Free Tempting Her Reluctant Viscount by Catherine Hemmerling Page A

current state would have been a, ah, challenge, to say the least.
    Hope ran over to the doorway to greet her butler, who was laden with a large tray of food.
    “Master Timothy told us the likely reason you were ringing, Miss. I hope you don’t mind me taking the liberty…?” Rivers said calmly, seemingly unaware of Hope’s distress.
    “Oh no, Rivers. This is wonderful. Thank you,” Hope rushed to say, moving over to the desk and clearing a space for the tray. “Please set it here.”
    “Very good, Miss.”
    Hope fluttered around nervously as Rivers set the tray down and laid out the fare. When he was done, he bowed to Hope and Michael and left the room. Once he was gone, Hope began preparing a plate for Michael and then herself. Then she poured them both something to drink. And finally, when there was nothing else for her to do, she looked around the room, somewhat lost.
    “Hope,” Michael said with a loud sigh, “come sit down. I promise I won’t bite.”
    Jumping at the sound of his voice and then laughing nervously, Hope edged slowly over to her chair and then sat down. Once seated, she scooted away as far from him as she could in the chair, all the while not looking at him directly.
    Bother and damnation , Michael thought irritably. Why was the chit getting so riled up by a simple kiss? A kiss that didn’t even happen, for God’s sake.
    Of course, it was entirely possible that Hope had never been kissed before. Probable, in fact, as he thought about it. There were some debutantes that were more forward than others and more than willing to indulge in a little peck or two with whomever interested them, but most girls had it drilled into them that kissing a man who was not your husband (and sometimes even kissing your husband, if done in public) was scandalous and a surefire way to find yourself ruined.
    Taking her innocence into consideration, Michael decided to give Hope the space she needed…for now. Because, God as his witness, he would have to kiss the girl at some point in the near future. His very well-being depended upon it. Now that he had been so close to the taste of her, there was no way he could deny himself the final prize indefinitely. No way at all.

Chapter Nine
    Sometimes you just have to follow your heart.
    ~The Duke of Lancaster
    Once they had finished eating, Hope and Michael returned, with little preamble, to their research. Already they had confirmed that unusually large amounts of Consols and Omnium—two government stocks—had been sold the day of the hoax, most of which had only been purchased the week before. Once the stocks in question had been determined, all that was left to do was look for the men who had gained the most from the sale. Those would be the most likely suspects.
    So far, they had compiled a list of four names between them. Especially surprising were two of the names on the list: Lord Cochrane, a man Michael said he knew as a well-known navel hero, and the Honorable Andrew Cochrane-Johnstone, Lord Cochrane’s uncle. Michael indicated that he did not know much about the uncle, but he and Hope both found it hard to believe that a man like Lord Cochrane would play a part in such a scheme.
    In addition to Michael’s findings, Hope was experiencing her own distress by the names on the list. One of them was extremely familiar to her…Mr. Richard Butt. He was a financial advisor—her father’s financial advisor, in fact. The very one she watched carrying out her father’s monetary affairs when visiting the Exchange. His name on the list could very possibly mean…
    Not sharing her fears with Michael just yet, Hope quickly scanned the records in front of her for any indication of her father’s involvement.
    Feeling a strange tendril of dread crawling up her spine, Hope slowly looked up from her own frantic perusal to find Michael staring at her like he had just seen his best friend killed.
    With her heart in her throat, Hope forced herself to ask, “What is it,