The Hidden Heiress by Juliet Moore Read Free Book Online Page B

didn't want to miss this opportunity.
    She couldn't force herself to leave.
    Isabel found a bench hidden from view and bathed in moonlight. She sat down and listened to the crickets chirp until she heard a step on the path. She clutched one hand with the other and momentarily feared that someone else might be approaching. Then Marshall came around the bend and she exhaled with relief.
    He sat down beside her. "I'm glad we could get away."
    "I am too."
    Marshall gazed at her.
    Isabel's entire body protested at the intimacy. She couldn't break the spell. The longer she looked into his deep blue eyes, the warmer she became. The heat started in her stomach and spread down both her legs . . . even between them. Scared, she blurted, "Did anyone see you leave?"
    "No," he replied.
    "I didn't like it in there," she said, not understanding why they were both assuming they'd come out here for a liaison. They'd only wanted to get away from the crush of people in the drawing room and the evil Miss Norcross.
    "ou must not be used to going to parties like that."
    She stalled for time by staring at the watch pinned to her bodice, trying to decide on the correct answer for the role she was playing. Finally, she replied, "No, I'm not."
    Marshall reached for her hands. "They can be a little overwhelming, can they not? I prefer to spend my nights alone with a good friend."
    Isabel's defenses melted, but at the same time, her conscience protested at how serious her lie had become. Voices rang out from a nearby garden path. "Did you hear that?" she whispered.
    "Yes. I'm sure they are also looking for such a bench."
    She squeezed his hands. "I don't want anyone to see us together like this."
    "Let's go," he said, pulling her out of her seat.
    Isabel took his hand and stood up, looking furtively over her shoulder toward the ever-increasing sound of flirtation. She followed Marshall as he navigated the hedge maze. "Do you know where you're going?"
    "Of course," he replied, but when he turned the next corner, they heard the voices again.
    "Are they following us?"
    He rushed her through an elaborate arch of climbing roses. "They couldn't be. Why would they do such a thing?"
    Isabel shook him. "What if they are trying to search us out?"
    "Perhaps we should switch things around on them and give them chase."
    First a fake governess, then a spy? Isabel shook her head. "I don't think we should invade their privacy in such a way."
    He placed his hands on her waist and pushed her in another direction. "Oh, come now, Miss Balfour! They wouldn't be out here in public if they didn't understand the risks."
    "But that would apply to us too!"
    "Shhh! They're right over there." Marshall crouched next a hedge and peered around its side. "I should have known. It's Reed."
    "Reed?"
    "A fellow MP." He leaned in closer.
    "Who's he with? What are they doing?" Isabel asked, straining to see.
    "Not surprisingly, it's Miss Norcross. They are, well . . . let's say they are kissing."
    Isabel made an effort to squeeze next to him. She bent down lower than Marshall and looked out from beneath his outstretched arm. She was in time to see Sarah's slim, bejeweled hand move down Reed's body to grab his--
    "Mr. Templeton!" she gasped. "I shouldn't be watching this."
    He looked down at her, his eyes twinkling in the moonlight. "Watching what?"
    Isabel fanned herself with one hand. "You know perfectly well what I am referring to. What did it look like to you?"
    "A good idea."
    She smacked him on his wrist, heat infusing her cheeks.
    "Miss Norcross has always been one to push the boundaries." Marshall smiled gently, lifting her away from their hiding place. "Come this way."
    Isabel followed, apprehension lodged in her throat. "Has she ever pushed your boundaries?"
    "What boundaries?" He laughed, still pulling her along the path. "I'm only jesting, Miss Balfour. The truth is, I prefer women who are less well known ."
    She throbbed with excitement when they came upon a bench.
    "Shall we