Bronwyn Scott's Sexy Regency Bundle Read Online Free PDF Page A

heard beneath the nasal-pitched voice of this insecure spinster who could hardly meet his eyes?
    'I've come to greet my new neighbours,' Brandon offered congenially,
    the defensive nature of the question.
    He winked at the assembled ladies and directed his comment to the group at large, 'Also, I am here to gather information about The Cat. Everyone knows you ladies are the eyes and ears of the village.'
    At that, the room began to buzz with voices eager to tell their tales. Alice Bradley's voice rose above the din and she waved a lace handkerchief to silence them. 'La! I don't know what the world is coming to when decent country folk can't sleep peacefully in their own homes. This is the third time we've been robbed. So many of us have suffered!' She waved her handker-

    Scott
    chief again to indicate other ladies in the room. Those who nodded in distress were apparently wives of the men Brandon had met with last night.
    Alice turned back to her hostess. 'Miss Habersham, that gives you and his lordship something in common. The two of you are the only ones whose homes haven't been visited by The Cat.' She eyed Brandon speculatively. 'It is strange your home hasn't been targeted since it has been unoccupied these last weeks. Pardon my bluntness, but you've got far more to plunder than the rest of us.'
    'Ma'am, I am
    to hear of your loss last night. I passed the morning with your husband, trying to deduce who might be behind these attacks. Miss Habersham and I must count ourselves fortunate thus far. However, I would rather catch this thief than see how long my luck holds,' Brandon offered neutrally. At the moment he was far more interested in Miss Habersham's reaction.
    Behind her thick lenses, he noted that Miss Habersham's eyes widened in surprise at the reference to The Cat and she'd actually dared to look up at the mention of their two homes being untouched. Granted, it was only the briefest of glances, but it had revealed to Brandon a pair of sharp ice-green eyes that suddenly seemed too lively to belong to the shy woman awkwardly standing beside him.
    Brandon let the conversation swirl around him as the conversation moved on to discuss the Squire's upcoming Christmas masque. It gave him a chance to study Miss Habersham in further detail.
    During his tenure as Earl, Brandon had learned the difficult lesson that, more often than not, people wore disguises. He'd developed a knack for seeing beneath the exterior to the
    truths people hid within. He wondered what of disguise
    Miss Habersham wore and why she wore it.
    He would bet good money the glasses were unnecessary.

    30
    Pickpocket Countess
    They were thick on purpose to distort the size and shape of her eyes, making them look unnaturally bug-eyed. They also offered an excuse to keep her gaze downcast. She probably couldn't see straight ahead at all with them on. Her hair was another matter, worn in a dun-coloured brown mass scraped back into a tight, unbecoming bun that emphasised her face and the unattractive spectacles.
    An ordinary man might have been daunted by the nature of Miss Habersham's appearance, but Brandon saw the idiosyncrasies. Miss Habersham's
    was smooth alabaster with not
    a mark to mar its perfection. For all her professed nervousness, her
    hands were steady when she held her tea cup. Her submissive posture belied a
    height. If she stood up
    straight, Brandon wagered she'd stand over five and a half feet.
    Her figure didn't speak spinster either. For all her prissy mannerisms, she was a woman in good shape. Her waist was trim, her legs long beneath the brown
    her torso lean and her bosom
    impressive despite the efforts of her to the contrary.
    No, there wasn't a dry brittle bone beneath the ugly gown.
    His fifteen minutes for a polite afternoon call were up and the Squire had not appeared-so much for masculine loyalty.
    Brandon turned to his hostess and took his leave. The other ladies near them discreetly drew back, allowing him a semi-private moment