Free All Men Are Rogues by Sari Robins

greenhorn could handle it.”
    For the first time in four years, Justin had the sudden urge to throttle his superior. The man’s disdain was wholly uncalled for and unjust. Perhaps it was Wheaton’s way of motivating his troops? If so, Justin was growing tired of the tactic.
    “One can never be too careful when it comes to the ladies.” The weathered man dropped into the seat with a slight groan and set his gold-topped cane against the table. “They are far cannier than we ever give them credit for. Why, one of my most wily adversaries was a great dame named…” At the scowl on Wheaton’s face, the old gent shook his balding head. “Well, that’s a story for another time.”
    “I will keep that pearl of wisdom in mind, sir. Good evening.” Justin tipped his hat and moved off. Wheaton did not even acknowledge his departure.
    At the threshold of the wood-paneled room, Justin turned and looked back. Through the clouds of smoke hovering over the card tables, he watched the two vastly different men playing their game. Although far from a stripling, Wheaton still had many years left in him. Yet he was burly and gruff, while Sir Devane, a weather-beaten man arguably on the shelf, could not be more jaunty or sanguine. Not for the first time Justin wondered what it would have been like working for the legendary Sir Lee Devane. He had been known for nurturing greatness in his budding apprentices. Justin speculated on how well he would have flourished under the man’s tutelage. He sighed. Well, he would never know; Wheaton was the master of espionage now.
    He turned, motioned to a footman nearby to deliver a new deck of cards to the two players, stepped out the door, and strode down the thick-carpeted hallway. Justin had to admit, Wheaton was exceedingly good at his job. He was the most results-oriented person Justin had yet to encounter. An unsavory feeling itched at his shoulders thinking of Evelyn in the colonel’s sights. The colonel was not a man to cross, and somehow Evelyn had managed to secure a position on Wheaton’s hit list.
    He could not quite imagine her threatening the realm. Still, he realized that although he knew her fresh lavender scent, the press of her soft, lush form, and the velvety touch of her lips, he still knew very little about Evelyn. Distinct from most ladies of his acquaintance, she did not like to speak of herself overmuch. Yet, just as the colonel had charged, he liked her, in addition to being physically attracted to her. Too attracted for his own good, it seemed. He was growing distracted where she was concerned—something he could not afford to do.
    Stepping out into the cool evening air, he pressed his handkerchief to his lips and stared down St. James Street, wondering which way to turn. If Colonel Wheaton’s sources were correct, and they usually were, there was too much at stake to lose perspective where Evelyn was concerned. He squared his shoulders and strode down the steps, heading toward Jermyn Street. Nothing like a gaming hell to loosen men’s pockets and their tongues. He should be able to scratch up more on this conspiracy. His efforts had to be worth something this night. He had a job to do and was not about to play the softee, beautiful woman or not. On one matter Justin was certain both of the older men at the card table would agree; duty to England came foremost and personal feelings only complicated the matter. Justin just had to trust that it would all shake out in the end.

Chapter 7
     
    “D evil take it!”
    Evelyn crumpled the paper into a ball and angrily threw it across the room to join a heap of others. She rose and stalked over to the curtains, throwing them open. Moonlight filtered in as clouds glided past. Even the open window could not give her enough fresh air to alleviate the crushing scents of burning candles, ink, and parchment.
    She stretched her arms overhead and arched her back, feeling the blood warming her cramped muscles.
    “What are you trying