Free Lady of Sin by Madeline Hunter Page A

and was dressed in a filmy white costume that was more Greek than Roman.”
    “Indeed. Well, I cannot help you.” Lyndale peered tightly at his cards.
    “Is something wrong?” Nathaniel asked. “You look odd.”
    “I do not look odd. I look passive. Expressionless.”
    “Exactly, which is odd. You are never expressionless. I think you know who she is.”
    “Who?”
    “The woman I was with at your last party, damn you.”
    “Damn me? Damn
you
. How could I know? I was barely in attendance myself, and spent my time in the gaming room.” He pushed away his cards. “All done here. That is enough for me. I think I will go home and throw out the Cameron sisters and take my wife to bed.” He stood.
    “Who was she, Lyndale? I ask as a friend. It is important that I find her.”
    Lyndale looked down with a truly odd expression. Annoyance and sympathy merged on his face.
    “If she mattered at all, you should have begged for her name before you parted. I could not give it to you even if I knew it. The lady relied on my discretion. I suggest that you set about swiving every woman in London with similar height and bearing. Eventually you might again kiss the same lips that finally made it important.”
             
    The distracting memories continued all night, braiding together in Nathaniel’s dreams.
    By morning he decided to take steps to remove one of them. With a few inquiries he should be able to ascertain if Finley’s story of a lost boy possessed any possible truth.
    The easiest way to learn the answer was to ask Mardenford. Since that would not be welcomed, he chose the next most sensible source of information.
    That afternoon he called on Lady M.
    He was not sure he would be received. However, after a brief delay, the servant ushered him up to the second drawing room, where the petitions had been signed the week before.
    The servant opened the door to reveal a relaxed, domestic tableau. Charlotte was on the carpet on hands and knees, barking like a dog at a small blond child posed in the same position. The little boy barked back and added a few growls for good measure.
    Their game made Nathaniel smile. A glance at the other person in the room caused the expression to freeze on his face, however.
    Lord Mardenford watched the display from a chair that faced the door. His attention was not on the antics of his precious heir. Rather, his heavy-lidded gaze rested on Charlotte.
    More precisely, it rested on Charlotte’s rump.
    There was no mistaking the man’s thoughts regarding this woman’s position. If his eyes had held only lascivious lights, Nathaniel would not have cared. There was more in them, however. By the time Nathaniel was greeted, he had concluded that Mardenford held affections for his sister-in-law that were not appropriate.
    Nathaniel experienced a prick of annoyance. He also felt something more primitive. The quick glare that Mardenford shot the intruder confirmed that a similar instinct had risen in the baron. The air between them crackled with the mutual suspicion of competitors.
    “Mr. Knightridge, this is my nephew Ambrose. Come join our pack,” Charlotte said. She pretended to try to nip the child.
    Ambrose at first giggled, but then suddenly decided it was no more fun. He dropped down on his seat and his mouth turned down. Tears were coming, and one look at Nathaniel towering above did the trick. He threw himself into Charlotte’s arms as if his life were in danger.
    “I have ruined his play,” Nathaniel said.
    Charlotte’s embrace quieted the sobs to sniffles. She shook her head. “He is tired. He should have gone home to his nap long ago, but I began another game, which led to yet another, and now he is undone.”
    Lord Mardenford still sat in his chair. Other than a greeting, he had not said anything.
    Charlotte turned to him. “You should take him home now, James. Apologize to his nurse for me. It was selfish of me to keep him here so long, and I fear he will be a handful