Free A Secret in Her Kiss by Anna Randol Page A

go into this with both eyes open or not at all.”
    Abington nodded once, then stalked out.
    Bennett stared at the open door. During the war, he’d ordered men to take assignments he knew they would not survive. Carter. Johnson. Potter. Davis. Blarney. He knew the name of every one of his men he’d sentenced to death. He saw each of their faces in his mind before he fell asleep and in his nightmares each night.
    Their deaths hung like weights on his soul, but he didn’t question the correctness of his actions. He had done what needed to be done to win the war, to keep his family safe, and to keep the bloody, sickening horror of battle far from England’s shores.
    His current orders were no different. England’s safety took precedence over the life a single man.
    Or woman.
    B ennett shrugged into his dress uniform jacket. The prominently displayed medals clanked together in an embarrassing cacophony. He frowned and tugged on one. Damned gaudy things. But the ambassador made it quite clear he looked forward to presenting Bennett to his dinner guests tonight in full military glory, a sort of foretaste of Friday’s party.
    Bennett fastened the jacket slowly, trying to delay the upcoming monotony. Perhaps Mari—
    Bennett dropped to the ground and rolled behind the bed.
    He was no longer alone.
    He pulled his knife from his boot. Its weight balanced with cool familiarity in his hand as he listened to the silence in the room. What alerted him? Where had it come from? Awareness that had kept him alive on the battlefields hummed in his veins.
    There. A soft scuff on the floor.
    The noise did not come from the bedroom. That left the dressing room. A cool, damp breeze, from a room where the windows had been left closed, confirmed his suspicion.
    Bennett rose to his feet and pressed back against the wall. He approached the adjoining room. His steps fell noiselessly on the wood floor.
    “I would prefer not to be gulleted if I have a choice,” the cultured voice stated in a soft undertone.
    “You could use a door.” Bennett lowered his knife. “If you are going to be sneaking into private rooms in the future, Abington, I would recommend further work on stealth.”
    Abington stepped through the doorway. He was still dressed in dirty native garb. “I am glad to see you noticed me before I tackled you this time.”
    Bennett grimaced at the rebuke.
    “With people arriving for dinner, too many might recognize me if I knocked on the front door.” He grinned. “I found your note in my shutter. I must admit to being flattered.”
    Bennett ignored his taunt and sheathed his knife. Leaving the note had been the most expedient course of action. Bennett knew of no other way to find him after the man had stormed out of the ambassador’s study. “I have a few questions regarding Mari.”
    The smile dropped from Abington’s face. “Are you taking her to Vourth?”
    Bennett nodded once.
    “Then I don’t feel all that inclined to help you.” Abington turned to the open window behind him.
    “How long has she been followed?”
    Abington halted abruptly. “Bloody hell.”
    Bennett studied him. “You didn’t know?”
    Abington’s fingers gripped the windowsill. “As I said, I looked out for her when I could, but I was hardly a constant companion.”
    “A man followed her this morning when she left you that note.”
    Abington swore. “Did he see her leave it?”
    Bennett shook his head. “She lost him first, but she was definitely being watched.”
    Abington tugged off his dirt-smeared turban and ran a hand through his dark hair. “I knew someone had taken a shot at her, but I didn’t realize her enemy was so dedicated. I assumed she’d be safe surrounded by her people. Damn.”
    “Do you have any idea who’s following her?”
    Abington’s brows drew together. “It makes no sense. If the person is working for the sultan, why haven’t they simply arrested her? I have heard nothing through my usual channels that suggests the