La Flamme (Historical Romance) Read Online Free PDF

innkeeper moved with purpose toward the objectionable gentleman. If the man continued to be belligerent and quarrelsome, he was prepared to toss him out,
    "Do you know who I am?" Cortland demanded.
    "I've no knowledge of you, sir," the landlord replied.
    "What's your name, landlord?" Cortland asked.
    "Harold Ludlow, sir."
    "Well, Mr. Ludlow, mark this well. I'm the man who's going to destroy my cousin, the duke of Balmarough. I'm sure you've heard of him. Everyone's heard of him."
    Harold Ludlow was not impressed by the boasts of a man who'd had too much to drink—he'd seen it all too often. Braggarts rarely acted on their threats once they were sober. "Of course, sir, I've heard of his grace. He married Lord Woodbridge's daughter."
    Cortland took another drink. "He's a stone around my neck. He has to die!"
    "Of course, sir," the landlord said, absentmindedly humoring the drunken man. "Of course."
    At that moment, the door opened and a woman entered. Harold Ludlow could only stare at her. His inn seldom entertained such a fine lady. She wore an elaborate yellow gown, and her face was hidden behind a heavy veil, but he could tell that she was a lady nonetheless.
    Eugenia Meredith looked about the nearly empty taproom, and when her gaze rested on Cortland, she moved in his direction and sat down on a bench across from him.
    "I thought you weren't coming," he said.
    Her voice sounded irritated. "You're drunk."
    "Damned right, and I'll be a lot drunker before I'm finished."
    "I don't talk to men in their cups." She started to rise, but he reached out and clasped her hand.
    "I do my best thinking with a tankard of ale in my hand."
    "Lower your voice," she warned. "The ale has loosened your tongue. You asked me to meet you to talk about Garreth."
    "Ah, yes, the man of my loathing and your affections. I live to see him suffer—I dream of him crying out in agony and pain. He's always had everything—wealth, power, the king's favor. You've been at Court and noticed the women vying for his attention. Then the ripest prize in all England falls into his lap. He marries Lord Woodbridge's only daughter, who brings to the marriage great power and wealth."
    "I just saw his wife," Eugenia said grimly. "That's why I'm late."
    "She's just a child, but she reminds me of someone I once cared for. Garreth's little wife is delicate of face, and when she is older, she may be a beauty—her mother is."
    Eugenia looked at Cortland distastefully. Another drink and he would probably tell everyone their plan. "I don't want to hear about her virtues. What I must know is how Garreth feels about her."
    "How should I know?" Cortland bit out venomously. "I was not even presented to her, although I was at the wedding. I was not even considered important enough to sit with the family members at the banquet."
    "Garreth could not want her with him or she would not still abide with her father and mother," Eugenia speculated.
    "There was an agreement that Garreth's little duchess would remain with her family until she was older."
    Lady Meredith looked at Cortland through her veil, trying to see into his black heart. "I know my reasons for wanting to punish Garreth, but why do you hate him?"
    "Many are his sins against me, though there was a time when 1 actually admired him. When we were only lads, my father would always compare me to Garreth in an unfavorable light, stressing Garreth's accomplishments and reprimanding me because I was not more like my clever cousin." Cortland laughed evilly. "He even saved me from drowning once. I'll never forget that day—he was proclaimed a hero, by his father and mine, while I was sent to my room and admonished for being a fool."
    Eugenia leaned forward so she could hear his whispered words. It was rumored that Cortland was deeply in debt and that his estates were in disarray—still he continued to live well, and she wondered how he managed that, if not with Garreth's assistance.
    "You haven't the power to touch him without