Free Seducing the Spy by Celeste Bradley Page A

"Now why would that be?" No one but the Four knew of their investigation. Then again, a notorious lady might have made a few enemies on the way…
    Lady Alicia's eyes widened. "I—" She stopped short. Stanton's attention was caught by the abrupt lack of expression on her face. It was rather eerie in fact, for Alicia's lively features were never still.
    "What are you thinking?" he asked, more gently than he'd intended.
    She exhaled and smiled brightly. "Nothing. Nothing at all. I shall see you in the morning… about eleven, if you please."
    "I was thinking a bit—"
Earlier
. But she was gone, with nothing but a fluttering of the curtain remaining.
     
    The next morning, Garrett was calmly packing while Alicia was panicking enough for both of them. "Did you remember the gray satin gloves that go with the—"
    "I remembered all the gloves, and all the gowns. I even remembered to include a few pairs of the vast collection of shoes that you billed to poor Lord Wyndham."
    Alicia paused long enough to sniff indignantly. "Who knows when I'll have another chance to buy shoes," she reminded him.
    Garrett folded his arms. "You're dressed. You're packed but for your toiletries. You have plenty of time—"
    Even in the bedchamber one could hear the authoritative rapping of the door knocker. "Oh, blast. He's early!" Alicia patted her hair unnecessarily. "Finish quickly. I'll distract him."
    She flew from the room and down the stairs, intercepting Gunther before he could open the door. "I'll get that," she told him. "And by the way, you're fired."
    That would teach him to rat out his mistress! It had to have been Gunther, for every time she'd sent him on an errand, Wyndham had been able to mysteriously interfere.
    Now, to deal with Wyndham himself…
    She was late when he'd specifically ordered her to be on time. Therefore, Alicia decided upon a preemptive strike. She threw open the door to frown at Stanton. "How dare you show your face here after the way you behaved last evening?"
    That outrageously unjust statement had the desired effect. Lord Wyndham stopped short and actually seemed to be casting through his memory for the alleged offense.
    The moment was priceless, and far too much for Alicia. She collapsed into laughter and turned away, leaving him fuming on the doorstep.
    She wiped at her eyes and looked back to see him still standing there with a deadly glint in his eyes. "Why are you still out there?"
    "I have yet to be invited in," he said, biting out each word with precision.
    She put her fists on her hips. "That is ridiculous. I think I shall leave you there to ponder the stupidity of clinging to propriety on the doorstep of a house which you, in fact, are paying for. I shall be in the parlor should you come to your senses."
    Casting him one last glance that plainly said she found such an event highly doubtful, she turned away.
    She'd scarcely taken two steps before his hand came about her elbow. She glanced up at him. "For someone so constrained by propriety, you do seem to lay hands upon me rather often."
    He glared down at her. "We have a timetable to adhere to and some basic rules to discuss. I do not have time for your theatrics."
    She rolled her eyes and pulled her arm from his grip. "If you came here to spout rules at me, I'd prefer not to waste a moment on such nonsense." She smiled coquettishly at him. "Since we have a timetable, of course."
    "We have an agreement, Lady Alicia. You are to assist me in finding this person. You must adhere to certain rules if we are to succeed."
    She folded her arms. "You are repeating yourself, Lord Wyndham. Furthermore, I can break my side of the agreement at any time. I have two feet. I merely need to walk out of that door."
    "I could make sure you don't leave this house."
    She narrowed her eyes at him. "You could try." Then she shrugged and quirked her lips in that way that drove him mad. "That would not help you find your mystery lord, would it?" She smiled fully and batted her