To Please A Lady (The Seduction Series) Read Free

after her small, dark form, ignoring the growls, curse words, and whistles of the other prisoners. James didn’t know where they were headed, but surely this angelic being was offering them something much better than their prison cell. The guard unlocked the door and moved aside. Hesitantly, they stepped into the courtyard, the brilliant light of the rising sun startling.
    But it wasn’t the dingy boys beside him who caught his attention. No, it was the woman leading them toward a purple carriage… a woman with hair that glowed like pale gold. A veritable angel she was, of such startling beauty that James found he could not speak. He’d thought her pretty, but he’d been wrong… she was perfect. The man named Wavers helped her across the cobbled courtyard and into her gaudy carriage. When the three boys continued to stand there, shocked speechless, she peeked outside.
    “James,” she purred, fastening her gaze on him. “Do enter and sit, please.”
    Lord almighty, she had lavender eyes a shade darker than her dress. He’d never seen eyes such a color. She had untied her bonnet and it was resting on the bench next to her. He swallowed hard, unnerved by her beauty, but more so by the fact that she knew his name. She waved a delicate gloved hand toward the bench seat opposite her. He glanced warily at the other lads. Gideon was glaring daggers at him as he ripped chunks of meat from a chicken leg. Alex merely looked confused, nervous.
    “Please, James.”
    And because she looked so bloody kind and beautiful, but mostly because he didn’t want to return to that prison, he climbed into the stunning carriage and settled his boney arse upon the velvet cushion, reveling in the softness. What was she thinking by having him here? His fear wavered, replaced by deep curiosity. Was she someone his da used to work for? He rubbed his aching brow, unsure, confused.
    “Please.” She smiled. “Do eat.”
    With trembling hands he lifted a chicken leg from the basket and sank his teeth into the soft meat. It slid silkily smooth down his throat. He felt bloody guilty eating such lovely fare while his family starved. Dare he slip some potatoes into his pockets in hopes of returning to them?
    “I know you’re confused,” she said, glancing first at him, then the other two who waited outside.
    She had a lovely, fine accent that sounded like birds singing. A voice that sent a thrill through his body and heated his blood in an embarrassing way. He wasn’t sure which was more appealing, the food or the woman.
    “I only wish to help you.”
    Her heavenly scent made him only too aware of his unwashed body. Aye, he knew he wasn’t bad to look upon. His mother had warned him more than once to stay away from the factory girls, who giggled whenever he came near. But he was also smart enough to know he paled in comparison to the woman across from him. Besides, she was at least ten years older. So what did she want from him? He set the chicken down, swiping his greasy fingers across his trouser legs, not hungry anymore. Something was wrong, so very wrong.
    She was tiny, a fairy maiden who almost didn’t seem real. Almost as if she’d stepped from the Irish fairy tales his mum used to repeat when they were a happy family… when his da still lived. “What do you want with us?”
    “Want?” He stiffened as she leaned toward him. He could see, from the corner of his eye, that the other lads were also watching her… waiting. There was something about the way she smiled that worried him, like she had won a game he hadn’t realized they were playing. She moved across the carriage, settling uncomfortably close and resting a gloved hand on his knee. Heat shot to his groin and cheeks. He almost groaned in embarrassment. Who the hell was she?
    “I’ve an offer for you, James.” The words whispered warmly across his ear.
    A sinful image popped to mind. An image of his lips touching hers. The world around him faded as she moved closer, her