The Queen's Mistake by Haeger Diane

Author:Haeger, Diane [Haeger, Diane]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: PENGUIN group
Published: 2012-01-06T19:24:46+00:00

The Duke of Norfolk stared squarely at mousy Mary Lassells just long enough to ensure that she was sufficiently uncomfortable in his presence. He had not offered her a seat in the vast library of his apartments, which smelled heavily of leather-bound volumes by Cicero and Aristotle. The old warhorse was in no rush. He was accustomed to playing cat and mouse, and he was good at it.

“So, then, shall we speak plainly, or will you leave the task to me alone?” he finally asked.

“What would my lord of Norfolk like to know?”

“Oh, no, my dear, the question is, What would I like you to know.” The duke steepled his wrinkled fingers, bejeweled with a single chunk of ruby set in silver. He regarded her so intensely that she was forced to flinch. While she looked away for only an instant, he caught the hesitation. Splendid, he thought. Even momentary weakness made the job so much easier.

“You are here because you have successfully blackmailed my niece. Not a very pretty reality for my family, yet there is a certain honor among thieves, so I can respect that about you. However, one must always know one’s limitations.”

He scratched his lightly stubbled chin, pausing for effect, then bore down on her with another lethal stare, reducing her to what she truly was: a little village urchin masquerading before him as a lady of power.

“You may have succeeded in frightening the dowager duchess into giving you a position at court. But make no mistake: Dealing with me shall be an entirely different experience. If you make so much as a move against my niece, if you do the slightest bit of harm to her, you shall not return to that thatched little hovel from whence you came, or any other godforsaken place, for that matter. They shall find you in unidentifiable pieces, long after they surrender me to my own holy grave. Now, have I made myself clear to you, my dear?”

“Crystal, Your Grace.” Mary Lassells was completely self-possessed as she matched the duke’s stare with her equally level one. She was not undone by him, as he had expected, which surprised him. And there were few things in life any longer that could surprise the man who meant to be the power behind the next Queen of England.

“So long as we understand each other,” he said, settling for the last word.

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