Read The Female Charm for Free Online Page A

his much larger frame and weight to enforce the
gesture.
    Amelia followed
while the guy stood by the door with his mouth still open. For
several seconds, all three stood in the hallway staring at each
other.
    “Would you like us
to wait in the living room for a few minutes while you get
dressed?” Amelia asked, rescuing the shocked man. Mycroft had
planned to wait until he did something, but her method was probably
swifter to get the required result.
    He nodded and
hurried up the stairs behind him, leaving them both standing in the
hallway. Amelia shrugged and peered through the nearest open
door.
    “Must be that
way,” she said. “This is the kitchen.”
    When he walked
into the living room, Mycroft had to fight back a groan of disgust.
The sofa had once been a soft green fabric, but years of young
children spilling drinks and crumbs on it had significantly changed
the colour. Even Amelia hesitated before she perched on the edge.
He decided to walk over to the back door and pretend to be admiring
the garden while they waited, but he listened instead.
    The sounds from
upstairs allowed him to estimate the return of their host, and
Mycroft noted with some satisfaction that the first creak of
footfalls on the stairs was only a few seconds later than he'd
predicted they would be.
    “If you're looking
to buy it, I've already sold it on to a reporter, but I won't say
who,” the man said as he walked into the living room, tucking his
shirt into his trousers. Mycroft turned from the door, pulled out
his small notebook and acted like he was reading some details from
it.
    “That won't be
necessary, Mr McGregory. We're already well aware Stephen Kendel
bought the information you acquired. I'm here to ensure it goes no
further.” He gave a quick smile to add a friendly touch to the
implied threat and noticed the quick gulp and way the man's eyes
darted between him and Amelia sitting all prim on his dirty sofa.
She added a smile of her own, looking as equally friendly yet
unfriendly. She'd picked up on that much, at least. So far so
good.
    “Who are you?” he
asked when he had recovered.
    “Let's just say
we're here to help, shall we? You're struggling financially and we
want to ensure the general public doesn't get the wrong idea about
something that's perfectly innocent.”
    “It doesn't look
innocent to me.” The man puffed out his chest and tried to look
intimidating. It didn't work. Mycroft had to glance at the floor to
keep from laughing outwardly.
    “That's precisely
the problem, Mr McGregory. You think that government funds have
been misspent. I can assure you that they haven't, but if the
document you acquired is published by the press, the public will
also think it has.”
    “So what have they
been spent on?”
    “I'm afraid that's
classified.” Mycroft gave the man a brief smile again. Before
either of them could speak, Amelia sat forward.
    “I know this is
difficult for you, Mr McGregory. You've seen something that looks
like an injustice, and you want to do something about it. That's
the mark of a good man, and for that, you have my utmost
respect.”
    She paused, her
eyes scanning over his face. When he frowned, opened his mouth and
then closed it again, she continued.
    “We'd tell you
what happened to that money if we could, but for reasons we can't
go into, we really need to make sure this doesn't go out into the
press. Just like you, we're trying to make sure something good
happens. You'd be doing your country a service by cooperating with
us.”
    As Amelia spoke,
Mycroft found himself raising an eyebrow. The Scotsman sank down
into the sofa in front of him. She'd taken the fight right out of
him with her almost pleading request.
    “I believe you've
already been offered an amount of money by someone to say no more?”
Mycroft asked. The man nodded, but didn't look up. “If you'll sign
this, we'll make sure you're compensated.
    Mycroft pulled the
piece of paper mentioning the official secrets act and