The Runner's Enticement (Men of Circumstance Book 2) Read Free Page B

a frenzy in the male population. Moreover, it was no secret most thought her a bluestocking. A sentiment that suited her since she’d rather be a wallflower than attempt to hold a conversation with a preening younger son of some overinflated peer.
    There might not be a great romance—or even a mediocre one—in her future, but as long as she had the school to oversee, she would be content. The legacy should have been her mother’s. She had died during childbirth, right before Anna’s eighth birthday, and afterward her grandmother had passed the school on to Anna.
    And she vowed to see that legacy persevere in her mother’s name—even if she had to make a deal with the devil to ensure it.
    “What do you know of Mr. Frederickson?” she asked. It was always prudent to know one’s enemy.
    Once again absorbed with cataloging a newly acquired relic, he answered with only half his attention. “Nothing mattered other than him being the best the agency had. I wasn’t about to entrust my collection, or my daughter’s safety, with anything less.”
    Despite not wanting the protection, it was reassuring to know hundreds of year-old stuff didn’t come before her.
    “Though, if I recall correctly, I believe he is the illegitimate younger brother of the Duke of Wesbrook,” her father tacked on as if it were of no significance. Which in her father’s eyes, it wasn’t. He believed in judging a man by his character and abilities, not his birthright. Yet another reason she was proud to call the often-unfocused man her father.
    All of Mr. Frederickson’s abilities didn’t reduce her irritation with him for his less than cordial greeting. She didn’t expect to be showered with attention, but his dismissal would be considered rude in any social setting. His arrogance was more than evident.
    This is the man Father has charged with being by my side daily? She had a feeling she’d need to rely on the patience she’d perfected while dealing with the headstrong young ladies at the school.
    Best to use Mr. Frederickson’s nearness to her advantage. There would be no better way to stay abreast of his investigation than by being forced into his company.
    If she managed to thwart his attempts to apprehend the culprit, all the better.
    “Papa, I’m going to the school now. I’ll be back before sunset.”
    With her father accustomed to her spending the majority of her day at the school, she didn’t expect him to question her. However, she only made it to the door before he called from his desk, “Annabel, don’t even attempt to leave this house without Mr. Frederickson accompanying you.”
    Since she’d had every intention of doing precisely that, she didn’t bother spouting a false defense, though she couldn’t hold back a grimace. Now, instead of a quick escape, she had to track down the dreadful man who stood between her and her freedom.
    In more ways than one.

Chapter 5
    Couldn’t the damned female have stayed home embroidering or ordering new gowns like every other entitled lady? Instead of getting the lay of the estate and determining how the relics had been taken, Nate was traipsing across the countryside, exact destination unknown.
    That she was off to some school, and he was to follow, had been all she’d taken the time to impart before her pert bottom had climbed into the carriage. Fortunately, she’d had the sense to have his horse saddled or he never would have been able to catch her before the carriage vanished down the drive.
    She was clearly accustomed to her underlings accepting her direction without question. He wanted to express quite clearly who was in charge of their forced alliance. He wouldn’t be taking orders from her—no matter how captivating her eyes had become when they’d flashed a particularly fetching shade of blue during her directive.
    Despite his ire, Nate found himself on his horse, galloping a pace behind her carriage. Tracking and capturing The Viper was fast becoming an easy mission