Kissing The Enemy by Leighann Dobbs & Harmony Williams

Author:Leighann Dobbs & Harmony Williams
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2016-06-18T05:00:00+00:00

AS THE LADIES engaged in needlework, the chatter in the drawing room was low, like the soft buzz of insects on a calm summer’s day. Leaning forward in her seat, clad in a pink dress with seed pearls sewn into the bodice, Lucy matched the strength of the whispers. She laid her hand on Freddie’s knee.

“I hope you aren’t still angry with Tristan.”

“Angry with him? For what?” Freddie abhorred his association with the French, but Lucy couldn’t possibly know that.

She drew back, making a face. “For his crude behavior during battledore yesterday.”

Freddie shook her head. It seemed a lifetime ago. “I assure you, it is forgotten.”

Lucy perked up a bit. A black curl tumbled into her forehead, lending her a girlish look. Her brown eyes gleamed. “Then you like him.”

Not in the least. Freddie caught herself from gritting her teeth and tried to smile instead. “I like him as well as may be.”

Lucy exchanged a sour look with Charlie, on Freddie’s other side. They had boxed her into their usual corner, not allowing Freddie to move so much as an inch without gaining a sharp glare. Both women now looked as though they’d bitten into a lemon.

Good. They can suck on that response for a while. With luck, it would convince her sister that she and Tristan harbored no feelings for each other whatsoever. None, at the very least, that didn’t sprout from acting as spies on opposite sides of the war.

In the corner of the room, the pendulum clock swung back and forth with a steady tick, tick, tick. Each swing settled between Freddie’s shoulders, growing tighter and reminding her that she had a mission to complete. She’d already wasted two days.

She had to find that code book at all costs.

“I’m dreadfully tired. I believe I’ll turn in early for the night.” Freddie’s voice was strained and her cheeks were hot. She didn’t think her claim was that far from the truth.

The moment she stood up, Lucy—on her left—latched onto her arm. “You can’t!” Something close to desperation lit Lucy’s voice. “Not yet. The festivities are about to begin.”

Between her dark gaze and Charlie’s light one, Freddie felt as though she treaded a thin line. She bit her lower lip, uneasy. She hesitated just long enough for Charlie to grip her other arm. Her sister’s blue eyes turned pleading.

“Please, Freddie? Stay a moment more. I didn’t spend all that time on adjusting the dress for you to sit in your room.”

Guilt sank its claws into Freddie’s stomach. Charlie had worked hard on the dress. Beneath one of Freddie’s thin, net muslin overdresses, it looked divine. The neckline plunged a bit too low for Freddie’s comfort, but she’d solved that problem handily by wearing a fichu. The gloves she’d chosen, with the sunny yellow flowers on the back, sported leaves that closely matched the color of the underdress. Even her slippers were embroidered with threads that complemented the shade.

Slowly, she slipped back into the chair. “Thank you again for your effort, Charlie.

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