The Countess Intrigue by Wendy May Andrews Read Free Book Online Page A

could tell that her answer surprised him as well as brought him amusement. To her relief he did not laugh too loudly but his low chuckle made a flutter start up in her belly. She gritted her teeth and ignored the tug of attraction.

    * * *
    J ustice admired his companion’s persistence. She was surprisingly intelligent for such a pretty girl. In his experience the prettier the girl, the more self-absorbed they became. Just look at his wife. He tried not to allow his thoughts to dwell on his late wife very often but Lady Elizabeth certainly compared favourably with the beautiful, spoiled, young woman he had taken as his wife.
    He needed to get a new countess eventually and Lady Elizabeth did not fit the right description of what he was looking for, but he certainly enjoyed her company. And he needed information from her. How could he get her to cooperate? He decided the straightforward young woman would appreciate his honesty in exchange for her own.
    “I need you to tell me what you know about Sir Jason Broderick. This is important, Lady Elizabeth. I know you don’t trust me and I know I have a rotten reputation. But I swear to you I am not in cahoots with him. If you know anything about him, you know he is trouble. I am trying to stop him, but I need you to tell me what you know.”
    He watched in frustration as she chewed on her lip in indecision. He had to wrench his eyes away from her mouth. He could not allow himself to be distracted by attraction to her. Gazing into her eyes he could see her struggle to decide if she should trust him. He was gratified when her worried gaze cleared and it appeared that she had come to a decision.
    “Very well, my lord, I will tell you what I know, but you must swear to keep it in the strictest confidence as it is not really my secret to tell. The others involved are no longer available and if you know of something he is up to I ought to give you whatever information I can so that you can stop him if need be. I think he might already be taken care of, but if he is not, then he must be stopped.”
    He felt his grip on her tighten and he vigorously swirled her into the next turn of the dance bringing a light of joy into her eyes but a reprimand to her lips. “My lord, you mustn’t draw undue attention to us. If I am going to confide in you we shall need privacy and the very last thing we need is anyone finding out about it.”
    Chastened, Justice saw the wisdom of her words and he subsided into the steady rhythm of the waltz while she composed her thoughts. He tried to figure out a way to get her alone so he could hear what she had to tell him. Propriety called for him to wait until the next day and call upon her once more but he was suddenly impatient and could not wait.
    “There’s a picture gallery on the second floor and several rooms off that. Meet me there ten minutes after our dance ends. You can tell me everything you know then.”
    “My lord, I question the wisdom of such a meeting.”
    “Don’t worry, no one will be up there, and we won’t be caught. My curiosity is leaving my patience shattered.”
    Elizabeth felt a thrill shiver down her spine at his bold words. She had always been a conventional sort of girl despite her insistence on wanting to make a love match. The thought of having an adventure with the notorious earl filled her with a heady mixture of anticipation, excitement, and fear. This must have been what her dear friend Rosamund had felt when she was conspiring with Wrentham against Broderick and what had motivated her to take such risks. Elizabeth decided she was ready for an adventure of her own. Like the earl said, no one would know and her reputation would remain intact. And really, she reasoned, it was for the greater good. If Broderick was still free and up to no good he needed to be stopped. If it was within her abilities to help she couldn’t very well turn squeamish at the first obstacle.
    “Very well, my lord, I will meet you in ten minutes,”