Carnal Deceptions Read Online Free PDF Page A

his thigh that truly shocked her.
    “That was from a saber?” she asked. It looked more to her like the work of a vicious shark. It was jagged and puckered. She wondered if the war had damaged him on the inside as well as the outside. Perhaps that was why he lived outside the moral boundaries of society. Of course, there was always the chance he’d been born defiant. There were always individuals who felt rules did not apply to them.
    “Not a saber.” He crossed the room toward her, and she stared down at the rug. She heard the bed creak. “You needn’t hide your eyes any longer, Miss Calloway. I’m covered.”
    She risked a glance. The bedclothes were draped haphazardly over his lap, his eyes were narrowed against the spiral of smoke wending toward the plaster cherubs gracing the ceiling. She noticed that his shoulder had been similarly scored with a blade.
    “The Frenchman I was lucky enough to meet had no use for such sophisticated weaponry. He carried an implement more suited to butchery.”
    “Lady Stadwell was right. Mr. Sloan was clever to have stayed away from the war.” “Curious that you mention him. You find criminals interesting, do you?” The sneer
    that slanted his lips unnerved her.

    “How could I not be curious? There are days Lady Stadwell speaks of little else,” she answered as she hurried to escape.
    “And was it curiosity that brought you into my bedroom uninvited?” His laughter chased her down the hall.

Chapter Three

    Lady Stadwell stopped at the large window and stared out at the drive before sitting for breakfast. Flanked on each side by a big dog, she appeared to suppress a smile as she lowered herself onto the chair.
    The flattened nap of the rug showed Lady Stadwell’s well-trodden path to the window. A week had passed since the earl’s departure, and every day Tess prayed he wouldn’t return, and every night alone in bed she chided herself for a liar. One thing to be grateful for, she found that her sudden clumsiness had faded with his absence. For the time being, Lady Stadwell’s porcelain was safe.
    “You look to be in good spirits this morning, my lady.” Tess immediately began preparing a plate for her.
    “That I am. ’Tis a lovely day.”
    Tess glanced out at the cheerless weather.
    “I have reason to believe my nephew will return today. It should take no more than two days to secure his house and take care of unfinished business. Reckoning the travel time to and from, I expect to see him and that fearsome horse of his any moment. He’s sure to hasten his journey for my sake. He dotes on me.” A grin of contentment spread across her weathered cheeks. “I was like a mother to him, poor dear, after his own mother died so young.”
    Tess did not remind her that she’d calculated his arrival just yesterday with as much conviction. “Shoo, you big lump.” Tess waved away one of the dogs to pull out a chair next to Lady Stadwell. The lazy hound stood reluctantly, moved two steps and plopped back down with a quiet groan. As she buttered a biscuit for herself, Tess realized that her hands were trembling again. Merely talking about the man unsettled her. She brought the hard biscuit to her mouth then realized her appetite had flown. What was the matter with her? The men she had become acquainted with during her short London season had never made her skittish. But back then, when her father was still alive, she did not need to hide

    under layers of a wretched disguise. It was as if the wig and brows suffocated all of her confidence and character.
    Unable to eat or sit still, Tess pushed up from the table. “The tea!” She hurried to the sideboard. “Would you like some sugar in your tea?” Tess picked up the teapot and poured a cup. She placed it on the table in front of Lady Stadwell.
    “Actually, I wouldn’t mind having some tea in my tea.” Lady Stadwell stared into her cup then looked up at Tess. “This is a cup of hot water.”
    “I’m so sorry.” Tess