Wicked Widow Read Free Page A

She realized that she was very conscious of the manner in which Hunt seemed to occupy a great deal of the interior of the small carriage. In overall size he was not as large as her coachman, Latimer, but there was an impressive breadth to his shoulders and a dangerously languid grace about him that disturbed her senses in some peculiar manner she could not explain. The watchful intelligence in his eyes only served to heighten the unsettling sensation.
    She realized that in spite of all that she knew about him, she was fascinated by him.
    She wrapped her cloak more tightly around herself.
Don’t be a fool,
she thought. The last thing she had ever wanted to do was become involved with another member of the Vanzagarian Society.

    But it was too late to change her mind. She had made her decision. Now she must follow through on her scheme. Nellie’s very life might depend upon this bold stroke.
    The carriage clattered to a stop, shaking her out of her uneasy thoughts. Artemas reached out and turned down the carriage lamp. Then he grasped the curtain and pulled it aside. She watched, unwillingly riveted by the controlled power of his movements as he looked out into the night.
    “Well, madam, we have arrived at the west gate. As you can see, it is quite busy, even at this hour. I cannot believe any young girl could be spirited off in a carriage in front of so many people. Not unless she wished to be carried away.”
    Madeline leaned forward to examine the scene. The grounds were lit with a multitude of colorful lamps.
    The low price of a ticket made it possible for people from all walks of life to purchase an evening’s entertainment inside the Dream Pavilions. Ladies and gentlemen, members of the country gentry, shopkeepers, apprentices, maids, footmen, dandies, military officers, rakes, and rogues—all came and went through the brightly illuminated gates.
    Hunt had a point, she thought. There were any number of people and vehicles in the vicinity. It would have been difficult for a woman to be dragged forcibly into a carriage without someone taking notice.
    “The kidnapping did not take place directly in front of the gate,” Madeline said. “Alice told me that she and Nellie were standing at the entrance to a nearby lane waiting for the carriage I sent to fetch them when the ruffians appeared.” She studied the dark entrance to a narrow street. “She must have meant that corner over there where those young boys are loitering about.”
    “Hmm.”
    His skepticism was palpable. Madeline glanced at him, alarmed. If he did not take the matter seriously, they would achieve nothing tonight. She knew that time was running out. “Sir, we must hurry. If we do not move swiftly, Nellie will disappear into the stews. It will be impossible to find her.”
    Artemas allowed the curtain to fall back into place over the window. His hand closed on the door handle. “Remain here. I shall return in a few minutes.”
    She sat forward quickly. “Where are you going?”
    “Calm yourself, Mrs. Deveridge. I have no intention of abandoning the quest. I shall return after I have made a few inquiries.”
    He vaulted lightly down from the carriage and shut the door before she could demand further details.
    Irritated and dismayed by the manner in which he had suddenly taken charge, she watched him walk toward the entrance to the dark lane.
    She saw him make a few deft adjustments to his greatcoat and hat and was astonished at the result.
    Within a few steps he had completely altered his appearance.
    Although he no longer looked like a gentleman who had just come from his club, he still moved with a fluid self-confidence that she recognized immediately. It was so very similar to the way Renwick had carried himself that it sent a shudder through her. She would forever associate that sleek, prowling stride with skilled practitioners of the fighting arts of Vanza. She wondered again if she had made a grave mistake.
    Stop it,
she scolded herself.
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