Free The Pretender by Celeste Bradley

are married when you aren't and that you, ah, want to keep my real identity a secret…"
    Agatha breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh,
that
lie."
    Aha. So there was more. As she moved through the crowd before him, Simon wondered how many layers of deception she had woven around him.
    The music ended and Simon politely returned Mrs. Trapp to her husband. He dropped a quick bow to the Trapp daughters but avoided their veiled hints that they wished to dance with him again.
    Over Mr. Trapp's shoulder he could see Agatha waltzing in the arms of an elderly fellow in uniform. It seemed she had been dancing with one redcoat after another for hours. Gossip had already established Mrs. Applequist's preference for soldiers, he was sure.
    Turning aside Mr. Trapp's invitation to a game of cards and sidestepping the elbow in his ribs when the man made a blue joke, Simon laughed, clapped Trapp on the shoulder, and declared his need for refreshment.
    Once he was clean away, he hid behind a marble pillar to catch his breath and scout the assembly. The party was getting a bit sloshed by this time, and dinner was still half an hour off. Perfect opportunity for some sneakwork.
    "Mr. Applequist! How fortunate I am to catch you alone." The feline purr behind Simon warned him, but he wasn't ready for the elegant hand that cupped his buttock. Damn, but Lady Winchell was brazen!
    Turning swiftly, he caught the encroaching hand and brought it to his lips for a formal bow.
    "You outshine the stars, my lady. They weep in jealousy of your beauty." He winced as he fell back on the horrendous phrase that Agatha had forced him to learn, but Lady Winchell only looked pleased.
    "You may call me Lavinia… in private. You speak so well, Mr. Applequist. I must say, I am surprised. You seemed so reticent when first we met."
    "A touch of an exotic fever had stolen my voice that day, my lady. I declare, it pained me to be so rude, but my darling wife implored me not to try to speak, so to sooner heal."
    "Ah, yes, the little wife. Tell me, Mortimer—may I call you Mortimer?"
    "Indeed, my lady, I should be honored." As a mouse is honored by a snake, he'd be honored.
    "Tell me, Mortimer, how can a man of your… well-traveled nature find fulfillment with such a—you'll pardon me for saying—overblown country milkmaid?"
    The lady's lashes fluttered, but Simon didn't miss the hard-eyed stare as she waited for his reaction to her offensive words.
    Could it be a test? He tamped down his irritation and kept his smile easy. The lady was going somewhere, and he didn't mind a bit following along until he learned where.
    "Oh, Aggie's all right. She's a comfortable sort, easy to please, not a lot upstairs. A man likes to keep his home life uncomplicated, if you take my meaning."
    "Leaving you to pursue more discerning company elsewhere, hmm? A masterful plan. I'm sure my husband wishes he had done the same."
    "Surely not, my lady. The man who could ignore your charms has yet to draw breath."
    She blinked coyly at him, moving closer until her breast brushed his upper arm.
    "But I am ignored, you see. All this"—she waved a hand at her luxurious surroundings—"means nothing when a woman cannot feel… like a woman." Her pout looked ridiculous on a face meant for feline superiority.
    She rocked to and fro minutely, but Simon could feel her nipple hardening against his bicep.
    "There could be no one more womanly than you, my lady."
    Simon filled time with banal compliments, thinking quickly. If he could get her to lead him to her husband's study, he could save himself considerable time, and time was beginning to be of the essence in this matter.
    Agatha was busily combing the crowd for news of the Griffin, and Lord Winchell was occupied with his cohorts in the smoking parlor.
    Time to get down to business.
    Giving Lady Winchell a heavy-lidded look, he leaned his arm into her breast and slid it slowly back and forth. "Tell me, my lady, have you ever considered taking a bit of revenge