Free An Unlikely Alliance by Patricia Bray

the table. Lord Kerrigan did not rise to greet her but instead assessed her with his cold blue eyes that seemed to measure her and find her lacking. Even seated, he was an imposing presence.
    “But it is necessary,” she insisted. “You may have saved my life last night.” But it was also true that he may have been behind the attack on her in the first place. So she would be polite, but she must remember not to confide in him. Nor to place her trust in anyone else until she knew who was responsible for last night’s attack.
    “Sit down,” he said, gesturing at the empty chair on his left side. “We never finished our conversation last night, but I’m sufficiently civilized that I’ll allow you to break your fast first.”
    Magda sat down gingerly. Luke helped himself to the chair on the opposite side without waiting for an invitation, then picked up a silver bell and rang it once.
    A footman appeared as if by magic. “Mademoiselle desires breakfast,” Luke announced. “And another plate for me as well, to keep her company.”
    “If you keep eating like that you’ll rival Prinny one day,” Lord Kerrigan grumbled. But there was affection in his tone. So much for her supposition that this Luke was a servant. It was a good reminder that nothing here was as it seemed.
    Lord Kerrigan switched his attention to her. “In the excitement of last night we were never properly introduced. And you can hardly expect me to call you Mademoiselle Magda. What is your true name?”
    “My name is indeed Magda. Magda Beaumont.”
    “Magda.” It was an exotic name, at odds with her demure appearance. Dressed as she was, he could have mistaken her for a maidservant were it not for the cool intelligence that hid behind her hazel eyes.
    Breakfast appeared within moments. Luke chattered away about nothing in particular, but Alexander’s attention was all for his mysterious guest. Magda Bowman ate her meal with the elegant manners of a lady. So much for her claim to be a seamstress. No mere sewing girl would have dared sit down to breakfast with a peer of the realm.
    Used to Alexander and Luke’s enormous appetites, Cook had sent up a hearty meal for their guest. But she consumed only a small portion before laying down her knife and fork with obvious reluctance.
    “Finished so soon? But you ate barely enough to keep a bird alive,” Luke said. “Is there something else you would like?”
    “No, this was wonderful, truly,” Magda replied. “I can’t remember when I’ve eaten so much.”
    From the looks of her it was all too easy to believe. Without the enveloping costume there was no hiding the finely drawn lines of her face or the unnatural thinness that spoke of illness or recent hunger. Alexander fought off the impulse to urge her to eat more.
    “We need to talk about last night,” he said instead, deliberating breaking the mood.
    “The more I think of it, the less likely it seems that our meeting last night was a coincidence. What were you doing in Covent Garden?” she challenged.
    He decided to give her at least some of the truth. “I was there to speak with Mrs. Brightwell, in hopes of tracking you down. But I happened to find you instead. It was lucky for you that I did.”
    “I suppose,” she said, her right hand creeping up to touch the bandage at her neck. “But I’m sure my friend would have been able to take care of me.”
    Even if his intervention had been for purely selfish reasons, the least she could do was show a little more gratitude. “And what if the men who attacked you knew about your friend? They seemed to know just where to find you before.”
    Her eyes widened. It was clear she’d never considered this possibility. “I don’t know how they could have known I would go there for help. I was so lost I didn’t know where I was until I was almost there. And I still don’t know why they came after me. I thought they were in your employ—”
    “Most definitely not.” Bob Parker was too