Johanna Lindsey Read Online Free PDF Page B

the unlucky man’s face after your fist has been there?”
    “These are not remarkable talents, John,” Sebastian said with a tinge of annoyance. “And quite unrelated, as it happens.”
    John frowned thoughtfully before he asked, “What brought on this bout of introspection?”
    “I risked four pistols being fired at me, at close range, no less, to get my hands on that blasted duke back in Austria. The odds were that at least one of those guards would have been quick enough to fire before I reached my target. My phenomenal luck has lasted eleven years. I’m beginning to feel uneasy about it. It’s bound to turn soon, don’t you think? A man can’t go on being lucky indefinitely.”
    “Are you thinking of retiring?” John asked. “You certainly don’t need to continue in this line of work. Time to start a family perhaps?”
    “A family?” Sebastian scowled darkly. “No. I wouldn’t wish myself on my worst enemy. But I was thinking of putting it to the test.”
    “What?”
    “This extraordinary luck of mine.”
    Good God, the brooding had gone too far this time, John realized with alarm. He knew that a part of Sebastian had a death wish. He’d had it since they’d departed England. And nothing in all these years had occurred to alter his belief that he should have died instead of his friend Giles. Honor hadn’t been satisfied that day at The Dueling Rock, it had failed miserably.
    “How do you plan to test your luck?” John asked worriedly.
    Before Sebastian could respond, Maurice showed up to announce, “You have a visitor, Monsieur.
    A lady. You want I should show her to the kitchen?”
    It was said with a snicker. The caretaker thought it was hilarious that a man as rich and renowned as The Raven was living out of a kitchen.
    Sebastian didn’t even notice Maurice’s tone, or he chose not to. “A lady?” he said. “Or one of those tavern wenches trying once again to win their bet? You called them ladies, too, as I recall.” Maurice flushed. John managed to hide a smile. The day the three tavern lovelies had shown up had been rather entertaining. They’d had a wager going, on which one of them could entice Sebastian to sample their wares. Sebastian would have been accommodating—all three were rather pretty—but none had won that day because they’d ended up fighting over him, literally.
    Quite a few repairs had had to be made to the kitchen after they’d departed. And the wager was now as renowned as The Raven was, at least to the locals, since the women had continued their fight after they’d returned to the tavern. It wasn’t just a three-way bet now. Half the town, or more by now, had placed wagers as well.
    “This one, she dresses like a lady,” Maurice assured. “And she is as English as you.” John groaned. Maurice could be wrong. The woman might not be English at all. But it didn’t matter. Sebastian’s former homeland had been mentioned and now his brooding would only get worse.
    He would send her away without even finding out why she was there.
    Predictably, Sebastian snarled. “Tell her the kitchen is closed and will remain closed—to her.” Looking puzzled, Maurice turned to John. “Monsieur?”
    Sebastian might not be the least bit curious about their visitor, but John certainly was. “Run along, Maurice. I’ll take care of it.”

Chapter 4
    M ARGARET LANDOR STARED AT THE PILE of crumbling stones and wondered if she was wasting her time. Three times they had passed this ruins, having determined it simply couldn’t be what they were looking for. But they’d found no other ruins in the immediate area, and finally, on the fourth pass, when they were heading back to town to get better directions, they’d seen the man in the ruins and stopped.
    Incredibly, this was where The Raven lived, which was why Margaret was now having doubts.
    After all the glowing reports she’d heard of the man, and especially that his fees were extremely high, she simply couldn’t