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to sweetcakes and honey wine. Luckily, Merrick wasn’t courting the woman for her looks – but rather for her seemingly endless riches.
    When he looked down her eyes were still closed, her body still reeling in delight. Merrick held her close, feeling her trembling in his grasp. She had fallen for him like a suicide off a cliff and perhaps he should have felt guilty for that. Then again, he was providing a service; he was giving her everything she wanted – passion, excitement. And what did he ask in return? A coin purse here, a spot of jewellery there. Was that too much to ask?
    It wasn’t as if she couldn’t afford it, and plainly his need was the greater.
    A penchant for the gambling tables had left Merrick Ryder with rather large debts, owed, unfortunately, to Shanka the Lender. It didn’t do to owe Shanka for too long. Not if he wanted to keep his various appendages intact. Consequently he needed coin and fast, and that was where Lady Elina came in.
    So what if he’d told her his name was Lord Franco of Riverbeach, a noble from Ankavern cast out by his evil uncle? So what if he’d made up some shit about having a brother who had been helping the brave rebels of Mekkala overthrow the despotic Raj Al’Fazal, Divine Sultan of Kajrapur? So what if he’d told her his brother had been captured by the Sultan and a substantial ransom was needed to secure his release? And that they needed to meet in secret? That the agents of the Sultan were everywhere, watching, waiting? That at any minute they could be waylaid by assassins and slaughtered?
    Lady Elina was a widow – a filthy rich widow, past her prime and in need of excitement. If it wasn’t for Merrick she’d be stuck on her estate: bored and fat and lonely. If you looked at it that way, he was doing her a favour.
    ‘You are so brave, my lady,’ he said, pulling away. ‘So selfless. I am not worthy of you.’ He turned as though to leave.
    When she grabbed hold of him once more he could barely contain his grin. It was just like landing a fish – let out the line, wait for the bite, then reel it in.
    ‘Never say that, Lord Franco. I am honoured to help in any way I can.’
    He turned to her, his eyes projecting just the right degree of concern and gratitude. ‘Oh, my lady. I am not worthy of such devotion.’
    ‘Oh, but you are, my lord.’
    She leaned in then, grasping the lapel of his jacket and planting her lips firmly against his. Merrick barely had time to open his mouth before she’d stuffed it with her probing tongue. Her breath smelled faintly of wine and figs but this was mostly overpowered by the liberal dousing of sickly sweet perfume she had used. Despite the harshness of it on his nose and throat, Merrick grasped her firmly, pressing back against her lips, making a satisfied groan as though this was all he wanted and yearned for.
    When the kissing was done and Lady Elina had gathered herself, Merrick looked at her expectantly, glancing at the myriad jewelled chains that hung about her neck. ‘Though it pains me to even say it, my love, might I beg for a further contribution to our cause?’
    She smiled back at him, as she had done a dozen times before. A dozen times when she had taken one of those chains from her neck and pressed it into his hands with a kiss.
    This time, however, she didn’t move.
    ‘This has been most pleasant, Lord Franco – if that’s even your real name – but I am afraid, as with most pleasurable things, it has come to an end.’
    Merrick’s brow furrowed. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go. She was supposed to hand over the goods and send him off on his merry way. What the fuck was—
    ‘I am afraid, my lady, that your suspicions were correct. His name is not Lord Franco.’ It was a shrill voice that echoed through the derelict chapel.
    Merrick turned, his hand instinctively straying to the sword at his side, but there was no sword there. He’d needed money for his new clothes – for how was he to