Lady Lissa's Liaison Read Online Free PDF Page A

close contact of their bodies.
    She had to shake her head to clear her thoughts. "Th—that trout ate my locket, my lord. Did you see? He just gulped it down!"
    "I saw," he answered, voice husky, his gaze infinitely dark. He stared at her hard—as though surprised by what he saw, or perhaps, at what he was feeling inside of himself. " 'Tis gone now, you can be assured of that." He released his hold by slow degrees, his open palm skimming the small of her back as he slid his arm away from her.
    A deep quiver of feeling pumped through Lissa. Again, she had to shake her head, had to force herself to remain focused on her purpose. "No, it—it cannot be. I—I must retrieve that locket."
    "Was it a part of the family jewels?"
    "No, of course not."
    "Priceless, perhaps?"
    "I—I do not believe so."
    "Then forget about it," said Lord Wylde. Without another word, he took hold of her right hand and nimbly led her across to the side of the river, firmly planting her down onto the bank. Lissa was once again unnerved by the feel of his hands on her as he set her down.
    "Do not look so Friday-faced," he growled. "You can purchase another locket."
    "I cannot!" Lissa insisted, feeling miserable and turning to stare at the water where the trout made its home. "It is irreplaceable. It is... oh, drat, it is imperative I retrieve that particular locket."
    " 'Twould be a neat trick," he said, moving away from her to gather up his fishing basket and net. He looped the leather straps of both over his neck, tipped his angling pole over one shoulder, then glanced at her one more time before he took his leave. "The inner digestive juices of a trout are very powerful, Lady Lovington—or so I've learned. Within twenty-four hours, I suspect that locket will begin to disintegrate, unless it is made of gold."
    "Gold?" Lissa paused, trying hard to remember from what exactly Lord Langford's locket had been fashioned. She hadn't a clue. She'd never wanted the blasted thing to begin with, and she'd certainly not spent an innordinate amount of time looking at or even touching the thing. "Truth to tell, sir, I—I am not certain what it was made of. I do know, though, that it was hand-painted. Yes, I am quite certain it was hand-painted."
    He appeared a bit agitated by her vague description of a locket she seemed so bent on retrieving. His frown deepened. "Take my advice and forget about it, my lady." With that, he turned.
    "Wait!" Lissa cried. "You—you are taking your leave? Just like that?"
    He glanced over one shoulder, his darkling eyes narrowing. "And just what, alas, would you have me do?"
    "Hook that trout, of course!"
    Lord Wylde looked at her as though she'd sprouted two heads. And then he laughed.
    The sound of his laughter smarted. "You find my situation amusing, sir?"
    "I find you demanding a tall order, my lady."
    "Not so tall," she insisted. "You've a pole in your hand, and you came here to fish. All you need do is fish for that particular trout."
    He said nothing for a full minute, time in which Lissa feared she'd pushed his patience too far.
    "I suggest you go home, Lady Lovington," he finally said, his words clipped, "and forget about your locket. No one will be catching that trout, not today anyway. He won't bite again for a good long while, trust me. I have been tracking him for a number of days, and this is the first I've seen him take a bite of anything."
    With that, the Earl of Wylde headed away from her.
    Lissa blew out an exasperated breath. Feeling desperate, she called after him: "The trout may bite if the right fly is placed before him, sir! He certainly will not surface for a nymph—or even for any of the other flies you have tied, if indeed their craftsmanship is anything like that sorrowful fly I viewed at the end of your line!"
    Her words got his attention.
    Wylde stopped and turned toward her, his gaze blacker than the darkest of crypts. "Sorrowful?"
    Lissa gulped down a lump of fear in her throat.
    "You heard me aright,"