Love's Peril (Lord Trent Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Caroline.”
    “No, I suppose it isn’t.”
    Sarah went inside, her thoughts awhirl as she tried to decide when and how to tackle Mr. Sinclair.
    * * * *
    It was late afternoon, the house quiet, the staff settled in for tea. The hallways were deserted, the shadows lengthening.
    Sarah neared Mr. Sinclair’s suite, and she rolled her eyes at her ridiculousness. Would she knock and demand entrance? Would she meet with him in his private quarters? The outrageous notion didn’t bear contemplating, yet she was about to proceed.
    Though every instinct screamed her lunacy, she was excited to be with him again. She wanted to grab him by his fancy lapels, to shake him for being so mystifying, for lying to her the previous day, for concealing his identity.
    Obviously, he’d been spying on the property and taking note of the surrounding area. To what end?
    She tiptoed over and held very still, listening, but heard no voices. The door was ajar, and she peeked in, but didn’t see anyone. She pushed it a little wider and moved into the threshold so she had a better view.
    The sitting room was empty, the inner bedchamber, too. His beautiful lavender coat was casually tossed on a chair, a sleeve drooping on the floor. His black riding boots were haphazardly thrown in the corner.
    He’d sampled the brandy; a decanter had been opened, a glass next to it. She remembered her comment out on the road, where she’d petulantly complained about Mildred’s stuffy guests, that they would have to suffer with the Teasdale family’s typical fare, and her cheeks reddened with embarrassment.
    She hoped he didn’t recall her insult, but she was certain he would. She doubted he ever forgot any detail. He was an intriguing enigma, and she was much too fascinated.
    A magnet might have been pulling her forward for she strolled into the suite and went over to the lavender coat. She ran her palm over the lush fabric. Up close, the garment was even more magnificent. Where would a person purchase such a thing? How much would it cost?
    Clearly, Mr. Sinclair was extremely wealthy, but from what endeavor?
    Her brother, Hedley, prided himself on his wardrobe, and he had many expensive coats, but she’d never seen an item remotely similar. Poor Hedley. When he and Mr. Sinclair stood side by side, Hedley looked positively dismal.
    She walked into the bedchamber and assessed his scattered belongings, trying to glean some clue about him from his satchels and trunks.
    The servants had unpacked and hung some of his shirts in the cupboard. Realizing she was insane, she slinked over and smoothed her fingers across the exotic apparel. She took a sleeve and pressed it to her nose, detecting his masculine scent in the material.
    As she studied the various pieces, she was disturbed to discover that the lengthy hems hid many weapons, pistols, daggers, swords.
    Men carried weapons when they traveled. The roads were generally safe, but still, an encounter with a brigand could occur. Yet he seemed heavily armed in a fashion that was much more lethal than necessary.
    There were no dangers at Bramble Bay. No criminals camping in the park, no highwaymen robbing carriages as they rolled by. Why would he feel the need for so much protection?
    She knew she should sneak out, that she’d pushed the limit of what she could explain if she was caught snooping. But she was too curious, and she continued on to his dressing room. She peeked in and, still seeing no one, she brazenly entered.
    He’d washed and shaved. A towel had been pitched on the floor, his razor and soap brush balanced on the table by the washstand. Creeping over, she traced her thumb across the ivory handle of the brush, then picked it up, gauging its weight, liking the cool glide of ivory on her skin. She imagined him stroking the bristles over his handsome face, and she was utterly riveted by seductive visions of him unclad and proceeding with his ablutions.
    Without warning, the door to the adjacent bedchamber