Free Wicked Seduction by Jade Lee Page B

began to speak. While she scraped at his face, she listed off all that she had heard, her musical voice a temptation all its own. He could have gotten lost in her voice. He closed his eyes and let the sound sink into his bones. But in time, his mind caught up with her words, and he began marveling anew.
    Her mind was obviously sharp, her memory excellent, but as she recounted every detail, he noticed a particular emphasis: that of a woman on the hunt for a husband. Listening to her, he could understand how her mind cataloged each person, noted specifics of clothing and conversation, and logged them in her brain as one of two things: eligible for matrimony or not.
    It was to be expected, of course, given her situation, but it was still amazing to hear the way her mind worked. She noted that Mr. Johan pretended to be a scholar, but his glee in relaying his experience at Mr. Frazier’s funeral suggested a gossip’s heart. Apparently the church had been filled to the rafters, so everyone had an opinion of Scheherazade as she made her final good-bye.
    Lady Haverson had been in London at the time of Kit’s supposed death. Her girls were not out yet, but she had gone to the parties and heard that Lady Blackstone—Scheherazade Martin at the time—left London straight after the funeral and was not seen for an entire month. And then, up she pops as Lady Blackstone.
    Her daughters were a bit more detailed with their information. Emily, who was likely to marry a very nice vicar, said that Lord and Lady Blackstone resided in a town near London. They have two sons and a third on the way, whom they hope is a girl. Susan, who is rather portly but has a good heart, corrected her sister on this point, saying that they had two daughters and were hoping for a son. She found it of particular note that Mr. Rufton—a young buck recently come to town, still a bit wild in his oats—thought they seemed happy together. He had seen them both recently at the Tavern Playhouse and they were quite in love.
    And so it went, first with the gossip about Scher and Brandon, Lord Blackstone, and then on to what people had relayed about his family. His eldest brother was married and firmly ensconced in the baronetcy, two others were not. Lucas, his favorite brother, was wandering about the continent somewhere, and the youngest, Paul, was somewhere up north. His cousins were busy propagating heirs. Only one was a serious gambler, another a rake.
    Kit’s face was clean and the water boiling by the time she finished speaking. He had listened raptly to her voice and her words, marveling at her mind, focusing on the nuances of her speech rather than the fact that she was recounting tales of his own his family as if it were a stranger’s. Because it was a stranger’s.
    “And that is all that I can think of,” she finally said. “Though I am sure this will be discussed quite thoroughly in the next few weeks, so there is bound to be more. But perhaps,” she ventured gently, her expression tentative, “you would like to find this out on your own? Perhaps visit your brother at the baronetcy?”
    Visit Donald? Donald who had been prosaic by the time he was twelve. Donald who always had to stand up to speak. Donald who had chucked him under the chin once and called him a good boy like a dog. What would Donald say to him now? Probably that his brother had turned into a mad wolf and should be put down.
    “Yes,” he said, lying as fast as he could find the words. “Yes, I should love to see my brother again.”
    “Excellent,” she said with a grin, which made him glad he had lied. She had a beautiful smile. “And now, sir, I believe your bath awaits.”
    He stood from the chair, feeling awkward as a silence descended between them. Fortunately, there was work to do, so he shifted to the boiling pot. She made to help him, but he glared her back.
    “I have worked with much worse, I assure you, and this is too hot for you,” he said as he lifted the pot and