Bronwyn Scott's Sexy Regency Bundle (59 page)

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She could not resist him, yet she did for reasons he did not perceive or understand. For every obstacle she erected, he countered a solution and still it wasn't enough to win her capitulation.

Looking at her now with the firelight dancing on her features, her toes tucked beneath her soft rose-coloured her hair gathered into a loose chignon at her neck, he could hardly reconcile the image with the brazen Cat who had dangled her trousered legs over the same chair and swigged down his brandy like a dockhand a month ago. Anyone seeing her tonight would see a lady of gentle refinement.

course,

it was all an act, a trick wrought of fine clothes and a competent lady's maid.

He liked the illusion. He liked it even more because he knew what lay beneath the soft wool and pearls. He had only to look in her sharp jade eyes and see the

of her-the keen intel-

ligence, the ardent passion for her cause. That passion made sense now in the wake of her tale. She'd been disappointed by important people in her life and by the world in general. But instead of letting those disappointments overwhelm her, she'd elected to change the world so that others would not be similarly disappointed.

Not so unlike him. He wished he could convince her of that.

She raised those eyes to meet his. 'You're staring, Brandon,'

she chided softly.

'Better to look at you than these damnable papers,' Brandon said with a weary tone. 'I swear they tread over the same ground time and again, never gaining an inch. The act has passed the House of Commons three times, but the House of Lords will not admit the need to change.'

Nora rose and put down her book. She came around the desk to stand behind him, her capable hands massaging his shoulders. 'Was there anything else of interest in the post today?'

Brandon knew what she was really

Had Jack come

up with any news of Reggie

'NO.'

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He reached up and covered her hand. 'It is too soon for him to know anything conclusive. It doesn't matter what he finds.

If

is dead, you are free now. If

is alive, we

will petition the courts for a divorce on grounds of abandonment. You will be free either way,' he consoled her. 'It's been seven years-perhaps we can have him declared legally dead.'

'Divorce, Brandon? You cannot consider it. A divorced woman may be your mistress, perhaps, but not your wife. You must not forget your station.' Nora's soft tone carried a warning edge to it. 'Besides, he'd have to be the one to divorce me. The law doesn't allow a woman to sue for divorce. You that,

Brandon .'

There it was again, that damnable tendency to block his solutions. Debating with Nora was as frustrating as his opponents in Parliament; more frustrating, perhaps, because the next minute she was all soft compliance, making him forget how hard-headed she could be.

'Besides, I am free now, Brandon. There is no sense in going through the public display of a divorce if he's alive. He hasn't found me for years. Perhaps you're right and he isn't as bent on revenge as I imagined.'

Brandon

her around to his lap. 'I would never stop for you.' He smiled at the blush rising on her cheek.

He had discovered in their short time together that The Cat might be a tough, saucy-tongued woman, but true flattery was the chink in Nora's armor. A sincere compliment was her undoing.

It thrilled him that in many ways he was the first to love her honestly and in the truest sense. It also touched a tender spot deep inside him that this woman, who risked herself so completely in order to give to others, had received so little affection in her life.

'I know, let's play a game, Nora. I've had enough of paperwork tonight. It's called Truth or Consequence. You choose if you want to answer a question or if you want to take a challenge of my making.'

Scott

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Nora smiled like a cat with cream. Any thought of 'demure'

exited his head. 'That sounds decidedly wicked, my lord,' she said in the husky voice he loved.

'It can be,' Brandon conceded. He had played a few bawdy versions of the game before when he and Jack had been in their salad days. 'You go first.'

Nora twisted a lock of hair that had come loose from her chignon. 'What will it be,

or consequence?'

'Truth.'

'Do you really have a sister? You cannot answer yes or no.

You must elaborate,' Nora said.

'Not only do I have one sister, I have four.' Brandon laughed outright at the incredulous look on her face. 'How do you think I got to be such a ladies' man? I learned a lot about the whims of women growing up in a household where my father and I were severely outnumbered and regularly outflanked by the fairer sex. There's Margaret. She's the oldest. Then, Elspeth, she's the scholar in the family. I'm the third child, but, being male, I was instantly catapulted to the head of the line.' That earned him a punch in the shoulder from Nora. 'Then there's Clara and Dulcinea. Dulcinea's the wildest .'

'Was it Margaret you sent for?' Nora asked, to the

letter he had sent out for a chaperon.

'Heavens, no! She's the most reliable of them all, the perfect oldest child. She's married with three children of her own. I wrote to Dulci.'

'The wild

Nora raised an eyebrow. 'I'm sure she doesn't meet the criteria for a proper chaperon.'

'I wasn't after a "proper" chaperon. But you have broken the rules. That's two questions.' Brandon tapped her on the nose. 'It's my turn. Will it be truth or consequence?'

'Truth,' Nora said gamely.

'That day in Manchester, when "Eleanor" tried to give me the slip at the drapers, where were you going?'

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'To Anacoats. I needed to see Mary

and give her

some money for medicines.'

Brandon's conscience pricked. His desire to catch The Cat in action had prevented her from doing a good deed. 'Did she get them?'

'Yes. When I went back in, I gave instructions to Jane.'

'Outside the baker's in Manchester, did you know I was there?' Brandon broke his own rule and plunged ahead with another question.

'That you'd been following me? Yes.' Nora laughed so hard Brandon had to right her to keep her from falling off his lap.

'I spotted you almost immediately. I confess I was quite mean to you, staying in the bakery longer than necessary. I hope you didn't freeze too badly but you deserved it, sneaking around behind poor "Eleanor".'

Nora reached for his cravat and tugged. 'You were too canny from the start. The day you came to tea at the Grange it was as if you could see right through me. No one in town had caught on after four months of me living under their noses. But you were different. You were too alert and too handsome for your own good. I had to convince you utterly that "Eleanor" was what she appeared to be: a gentry-class spinster with a small amount of breeding, a smaller amount of funds and a ton of missish manners.'

'You should have let me impress you with my manners and good looks, then,' Brandon teased. 'It was your resistance to my charm that put me on your scent

Nora pushed at him playfully. 'You arrogant man! All women are dying of love for you, is that it?'

'All but you, apparently. I even risked my neck going into the Manchester slums on

Day with you. There were times

while I waited for you that I thought I might lose my boots.'

Nora shook her head. 'You are far too capable for any thug to risk his neck, as nice as your boots are.'