Read Regency Spymasters 01 - Spy Fall for Free Online

this time. I’ll put it to rights. I vow it, even if it means doing the unthinkable.” He stood there for a few minutes before shuffling away. Sounds of the door being pulled open and then shut were followed by the marquess’s boots tapping across the floor, clicking farther away with each footfall.
    Stretching her cramped legs, Mari remained where she was, going over what she’d just overheard. Whatever Aldridge was up to, he didn’t trust his son with it, which could explain why he wanted Dunsmore gone. Perhaps he didn’t care to involve his son in his scheme. Or maybe he didn’t trust his heir not to make a hash of things. More perplexing was the possibility that Aldridge’s unauthorized possession of the secret list somehow involved Elinor, who was long dead and well beyond her father’s help. It didn’t make any sense. That Aldridge felt guilty was plain, but what exactly did he need to put to rights for his long-dead child?
    Tomorrow, she’d begin gathering information about Elinor Dunsmore. She needed to determine whether there’d been something about the daughter that had driven her seemingly honorable father to betray his country in the worst way imaginable.
    “It’s coming! They’re here!” Sarah ran out of the kitchen door to watch the hot air balloon descend.
    Wiping her hands on her apron, Mrs. Godfrey followed the servant girl, staring up at the massive striped confection with rounded eyes. “Glory be.”
    Cosmo, just back from a late-morning ride, had wandered out of the stables with the grooms behind him.
    “It’s flying,” said one of the older grooms. “Never thought I’d see the like.”
    Using one hand to shade his eyes, Cosmo peered up at the contraption. Not being a balloon enthusiast, he’d never seen one descend. About thirty feet in diameter and forty-five feet high, the aerostatic vehicle was an imposing sight, even in the wide swath of open space. Bold vertical stripes of cerulean blue and yellow silk shimmered in the daylight, unmuted by the black netting covering the balloon. Something so blatantly extravagant and manmade seemed unnatural among the birds and clouds.
    Mari appeared by his side. “What do you think?”
    He had not seen her since supper yesterday, after which she’d retired remarkably early. He had no idea if she’d made an appearance at breakfast this morning. He rarely did himself, preferring to keep to his bed at such an ungodly hour. “At least they haven’t lost their gondola,” he said. “I can only hope their landing is smoother than yours.”
    She raised a dark, shapely brow. “Perhaps you could manage not to end up under the balloon this time.”
    Appearing to lose all interest in him, she perched her hands on her hips and watched the descent with the practiced eye of a professional. She’d tied her hair again in that haphazard knot with loose dark strands slipping its tenuous bonds. Her obvious indifference to her appearance spoke of a natural confidence he found alluring.
    “I shall endeavor to stay out of its way,” he said. “Although I’d have no complaints about ending up under you again . ”
    “ Cochon ,” she said, not appearing to pay him much mind. She moved a few steps in front of him, her focus on the balloon. He took advantage of her distraction to look his fill, sending up a silent prayer of thanks that she had nothing else to wear but yesterday’s breeches, which gave him an excellent view of the subtle roundness of her sweet little arse.
    His prick twitched with interest. Her trim form certainly had womanly curves in all the right places. Someone had gotten her a new white shirt, Sarah maybe, given the way the tight fit outlined those plump breasts and the fact that the servant girl was considerably less endowed than the parachutist.
    His fierce attraction to Mari disconcerted him. He enjoyed plenty of swiving, but there was something about the French angel that made him hunger for her. Perhaps it was because she seemed