Bronwyn Scott's Sexy Regency Bundle Read Online Free PDF

with her.
    'Could I persuade you to walk with me to the door?' he asked, taking advantage of the opportunity. 'I want to talk with you about your safety. Since it has been pointed out that your home has not yet been a target, I am worried that it soon will be.
    Do you have adequate protection? I can send men to stand watch.'
    'That will not be necessary,' Miss Habersham said in a dismissive tone that frankly shocked him. He had not expected to be declined.
    'I must protest-' Brandon began.

    Scott
    31
    'No, my lord, it is I who must protest. The Cat would not be interested in my home. Look around, you can see that I possess nothing that would appeal to a burglar of The calibre. There is no silver to steal, no china of merit, nothing but a few knick-knacks and souvenirs. I am a woman of modest means .'
    'Burglars are not careful of station, Miss Habersham. They are common thieves,' Brandon lectured. This woman was too by half to think she'd go untouched. She might not be a woman of great wealth, but no doubt there was a trinket or two of some value waiting to be discovered within these walls. She was a woman who had the means to live on her own no matter how modestly. 'It may be
    that you have nothing of merit,
    but The Cat doesn't know that. The thief may strike anyway.'
    They reached the door and Brandon knew Miss Habersham was glad to be rid of him. Her farewell was curt and put the interaction back into her hands.
    'Thank you for the warning. I will let you know if I change my mind about your offer.' No polite pleasantries followed, no gesture was offered to visit again, no opening to make sure she saw him again.
    Brandon swung up on his horse, disgruntled with the outcome. He'd expected an
    into Miss Habersham's life.
    What was wrong with him? The better question was what was wrong with her? Miss Habersham didn't add up. It wasn't just his ego, it was a well-known fact in his London circles that no woman could resist his charm. It was galling to think that a spinster of Miss Habersham's unfortunate disposition would succeed so thoroughly where other more sophisticated women had failed. That in itself was a red flag.
    Eleanor's rejection of him was quite telling. Sure of his charm, Brandon had expected the woman to drool with anticipation at the thought of an Earl's attentions, no matter how inconsequential.
    Instead, she had refused his attentions and his offer of protection.

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    Pickpocket Countess
    The afternoon visit had not gone as planned, but he had not come away empty-handed. The squire might quickly discard Miss Habersham as a potential suspect, but Brandon knew what the squire did not. The Cat was a woman. It seemed an odd coincidence that The Cat and a woman masquerading as a spinster would take up residence in S
    simultaneously. If he'd learned anything this afternoon it was that Miss Habersham wasn't a spinster. She was a mystery.

Chapter Three
    N o r a sagged against her bedroom door. Escape at last! She'd thought the ladies would never leave. Usually the Wednesday tea lasted for an hour and a half. Today, the ladies had stayed until half past six, dissecting every moment of the Earl's visit.
    She tugged at the pins holding her wig in place and freed her head with a sigh. Who would have imagined a wig could be so tiring to wear or so hot? Even in December she managed to sweat beneath it. Nora shook out her hair and let it fall freely. She walked to her vanity, placed the glasses in a small drawer and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
    The tea had started off well enough. Alice Bradley had been eager to recount the doings at her place. Thanks to Alice's tendency to gossip, The
    legend grew with each robbery.
    The Cat needed that kind of exposure if she was going to succeed. If she were a big enough menace, the threat of The presence would be enough to warn off the investors in the textile mill. In the meantime, if the investors continued to take up residence in
    she'd gladly pilfer
    their wealth to feed the