Read An Inconvenient Wife for Free Online Page B

language. She had made more progress in these few weeks than Anne had in a
year of French lessons as a child.
    “Miss McKenzie.”
    Bill’s appearance put an end
to the session, and Anne smiled regretfully at the children. “We will start
earlier tomorrow,” she promised, and darted inside to get her headscarf and
gloves.
    Fatima was waiting for them
outside the gate, looking more impatient than usual, and Anne glanced at the
watch pinned to her blouse. They were a bit late. The maid, after the
first few days of sitting though the music lesson, went to visit a friend once
she had seen the children inside, but always reappeared promptly at the time
agreed.
    Anne paid careful attention
to her surroundings as they hurried along, but annoyingly, no stranger followed
them today. And after you have worked up the nerve to confront him! It
was most vexing . But no, there he was after all, lurking about near
Meraux’s house, and the flutter of nerves resumed in her stomach. Trying to
appear unaware of the eyes focused on her, Anne took Bonnie from Guy and bade
them good-bye, but the prickle one gets when being stared at traveled up her spine.
    “I see him now, Miss Anne,”
Bill Fenton said in a low voice as he stepped up beside her. “He must have been
waiting here for us. What do you want to do?”
    Eyes straight ahead, Anne
set a brisk pace. “Go to the market as we planned. I do wish you had been able
to find out more about him.”
    “I could try again today. At
least go back to see if the Senhor Lusitain learned the fellow’s name
yesterday. Or maybe if he goes home….”
    “No.” Anne cut him off in
mid-sentence. “Knowing his name is not going to tell us anything.” Bill grunted
his agreement, although a sideways glance at his face told her he was not
pleased by her insistence. But foolhardy as it may be, she felt drawn to the
man in some uncomfortable way.
    They stepped into the
marketplace, and were instantly surrounded by the cries of the vendors and the
hum of conversations carried on above the noise. The area holding the herb
seller’s stall was relatively quiet, and they moved slowly in that direction.
Keeping a few steps behind Bill as he shouldered his way along the aisle, Anne
shifted Bonnie more comfortably into the crook of one arm, wishing she had
insisted that the dog stay with Maggie. She had just decided to pass the animal
to Bill when she saw the stranger leaning against a wall, staring fixedly at
her. She touched Bill on the shoulder to get his attention and stepped with him
to one side.
    “He is just ahead. This is
the perfect time, while it is not so crowded—and I still have nerve enough.”
    “You do not have to do
this,” Bill insisted.
    Anne’s free hand fluttered
up and down in denial. “I do, I do. Here, take Bonnie.” She thrust the dog at
him, whirled around and marched toward her nemesis—who had disappeared.
    Anne stopped abruptly and
stared at the spot where he had been a moment ago. How could…? The sudden hard
grip on her arm shocked her to such an extent that she allowed her captor to
guide her some distance before she found her tongue. “Just what do you think
you are doing?” she hissed, attempting to pull free.
    “I am avoiding a public
scene, Miss McKenzie, which I believe you were about to initiate. Don’t worry,
your watchdog is right behind us.”
    Anne glanced once at the
stranger’s stern expression, looked over her shoulder to see if Bill was in sight, and with a meekness that both surprised and infuriated, trotted along
beside him.
    By the time they reached a
quieter side street, the anger had won out, and Anne made another, futile,
attempt to break his grip. “If you do not release me this instant, I will
scream, I swear it.” She stopped, dug in her heels and glared at him.
    He looked down at her,
raised his eyebrows in a mocking expression she immediately detested, and
removed his hand from her arm. “I’m tempted to put it to the test. I