Bedding the Enemy Read Online Free PDF Page B

clearly saw the flush discoloring his skin. Her temper itched to retaliate, but acting on such impulses had never turned out well for her in the past. She clasped her hands together to keep them from returning the blow.
    â€œYou shall do exactly what I tell you to do.”
    Greed shone from his eyes, sickening her.
    â€œI will not do anything to hurt Raelin. Or dishonor her.”
    Edmund suddenly laughed. It wasn’t a pleasant sound, but one filled with mockery.
    â€œDo you somehow believe she is sincere? A true friend of the heart, perhaps?” He pressed his lips closed but she could still hear him chuckling. “She’s like everyone else. Don’t think for a moment that her family didn’t send her here with the very same expectations that you have been given.”
    He backed away from her, raking her with cold eyes. “You will do it or I will have to find a means of influencing you.”
    Helena didn’t answer. A chill shot down her spine, warning her to let Edmund believe her bent to his will. She didn’t want to see the cruelty in his eyes, but it sat there glimmering with hot intensity. It sickened her. Sickened her even more to think they shared the same blood. Her throat felt as if there was a noose around it, tightening every day. But she refused to do what was necessary to be free. The only thing she had was her honor. It was the sole item she counted as her possession alone. Even her body would one day be bartered and used at the whim of Edmund. She could not betray the only kind person she had met. But she wasn’t sure how to keep her brother from hurting Raelin in spite of her refusals to assist him.
    Being born female was a curse.
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    â€œA pleasure doing business with you, my lord.”
    Keir folded his arms across his chest. The fop in front of him scooted back a step, his eyes watching the way Keir’s biceps bulged.
    â€œI’ll be leaving you to your accommodations then.”
    The man fled in a swish of his overpuffed pants. Keir snarled softly.
    â€œOch now, that’s sure to get us tossed out in the gutter.” Farrell McQuade clicked his tongue along with the reprimand.
    â€œAfter that amount of gold he just stole from me for this wretched place?”
    â€œIt’s a step up from the gutter.”
    â€œFor a child’s legs, maybe.” Keir looked around the tiny town home. It was ancient. The wood around the doorframes was splintering because it was so dry. Considering the rain pouring down off the edge of the roof, that was an amazing thing. “Personally, I was hoping for a wee bit bigger step. Tell the men I’ll keep looking for something more hospitable.” His retainers wouldn’t complain, but they had the right. The dozen McQuade clansmen who followed him would be crammed into three rooms and that was only because he planned to share the upper room with Farrell and his captain. But no laird went anywhere without retainers. It was foolish to travel alone, a death wish. The road had plenty of danger for the unprepared man.
    â€œWhy doesn’t Jamie move the English court to Edinburgh?”
    Keir shook his head at Farrell. “He’d no wear that crown long if he tried that one.”
    England’s noblemen were powerful and a king that was not in sight could very easily be undermined, which left Scotland’s nobles paying inflated prices for lodging in London. Most noble families maintained residences near the palace. The McQuades had one in Edinburgh for the times they were summoned to court. But now that James was king of both countries, the Edinburgh house stood empty while Keir was putting out coin for a hovel in London. The house pickings were slim, with ambassadors flooding into the city with the news of Elizabeth Tudor’s death making its way across Europe.
    â€œLet’s hope Jamie doesna keep us waiting too long.” Farrell tried to sound hopeful but Keir shot him a glance. The