Free Unmasking the Spy by Janet Kent Page A

self-centered. Evidently embarrassed by Elizabeth, she and her
father kept the poor woman entombed in that mausoleum of a house. Ian had never
seen so many antiquities on display outside of a museum.
    The reins tugged as he rounded a
corner, guiding his gray onto the tree-lined track.
    Miss Kinsey hadn’t permitted her
aunt to accompany her last night, even as a chaperone. Such snobbery explained Elizabeth’s strange behavior – she must rarely set foot out of her quarters. No wonder she
took to wandering the halls at night. Miss Kinsey and her father allowed
nothing more.
    Pink-streaked sunlight trickled
up from the horizon, infusing the rustling leaves with a shimmering glow. Birds
flew off their branches as Ian and his horse raced below.
    Dawn rose steadily but Ian’s mood
did not.
    Family had always been the most
important aspect of his life. He simply couldn’t imagine anyone feeling
otherwise. He fought down his outrage. Alicia Kinsey was spoiled. No wonder the
house hadn’t been alerted to his presence. Miss Kinsey was someone Elizabeth would be unlikely to confide in.
    Elizabeth .
    Ian smiled grimly. On a first
name basis already, were they? Ian released a self-deprecating chuckle. He had
no idea whether she bore the last name of Kinsey, and he could hardly find out
through her close-lipped niece, Alicia. Ian no longer felt duty-bound to
conjure compassion for that cold fish. He grimaced. Unfortunately, a promise
had been made.
    He would have to risk a return
visit to Chadwick House. Tonight.

CHAPTER FIVE
     
    “How do you feel about the name Elizabeth?”
    Great-aunt Beatrix continued
threading her needle. “Nice enough, I suppose.”
    “Do you think I look like an Elizabeth?”
    Beatrix squinted over her sewing.
    “If that’s what you’d like, dear.
Although it may be that your Papa is quite used to calling you Alicia and may
be loath to change.”
    Her aunt returned to her stitches
without challenging the question further.
    Alicia tried to focus on her
embroidery. She had to stop letting images of the masked man intrude upon her
thoughts. Regardless of what he may have intimated, Rogue was unlikely to
return. She must force her brain to catalogue his face with the rest of her
favorite fairytale heroes and move on.
    Louis would have to move on as
well. In all probability, common inertia constituted the only reason Louis
desired a union with her. Pure laziness. Why bother looking for a bride when he
was related to a perfectly marriageable one? Alicia stabbed her needle through
the cloth. She would give him a reason. He couldn’t be that difficult to sway.
    Although unrelenting boringness
had removed him from her sight, it was not a strong enough deterrent. Most ton husbands did not dance excessive attendance upon their wives anyway. Whether
she married someone like Louis or not, she would likely be left to her own
devices to provide her own entertainment. She had not yet hit upon a powerful
enough motivator to inspire Louis to look elsewhere.
    She stood and stretched, then
placed her needlework in a basket. She picked up her pelisse and paused by the
open doorway.
    “I’m going to step outside, Aunt.
Perhaps I’ll walk in the garden.”
    Beatrix nodded absently in the
general direction of Alicia’s vacated chair. “Sounds lovely, dear.”
    Alicia lingered a moment, then
turned down the hallway.
    She crossed in front of the
stairs when her father walked by, heading toward his office. He glanced at her
and frowned.
    “If that long face has anything
to do with Louis, I don’t want to hear it. You should be happy to inherit
Chadwick House and marry someone you know. There’s no need for continued
drama.”
    Wonderful. Nothing lifted her
spirits like the thought of sharing her childhood home with Louis.
    Without waiting for a response,
her father stepped through the office doorway, effectively dismissing her.
Alicia ground her teeth. The walk in the garden better be refreshing.
    She had just reached