Free Lie by Moonlight by Amanda Quick Page B

looked in the hall a short time earlier, dressed in a cozy wrapper, her hair in a chaotic knot on top of her head, face still flushed from sleep. His imagination had run wild with a heated fantasy that involved scooping her up in his arms and carrying her into his bedroom.
    It was not hard to imagine how she would have reacted to a suggestion of a passionate interlude in his room, he told himself, wincing. She was already extremely wary of him as it was and he could not blame her.
    He did not relish the prospect of pressuring her to give up her secrets when she came downstairs in a few minutes. She would resent his intrusion into her private life and that would make things even more difficult between them. But he had no choice.
    The questions that he was grappling with had become more complicated of late. He needed answers. Concordia had spent a considerable amount of time at the castle, associating with Larkin’s employees. Whether or not she realized it, she was an invaluable source of information, Ambrose thought, turning a page of the newspaper.
    He had been giving himself the same lecture from the moment he vaulted up onto the horse behind her and led the girls out of the stable. And he knew very well that he was lying to himself.
    From that first instant when he realized that Concordia was the reason his plan had failed, he had known that he wanted more than information from her.
    At the very least, it would be pleasant if she demonstrated as much enthusiasm for his company as she had for the damned bath.
    â€œNewspapers,” Concordia exclaimed from the doorway. “Excellent. I have not seen any since I left for the post at the castle.”
    The warm, bright sound of her voice sent a flash of acute awareness through him, tightening his insides and causing his blood to beat more heavily in his veins.
    He looked up and saw her standing in the opening. Her dark hair was now pinned into a neat twist at the back of her head. The lenses of her spectacles sparkled. She had on the same severe, unadorned dress she had worn out of the castle. There was no bustle. When a ladyprepared for a dangerous flight into the night, she had to make fashion choices, he thought.
    He made a note to do something about the wardrobe situation. When one entertained a houseful of ladies who had arrived with only the clothes on their backs, one had to think about things such as gowns and gloves.
    â€œI doubt that you have missed anything of great importance.” He put down the paper and got to his feet to pull out a chair. “Just the usual scandals and gossip.”
    â€œI’m sure you’re right.” She sat down and unfolded her napkin. “But when one has been out of touch with current events as long as I have, one comes to miss any sort of news, even that supplied by the sensation press.” She pulled the nearest paper toward her. “Speaking of which, what is the latest sensation?”
    â€œA murder, of course.” He indicated the story he had just finished reading. “Evidently while you and I were busy dashing about the countryside, a gentleman here in town was dispatched by his mistress after he told her that he intended to cast her aside in favor of another woman. They say she fed him poison. Each of the papers printed various versions, all of which are most likely inaccurate, of course.”
    â€œI see.” She adjusted her eyeglasses and scanned the piece briefly. “The murder stories do seem to sell best when they are associated with rumors of an illicit love affair, do they not?”
    The serious manner in which she made the observation amused him.
    â€œI have noticed that, myself,” he said dryly. “It is, in fact, quite startling how often love and death go together.”
    She lowered the paper and regarded him with a curious frown. “Do you suspect that is the case in the affair that you are investigating, sir?”
    He shook his head. “There is nothing to