Devil in My Arms by Samantha Kane Read Free Book Online Page B

bad lemonade as if it were June. Ridiculous. He couldn’t believe he was wasting an entire afternoon here when he had inquiries to make.
    On his arrival he had noted with satisfaction the two gentlemen he’d hired to watch over Mrs. Fairchild observing the house from across the street. He’d known she was going to be here because, the other day, when Roger had stopped by to see Hil about one of his cases, he’d mentioned the affair. At first Hil was determined not to come. He already had quite a bit on his plate. Involvement with a married woman on the run hardly seemed prudent at this time, regardless of the nature of that involvement. But, damn it, there was a mystery about her, an aloofness that he knew was hiding the real Eleanor Enderby, née Stanley, now Fairchild, and he was determined to uncover her. He refused to acknowledge that it was her physical appeal that drew him. There was a thrill to his encounters with her that spoke more of sexual desire than an intellectual puzzle, but he had never been ruled by his lust.
    Generally he steered clear of married women. More often than not they were more trouble than they were worth. But the clever and unexpectedly attractive Mrs. Fairchild had been occupying his mind lately, and he wished to deepen their acquaintance. Not a love affair, of course. She was hardly the type for it, and definitely not the type of woman he usually bedded. He tended to get involved with ladies who wanted a fast, intense love affair with no promises, since their desires mirrored his own. Not someone whose circumstances made that sort of affair impossible, not to mention her connection toRoger.
    He didn’t do well in relationships. Everyone told him so. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to have some sort of lasting commitment—a companion to share his life with—but he was unable to focus solely on the women with whom he was involved, which irritated them. He was a busy man. While it was true he’d made his fortune when he was young with some fortuitous investments, and earned a yearly income from them far above what most of his acquaintances suspected, he did not sit idle. People sought him out to help with their problems, people who had nowhere else to turn or did not have the means to pay someone else to help them. Was he to say, No, I’m sorry, but I’m involved with a woman and can’t be bothered to help find your grandmother’s secret love letters to the tsar, or explain how your factory blew up ? It wasn’t reasonable to expect that of him, surely. And his studies into human nature and the science of police work took a great deal of time, as well. Why, just last week he’d been asked to give a lecture at the Royal Society. Was he to turn down that august group because he was shagging someone? It was a damned nuisance, really.
    There were days when being a gentleman of means and education grew extraordinarily onerous. If he were an average man, he’d be left alone to pursue his interests without interruption. And he wouldn’t have this damned inconvenient conscience that made him try to rescue damsels in distress.
    He was not planning on having an affair with Mrs. Fairchild. She was married. Perhaps in no more than name—which was also questionable, since she was legally dead—but for argument’s sake, she was. And Hil was certain that her ex-husband-by-death had by now heard that his dead wife’s mysterious cousin had appeared in London. Mrs. Enderby, disguised as Mrs. Fairchild, had been enjoying the events of the season for the past two weeks. She had been noted in the papers several times as a guest at fashionable affairs. Enderby had quite a few people on his payroll. At least one of them must have seen those papers. This was going to develop into a messy situation, as he’d predicted, and he should steer well clear of it. His involvement would stop with the guards he had watching Roger’s house, for the safety of all who stayed there.
    “Good afternoon, Sir