A Wicked Persuasion Read Online Free PDF

followed her hostess across a wide hall and into a conservatory looking out over the back garden. A large smiling man got to his feet, followed by two young women, one with opulent curves and sheets of straight blonde hair, the other a less spectacular brunette.
    ‘Marcus Graveney,’ said her host, shaking her hand. ‘These are my stepsisters, Claudia and Lily.’
    ‘Hi,’ said the sultry Claudia without enthusiasm, leaving Lily to make up for it with the sincere warmth of her greeting.
    Marcus gave Harriet the glass of tonic she chose, andled her to one of the comfortable cane chairs. ‘James says you’re a native of these parts.’
    She nodded. ‘I’m an accountant with Barlow & Greer in the town.’
    Claudia made a face. ‘Isn’t that deadly dull?’
    ‘It would be for you,’ said James indulgently.
    ‘A closer relationship with figures wouldn’t do you any harm, Miss, dull or not,’ said her brother.
    ‘Do you enjoy your job?’ asked Lily.
    ‘Yes,’ said Harriet with truth. ‘It’s a very busy practice, and I meet a lot of interesting people in the course of my work.’
    ‘It’s good of you to spare the time to come this evening,’ said James as he sat down next to Claudia.
    ‘I often dine with clients as part of the job,’ Harriet assured him.
    ‘Surely you’re not going to talk business over dinner, James,’ said Claudia, pouting.
    ‘Not over the meal.’ He slid a consoling arm round her waist. ‘I’ll borrow your study for a few moments afterwards if I may, Marcus. Harriet and I can have our talk in there without boring your sisters.’
    Moira Graveney was a cook of considerable skill, and in other circumstances Harriet would have enjoyed the meal and the lively conversation, during which she learned that Marcus had recently joined the legal chambers near her offices in Broad Street. But with James’s arm brushing hers from time to time, and waves of hostility sizzling across the table from Claudia, it was a relief when Moira finally suggested they all adjourn to the conservatory for coffee.
    ‘Harriet and I will have ours in the study, love,’ said James.
    ‘Thank you for a delicious meal, Mrs Graveney,’ saidHarriet, surprised to see a look of sympathy in Moira’s distinctive hazel eyes.
    ‘Do call me Moira. But you weren’t hungry, were you?’
    ‘On a diet?’ said Claudia sweetly.
    ‘No. Just a bit tired.’
    ‘Unlike some people, lazybones, Harriet’s been slaving away all day,’ said Lily in typical sister fashion. ‘And you’re the one on a diet—not that it’s working.’
    ‘Now then, girls,’ said their brother, and waved them away. ‘You carry on, James. I’ll send coffee in for you.’
    James led Harriet to a very masculine panelled room. ‘This is Marcus’s retreat, where sermons were written in the past. When they moved here shortly after their marriage earlier this year, a study was his top priority. Moira’s was the large garden we never had when we were young.’
    Harriet sat down in the big leather chair he held out for her and got to the point. ‘So have you brought me in here to read me a sermon, James?’
    He held up a hand and went to the door to let in Claudia with a tray. ‘Thanks, sweetheart.’
    She reached up and tapped his cheek with a red-tipped finger. ‘Don’t be long.’
    Harriet smiled politely as James handed her a cup of coffee. ‘Thank you. So what did you want to talk about?’
    He sat behind the desk, the dark-rimmed hazel irises spearing hers. ‘No sermon, but I want some information before I meet your father—for the first time, incidentally, even though he tried to get me sacked from Combe Computers. Does he know who he’s dealing with?’
    Harriet raised an eyebrow. ‘Tried?’
    He nodded. ‘George Lassiter didn’t actually sack me all those years ago, Harriet. He merely transferred me up to his Newcastle outfit, which got me far away from you, as your father wanted, but kept me very firmly on