Free An Unexpected Gift by Katherine Grey Page B

Olivia sighed and allowed the servant to usher her down the hall.
    Will stared at the empty doorway. He turned away, determined not to let the appearance of her fragile mental state deter him from implementing the plan that had grown like a seed in his mind. A seed planted by Lady Amanda Riverton this very evening.
    He had planned on striking a bargain with Miss Olivia St. Germaine. One she wouldn’t be able to refuse if she valued her reputation. She would help him gather information from her acquaintances in the Ton about Sandhurst, and he wouldn’t expose the fact that she had spent time with him and Fingers without a proper chaperone, though he was injured at the time.
    The idea had blossomed as he listened to Lady Riverton’s tirade regarding her friend’s association with the wrong sort of people. Olivia may not be aware of it, but he knew Lady Riverton wouldn’t hesitate to treat her like a social pariah should any more scandal attach itself to the St. Germaine name.
    Given Lady Riverton’s status, he had no doubt the other members of Society would follow her lead. He guessed Olivia was only accepted now due to her ladyship’s good grace. And it wouldn’t take more than the veriest whiff of the wrong sort of gossip to change that.
    One last faint rumble of thunder drew his gaze to the entryway. The hall stood dark and silent. Olivia had sounded so...lost.
    He turned away, running a hand through his hair. He couldn’t let himself be deterred from blackmailing her into helping him. He had already waited too long to get close to the duke to let such an opportunity simply slip away.
    Remembering the note he’d received from Sandhurst just before leaving the Riverton ball, Will pulled the crumpled sheet of parchment from his pocket. He smoothed the folds and held the sheet under the wall sconce. The note was brief, to the point.
    Do not do something Mary would hate you for and you would regret.
    Sandhurst
    The words mocked him. The bastard had all but admitted he knew where Mary was. The missive only hardened his resolve to find his sister and make the duke pay. Pay with his very life.
    ****
    Olivia dropped her quill onto the desktop and stood. From the sound of the commotion coming from the entrance hall, the man known as both Lazarus and Mr. Prescott was not going to be put off any longer. Smoothing her hands over her skirts, she rounded the desk and headed out of the room. She came to a stop at the top of the stairs.
    “Miss St. Germaine is not receiving callers today, I tell you.”
    “And I am telling you, I will not leave without seeing her.”
    “I would prefer not to have you put out, but if you insist on this course, I’ll have no alternative.” Jennings signaled to the footman to come forward.
    “It’s all right, Jennings,” she called. “I will see him.” She turned on her heel and strode back to the study. She needed a few minutes to compose herself before facing the man.
    Touching a hand to her forehead, she paced behind the desk. What could she say to explain her actions of the night before? Footsteps in the hall sounded his arrival, and she quickly sat. He may have insisted on seeing her, but she would do her best to control the meeting.
    “Please come in.” She gestured to the hard-backed chair in front of the desk.
    He glanced from the chair to her. “Do you always torture your guests by making them sit on such uncomfortable pieces of furniture?
    “You are hardly a guest. I allowed Jennings to permit you entrance because I didn’t want to give my neighbors the satisfaction of having something to gossip about when Jennings and Daniel removed you from the premises.”
    Lazarus sat on the corner of the desk and leaned toward her. His finger tapped her chin. “Do you honestly believe they would have been able to do so?”
    She moved back, away from his touch. She didn’t bother to respond to his question. They both already knew the answer. “Why are you here?”
    “I see your manners