Harlequin Historical April 2019--Box Set 1 of 2 by Louise Allen

Author:Louise Allen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

Gray watched her mouth open as if to speak, hesitate, then clamp shut as his convincing lie marinated. Thank the lord he had had the wherewithal to link her accusation to the smuggling trial. A trial which had been all over the London scandal sheets since they had first arrested Viscount Penhurst two short months before. His arrest on charges of high treason, subsequent conviction and sentence of execution had been all anyone could talk about—as only a story about English peers complicit in a plot to restore the hated Napoleon to power could. Penhurst’s brutal murder in Newgate alongside another convicted and titled traitor just a few weeks later by the very criminal gang they had diligently smuggled for had created widespread fear and panic.

As it should have. If those smugglers had been able to get into Newgate, there was no telling what they were capable of. The whole country was obsessed with unmasking The Boss—not just the King’s Elite. For good measure, and to compound her indecision, he decided to drip in a little bit more.

‘Rumour has it, it is the exact same gang of cut-throats that lynched that fellow in Newgate! Who’d have thought they would turn up here—unless here is where the criminal mastermind of it all lives?’ He watched her carefully, looking for clues, and saw only shock at the suggestion. ‘Perhaps this particular corner of Suffolk is not so sleepy after all?’

A delightful crease appeared between her eyes. ‘Perhaps…’ Then she shook her head and refused to meet his eyes. Several seconds ticked by during which she chewed on her lush bottom lip to torture him. ‘I suppose I owe you an apology for jumping to conclusions?’ Although she didn’t look convinced. Gray had introduced doubt, but not conviction. He made a mental note to set the Invisibles the task of making the house look like a suitable place to breed horses as soon as possible, mindful the suspicious minx might well check.

‘Well, if you are going to jump to conclusions, the very least you can do is make them outrageous. I have little time for lily-livered conclusions. Choose a course and commit to it wholeheartedly. That’s always been my motto. Besides, no harm was done. Part of me is supremely flattered you think me that exciting—another part feels duty-bound to respond to your gracious apology with one of my own.’ Best to get it over with. Old Fennimore would only nag him incessantly until he’d fixed things and it wasn’t her fault Gray couldn’t control his emotions around her.

He’d made a hash of things yesterday. First with his stand-offish belligerence brought about by sheer panic and then with his uncontrollable flirting, brought about by lord only knew what. His emotions around her were uncontrollable, when he prided himself on his control, and his normally reliable ability to rise above panic had saved the day on several occasions—particularly now that he was a government spy. Yesterday both attributes had deserted him and he

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