Meet Me at Midnight Read Online Free PDF

gone completely insane. Vixen Fontaine had batted her lovely violet eyes at him, and he had forgotten not only his suspicions about Marley, but also those about Lord William Landry and every other possible suspect lurking among her gaggle of admirers.
    He hadn’t maneuvered her out to the gardens so he could question her; he’d done it so he could kiss her. And if her father and the rest of the gawkers hadn’t discovered them, he wouldn’t have stopped with kisses. He’d been in low company for too long. And, damn it all, he wanted to kiss her again, and to complete the intimate little interlude they’d begun.
    Sinclair took a deep breath and swung the brass knocker against the door. Less than a heartbeat later, the heavy oak barrier swung open.
    “Lord Althorpe?” the short, round butler queried, taking in his choice of attire with the expected degree of disdain.
    Sinclair ignored it. “Where might I find Lord Stiveton?”
    The butler stepped backward. “In the study, my lord. This way.”
    He followed the butler’s clicking heels down the short hallway to a small office tucked under the staircase. The Fontaine family was an old, wealthy, and well-respected one, and he could imagine how deep an offense he’d shown them by manhandling their daughter. Better the likes of him than a cold-blooded murderer like Marley, though. If it had been Marley who shot Thomas. His life seemed to have become a series of “ifs” and “hows” over the past two years, and he was damned tired of not having the answers.
    The earl was seated behind a mahogany desk, looking more like a banker than a nobleman. A ledger lay open in front of him, but despite his appearance Sin doubted he’d been doing much accounting this morning. Stiveton looked up as the two men stepped into the room.
    “Althorpe. I thought you might have fled the country by now.”
    “Good morning, Lord Stiveton. Sorry to disappoint you.”
    The earl narrowed his eyes. “Timms, we are not to be disturbed.”
    The butler bowed as he pulled the door shut. “Yes, my lord.”
    “Acting contrite now doesn’t excuse your actions last night, Althorpe.” Stiveton laid his hands flat against the desktop.
    Sinclair shrugged. “My actions last night cannot be excused.”
    “Agreeing with me won’t do you any good, either. How many times have you behaved in some disreputable manner and then escaped without censure?”
    Sin lifted an eyebrow. “Do you want an exact count?”
    “Whatever liberties you may have taken on the Continent, we do not tolerate such behavior here.”
    “With all due respect, Lord Stiveton, I may have led, but your daughter followed willingly enough.”
    The earl slammed to his feet. “This is how you beg for forgiveness?”
    Sinclair flicked an imaginary speck of dust from his sleeve. “I’m not begging for anything, Lord Stiveton. I am at your service. I have a suggestion, but do what you will.”
    Still glaring, Stiveton slowly seated himself again. “Were you expecting me to challenge you to a duel, so I could defend Victoria’s honor?”
    “Of course not. That would mean my killing you. I was thinking more of your demanding a public apology, and me rendering one.”
    “That might bandage your reputation, but it wouldn’t do anything for my daughter’s.”
    As the mantel clock struck the quarter hour, the earl continued to gaze at him speculatively. Sinclair didn’t like the thoughtful expression nor the direction the conversation seemed to be headed, but kept his silence. Stiveton obviously had some solution in mind.
    Finally the earl leaned forward, folding his hands over the ledger. “As much as I would like to state otherwise, the events of last night were not entirely your fault.”
    That sounded promising. “We agree, then, that an apology would suff—”
    “Just a moment, Althorpe. I’m not finished. My daughter has an unfortunate lack of self-control. I had hoped proper schooling and discipline would cure her of her