A Seduction at Christmas by Cathy Maxwell Read Free Book Online Page A

reaction out in him. He sat up, his eyes opened and his face contorted in fury. “Bellyache? Do you believe that’s all this is? You poisoned me.”
    “I didn’t poison you exactly,” she hurried to say. “Hester said it wasn’t poison but an elixir that would make you wish it had been.”
    “And what is that if not poison?” he bit out.
    “A potion that would make you heartily sick,” she answered. “And it has. But it is what you deserved,” she couldn’t help adding under her breath.
    He heard her.
    “Deserved? For what? I’d not harmed you. I’d not threatened you—”
    “You did threaten me, ” she fired back, guilt making her angry. “You kissed me—”
    “There’s a dangerous action for you,” he flared back. “Heaven forbid a man should kiss a woman.” He threw himself back in his corner. “Especially when the woman is of Hester Bowen’s ilk and approaches the man in a private room designed for seduction and that is let by the hour.”
    “Let by the hour?” Fiona frowned. She’d never heard of such a thing and then realization dawned. She hated being so naïve. She hated that she’dplaced herself in these circumstances. “I should have known better than to kiss you. I shouldn’t have trusted you.”
    “On that, we can both agree,” the duke informed her. “When I saw you weren’t the Spaniard, I should have tossed your skirted rump out the door. But no-o-o,” he continued, drawing out the word, “you caught me. You slipped right past my guard.” He punctuated the words by doubling his fist and hitting it against the side of the coach in his fury.
    Fiona drew back, but she had nothing to fear because his abrupt, forceful action upset his fragile hold on his body. He doubled over. “Stop the coach,” he muttered. “Stop the coach.”
    She came up out of her seat and pounded on the roof. The driver either didn’t hear or ignored her. Holburn’s shoulders were heaving. He was holding it back but he was about to erupt and, having witnessed his sickness once, Fiona didn’t want to be closed in with him. She threw down the window.
    “Driver! Driver! Stop! You must stop .”
    This time, he heard her. He pulled the coach over. Fiona opened the coach door and Holburn all but bowled her over to climb outside.
    They were in a section of the city not far from where Fiona lived. This neighborhood was not as shoddy but the buildings were just as crowded.Fortunately, because of the cold and the hour, there weren’t many people on the street.
    Holburn had the good grace to move toward an alley. Fiona looked to the driver. “We’ll only be a few minutes. Please, wait for us.”
    “Not without being paid what I’m owed,” the driver said, not bothering to come down from his box. “This has been an adventure in hell. I’ll take my money now.”
    “If I give it to you, you’ll leave,” she said.
    “No, I won’t, miss.”
    She knew better. “I will give you your money in a moment. His Grace’s purse is in your coach.”
    The moment the words left her lips, Fiona wished she could call them back.
    “Your Grace?” the driver repeated, shocked. “Someone was trying to murder a duke? In my hack?” He swore under his breath at his bad luck. “They shot and killed the woman who hired me, didn’t they?”
    “Apparently,” Fiona admitted, feeling more than a pang of guilt. “But we should be fine now.” Or, at least, she prayed they would be. Who knew where the Irishmen were or if they had followed. “So, wait. I’ll be right back. I have to check on the duke.”
    She didn’t wait for his response but headed for the alley.
    Fiona found the duke leaning against the side of a building, heaving his guts up. She stood a distance away, undecided if she should comfort him while he was sick or remain where she was. Watching his distress, she felt terribly guilty. She had overreacted to their kisses. When she’d pushed him away, he hadn’t forced himself on her. She’d been