Free A Perfect Scandal by Tina Gabrielle

as he had advised, and he hadn’t believed the story of Bridget’s duplicity. Whereas Bridget’s chicanery had failed during her lifetime, it created a bitter rift between the once-close brothers after her death.
    Marcus had felt betrayed by everyone he had ever trusted. Bridget had killed herself and his child. Roman had rejected him. His father thought him a useless spendthrift. Marcus had left home and had begun to drink himself into oblivion when, by the grace of God, he met Blake Mallorey. The newly returned Earl of Ravenspear had fled his own past demons and had introduced Marcus to the Stock Exchange.
    Roman leaned forward, his expression serious. “I didn’t mean to bring up old wounds, Marcus. I only offer aid if you need help finding the real culprit,” he said, his tone apologetic.
    Roman had recently tried to make amends with Marcus, and as a result, their relationship had gone from frigid to irritably tolerant.
    “I appreciate your offer,” Marcus said, “but I am not the same man as in my youth. I don’t need my older brother to fix my problems. I’ll find the man responsible and it will be on my terms.”

Chapter 9

    Two unpleasant visits in one day could turn a focused stockbroker into a bitter businessman. Only this time, as Marcus lifted the brass knocker to bang on the door, a smiling housekeeper greeted him and immediately ushered him inside.
    Simone Winston glided down the staircase to greet him. “Marcus, darling. What a wonderful surprise.”
    A wealthy widow in her early forties, Simone was twelve years older than Marcus. With a crown of auburn hair, a porcelain complexion, and a voluptuous figure, Simone was sought after as a lover by many males of the beau monde . That she had been having an affair with the dark and dangerous Marcus Hawksley added an air of mystery to her widowed status.
    How irrational and ironic was society, Marcus thought, for if a widow entered into a salacious relationship with him, it would enhance her reputation, but if an innocent such as Isabel Cameron was even suspected of being alone in a room with him, it would destroy hers beyond repair.
    Dressed in a green silk concoction that set her hair aflame, Simone wrapped slender arms around Marcus’s neck and kissed him full on the mouth. Her familiar expensive perfume enveloped him.
    “I’m so glad you came to see me, Marcus. I felt horrible after our argument last week, and I’ve missed you terribly.”
    She pressed her full breasts against his chest, but this time, he was slow to respond to her feminine allure.
    He pulled back. “It’s good to see you, too, Simone, but there’s something I must tell you.”
    “There’s no need to apologize, darling. I understand you have been under pressure at the Stock Exchange, and that you truly did not mean what you had said last week about us never marrying.”
    His mouth set in annoyance. “May we talk elsewhere, Simone, other than in the front hall?”
    She licked a full bottom lip. “Of course, darling. Let’s go upstairs.” She took his hand and turned.
    Marcus didn’t budge. “Your bedroom is not what I had in mind. Perhaps one of the sitting rooms.”
    She froze. She appeared stunned that any man would turn down her bedroom. “The sitting room?” Her gaze slid downward, noting his tailored suit. “You’re coming from the Exchange. I don’t understand your obsession with working really. You don’t need to—”
    “Not now, Simone.” His tone was impatient and finally gained her full attention.
    “How impolite of me. You must need refreshment.” She led him to the first room on the right, a lavishly decorated sitting room for receiving formal guests. She went to a sideboard and made to pour him a drink.
    “That’s not necessary. I don’t want a drink. I want to talk.”
    She turned, arching a well-plucked eyebrow.
    Unsure how to break the news to her, he chose a straightforward approach. “I’m afraid we can no longer see each other. I’m to