Read Trapped by Scandal for Free Online Page B

myself in La Force.”
    She nodded again. “Well, that is something. At least now I know he was alive three days ago, and maybe you can tell me where to look for him.”
    â€œMaybe.” It was as oblique a response as before, but again, Hero understood what he was not saying. She sipped her wine, trying not to allow optimism to blind her to reality.
    William looked at her, almost absently noticing the delicate curve of her bent neck as she gazed into the fire. The flicker of flame caught the rich mass of colors in the stray locks of hair that had escaped the tight knot once her cap was gone. She was quite tall for a woman, but her willowy slenderness was belied by the hint of curve to her hips and the sideways swell of her breast as she half turnedtowards him. She would not get away with her boyish disguise for long, he reflected. Not if she stood still long enough for a sharp-eyed watcher to get a good look.
    He said briskly, “Well, I, for one, am famished. Are you not, after our adventurous afternoon?”
    Hero turned fully to face him, suddenly aware of the gnawing hunger that had been her companion for days. For the first time since she’d got off the fishing boat at Calais, she felt safe enough to eat without looking over her shoulder, ready to run at the first sign of trouble. “Ravenous. I don’t even remember what I last ate or when.”
    He went to the door, opening it to call out, “Marcus, is there any food in the house?”
    Marcus appeared instantly. “Our bonne femme left something meaty in a cauldron over the range. God only knows what’s in it, pigs’ ears and tails and trotters, tripes and brains and hearts, for all I know, but it smells good enough. There’s bread and cheese if you don’t fancy the stew.” He stepped further into the room and nodded towards Hero. “So, whom do we have here?”
    â€œThe Lady Hermione Fanshawe,” William said. “She’s in search of her brother. Hero, may I introduce Sir Marcus Gosford?”
    â€œSir.” Hero nodded acknowledgment since her present guise didn’t permit the regulation curtsy.
    Marcus looked astounded, casting an interrogative glance at William, even as he murmured, “Delighted, Lady Hermione.”
    Amazing how ingrained habits somehow survived the most unlikely circumstances, Hero thought, her lips quivering a little at this studied formality. “May I help with the food?” she offered.
    â€œNo . . . no, of course not, ma’am. I’ll bring it in, won’t take a moment.”
    â€œNo need, we’ll eat in the kitchen.” William moved to the door. “If you need the outhouse, Hero, it’s this way, behind the kitchen.” He gestured ahead of him down the corridor.
    â€œThank you,” Hero said. Taking care of her personal needs had been rather hit-and-miss in the last week. Hedges and ditches and public outhouses in unpleasant city hostelries were not easy to negotiate as a woman in general, let alone in disguise.
    The kitchen was hot and steamy and filled with the most delicious aromas emanating from a great iron cauldron hanging over the fire in the vast range. Marcus was lifting the massive pot from the stove with both hands, and William moved swiftly to make space on the stained pine table in the middle of the room. Hero ducked out of the back door and into the small kitchen yard, disturbing a couple of black crows pecking at something unrecognizable in the dirt. Their indignant caws followed her into the outhouse, which, as expected, was primitive and noisome, but at least she was certain she wouldn’t be disturbed.
    When she returned to the kitchen, it was clear to her that she had interrupted a conversation. Neither man appeared disconcerted as she walked in, but there was something in the air that told her they had been talking about her. For the moment, she was content to let it rest, but anything they