One Sinful Night Read Online Free PDF Page A

thought I’d let you sleep it off for a while longer, but Mr. Grayson is here to see you. And you might want to hurry. He’s waiting in the duke’s private library.”
    â€œTell him I’ve died,” Aidan moaned and lay gently back into the pillows, although the smell of coffee was mildly tempting. His head throbbed relentlessly. What in bloody hell had he done last night? He clearly remembered arriving at Bingham Hall and talking to Richard and Jane Havilland, the Duke and Duchess of Bingham. He had greeted his mother, who was angry with him for being late. Then Gregory Cardwell grabbed him and… Good God!
    It all came rushing back to him in a sickening wave. Now he remembered why he drank like the very devil.
    Vivienne Montgomery.
    That beautiful Irish witch would drive any man to drink.
    â€œWhat brought all this on?” Finley inquired calmly while laying out clean clothes for Aidan.
    â€œYou don’t want to know,” Aidan muttered crossly.
    â€œI daresay I know already.” He raised a brow and looked in Aidan’s direction. “A certain Irish lady?”
    Finley knew the entire Vivienne Montgomery saga, having lived through it with him years ago. Aidan was not surprised that Finley already knew Vivienne Montgomery was here, since Finley somehow managed to know everything about everyone. He prided himself on it.
    â€œI don’t want to discuss her,” Aidan mumbled.
    â€œFine. Have it your way for now. I’ll hear it all from you eventually.” Finley smiled with satisfaction. “Anyway, I believe Mr. Grayson has some concrete information about the warehouse fire.”
    â€œWhy didn’t you say that in the first place?” Aidan grumbled in annoyance.
    Finley knew very well that such news would rouse Aidan; he had simply been irritating him for sport. He had been with Aidan’s family for years. When Aidan inherited the title Earl of Whitlock from his great uncle, Finley came with Aidan from Galway and officially became his valet. He and Aidan had developed a good friendship over the years.
    â€œOh, and your mother has demanded to see you right away,” Finley said gleefully.
    An anguished groan erupted from the depths of the feather pillows.
    Three quarters of an hour later, Aidan was freshly shaved, dressed, and nursing a terrible hangover as he sat in the luxuriously appointed library of the Duke of Bingham, who had kindly lent the room to Aidan for this meeting. The Duke’s library, outfitted with mahogany shelves from floor to ceiling and stocked with books of every type and description, had a massive oak table in the center of the room surrounded by comfortable leather armchairs and framed by a picture window commanding a stunning view of the glistening lake in the distance.
    Aidan’s assistant, Daniel Grayson, sat across the table from him. The thin, wiry man delivered his words with quiet efficiency. “It was as you suspected, my lord. Arson. The fire was deliberately set. They found a tin of kerosene in the front office, where it started. No one had been in the office that afternoon and there was no possible reason for a fire to ignite that room. Unless it was set on purpose.”
    â€œThat’s because it was set on purpose. And I have my suspicions of who set it.”
    His assistant questioned astutely, “The same person who caused you to lose the cotton shipment?”
    Grayson had been Aidan’s right-hand man since he began his shipping company five years earlier. Aidan had trusted his advice on many matters in the early stages of the business and Grayson’s keen knowledge of the industry paid off profitably for both of them, for Kavanaugh Enterprises had grown steadily from his wise counsel. Aidan trusted the man implicitly. Today, however, Grayson only had bad news to share, which did not improve Aidan’s wretched condition or dismal mood.
    â€œYes, I believe so. Can you look into the matter