam, I shall decline it.” Tory was in the library, where she was allowed to spend an hour each afternoon. She set her book down and opened the letter.
    â€œYou selfish girl! You will do no such discourteous thing. This is the first gentleman of means who has shown any interest in you. Spinsters and beggars cannot be choosers and you could soon be both if we do not find you a suitable match.” Edwina plucked the invitation from Tory’s fingers and read it. “For the benefit of your family, you will accept with grace and gratitude.”
    â€œYes, Mama,” Victoria acquiesced quietly.
    â€œWhat are you reading?”
    â€œIt’s a history of Sussex.”
    Edwina swooped upon the book and confiscated it. As she scanned the pages, she gasped with horror. “It is a book about smugglers and criminal activities. Surely you didn’t find this book on the shelves of your father’s library?”
    â€œYes, it’s one of Father’s history books. Smuggling was rampant along the Sussex coast in the last century.”
    â€œâ€™Tis no fit subject for a lady!” Edwina threw it on the fire. “Do something productive.... Reply to Sir Peregrine’s invitation.”
    The moment her mother closed the library door, Tory snatched up the poker and, with her heart in her mouth, prodded the book from the flames onto the tiled hearth. She stomped out the smoldering edges and cleaned up the bits of charred paper with pan and brush.
    This book is precious. A century ago, the people here in Hawkhurst were up to their necks in smuggling. When the export of wool was illegal, Sussex men secretly shipped wool to Calais. After that they smuggled in brandy from France, tea from India, and silks from China. How romantic and exciting it must have been to go on a smuggling run!
    Tory hid the book behind a religious treatise on the top shelf and sighed with resignation as her eye fell on the invitation. She sat down at the desk, took a sheet of parchment, and dipped the pen in the inkwell. Mutiny stirred in her soul. Though she longed to explore Bodiam Castle, she was determined to discourage Fuller from seeking an alliance with her. She threw down the pen.
    I shall answer Sir Peregrine in person. That way I can visit Bodiam, refuse his invitation, and squelch, once and for all, any pretended interest the conniving swine has in me.
    Victoria folded the invitation and slipped it into her silk bag. She put on her cloak, firmly tied the black ribbons of her bonnet beneath her chin, and slipped out the priory’s back door. As she walked along a footpath that led to the castle, Tory took delight in the profusion of Canterbury bells, larkspur, and wild roses that bloomed in the hedgerows. As she crossed the narrow bridge and looked down into the moat, the white, purple, and pink shades of the water lilies filled her with joy.
    When she pulled on a ship’s bell beside the portcullis, a servant appeared and raised the gate. He looked at her askance, so she said blithely, “I’m here at Sir Peregrine’s invitation.”
    Tory followed the man to the Great Hall; he took her cloak and bonnet and asked her to wait. The minute she was alone she walked the perimeter of the chamber, taking in every dank detail. It had a sadly neglected air; its high windows were dirty and broken, with some even boarded