Notorious Deception Read Online Free PDF Page B

of his elegantly appointed house. He looked down at Diana expectantly.
    â€œI do thank you, sir, for all of your kindness today,” Diana said clearly. “But I cannot impose on your good nature any longer. If you would kindly hail a conveyance for me, I shall be on my way.”
    â€œWhere will you go?” Tristan asked softly.
    â€œI’m not precisely sure, sir,” Diana admitted honestly. “But I am confident I shall find respectable lodgings before nightfall.”
    â€œNonsense, and please call me Tristan. If you will allow me, I shall call you Diana.” He once again firmly grasped her elbow and propelled her up the stone steps. “Now, Diana, I could not, in good conscience, abandon you. For one thing, it is beginning to rain again. And for another, Derek would skin me alive if I lost track of you.”
    At the mention of the earl, Diana’s calmness erupted into anger. “It is hardly any concern of the earl’s where I choose to spend the night. He has made it abundantly clear he does not believe my story. I feel certain he has no interest in what happens to me. In fact, I got the distinct impression that the earl would vastly prefer I disappeared from the face of the earth and was never heard from again.”
    Tristan flashed Diana a brilliant smile, but did not comment.
    â€œAnd I also find it difficult to believe, Tristan,” Diana said, her voice growing stronger with each word, “that you are in any way afraid of the earl.”
    â€œOh, but in that instance you are wrong,” he said quickly, as a young footman opened the door and Tristan led her into the house. “I have known Derek for more years than I care to recall. We fought side by side against the French, and I have witnessed firsthand his skill with both saber and pistol. He is not a man easily dismissed or deterred.”
    â€œThe earl would never come to blows with a friend over an inconsequential woman,” Diana responded.
    Tristan turned to her in surprise at her correct assumption. She had a keen mind and she was astutely observant, he thought. How then had Giles managed so easily to dupe her? Tristan was prevented from further considering the matter by the sudden appearance of his wife, Caroline, on the staircase.
    Caroline paused a moment on the staircase, her hand tightly clutching the oak banister, her lovely face unreadable as she called out her greeting.
    â€œGood afternoon, Tristan,” Caroline said in a level voice. “Back so soon. And how is Derek faring today?”
    â€œHe sends his regards, Caroline,” Tristan responded evenly, feeling a sudden unpleasant tension grip his chest as he watched his wife descend the staircase. “I’ve brought a houseguest, Caroline.”
    â€œHow nice,” Caroline said calmly, her eyes narrowing suspiciously as she stood before Diana and her husband. “Are you a friend of Derek’s?”
    Diana turned questioning eyes to Tristan, clearly seeking guidance.
    â€œA relative,” Tristan stated firmly. “This is Diana Rutledge. Diana, my wife Caroline.”
    Caroline favored Diana with a slight, cool smile, but quickly turned her attention back to her husband. “Was there no room for Miss Rutledge at the earl’s residence?”
    Tristan cast his wife a chilling stare, surprised at her rudeness and irritated by her unfounded jealousy. Caroline’s moods had become so unpredictable lately that he was unsure how best to handle her. He had every intention of explaining the entire situation to Caroline, but he refused to do so in front of a collection of curious servants. Annoyed at her churlish behavior, Tristan turned away from his wife, refusing to answer her question.
    â€œDiana will be staying with us while she is in town,” Tristan declared in a firm voice.
    â€œâ€™Tis a bit late, but if you wish, I shall instruct the servants to bring tea for you and your guest, Tristan,”