Punish Me With Roses - a Victorian Historical Romance Read Online Free PDF

wasn't possible, but she was sure she hadn't mistaken the cynical upturn of his lip whenever he finished a sentence. Although that also seemed a little unnatural, she was sure that he took great effort to make it so. She'd traveled too long and too far with her parents not to have become a student of human nature. German or French, Italian or Swiss, they all had nervous physical reactions to the dishonest words that came out of their mouths. She looked at Mr. Trevelyn's carefully formed appearance. She was even more intrigued.
    "Miss Carter?"
    "Oh yes, I'm sorry. You were saying?"
    His face lost some of its charm when he frowned. Things obviously weren't going his way. "I was wondering why you felt it necessary to give me an assumed name?"
    "That's interesting, sir. I was wondering the same about you."
    "I...what?" His brow furrowed and his hand gestured impatiently, but his eyes never left her face.
    "I sincerely doubt your name is really Alexander Trevelyn. I've heard of the Trevelyn's, sir, and I am quite sure you are not one of them." She forced a prim look onto her face and pursed her lips in order to prevent the laughter from escaping. Of course, she'd believed he was who he said he was. She'd never actually heard of any wealthy Trevelyn families.
    "I am most certainly a Trevelyn. You insult me by saying it isn't so." He adjusted his smart white gloves.
    "Oh really? From where do the Trevelyn's hail?"
    "Cornwall and quite proud of it. Have you been to the peninsula, Miss Carter?"
    She lost a bit of her humor then, but surely Cornwall encompassed quite a large area? They couldn't be going to the very same place, she assured herself. She grinned. "No, I have not 'been to the peninsula.' Nor have I heard of your illustrious Trevelyn's."
    "Wha--"
    "If you'll excuse me?" She stood up, finished the last mouthful cider, and made for the door, leaving the illustrious Trevelyn pay for her drink.
     

    * * *
     
    Alexander followed the stage but stayed far enough behind to escape the notice of the coachman. He couldn't believe he'd been so stupid!
    First, she'd enticed him to come to her table. He hadn't planned on making contact so soon, but she'd been watching him so openly that he couldn't resist. Also, her scrutiny of him made it clear that he had lost his chance to follow her in anonymity. She would have easily noticed him at the next stage.
    He rode quickly and the wind burned his exposed cheeks. Perhaps he should have found a place to leave his horse and pretended to be getting on the stage? Damn, he was a fool. He had let her manipulate him into going against all of his plans. She was truly good at what she did. The tricky little temptress!
    He watched the stage bump along the uneven road and wondered how uncomfortable she might be. She probably wasn't used to such methods of transportation. From what he'd learned, she had traveled widely with her parents and they'd had the money to do everything first class. He wondered where all that money had gone. Maybe she still had it. Maybe she was so greedy that her only desire in life was to build up as much money as she could and then be buried with it.
    He thought she might be cold. Even though she'd bought a seat inside, her body was probably as cold as her bottom was sore. He'd gotten a nice look at it too when he stalked out of the inn. It was quite nice , he thought to himself and a smile spread across his face. His thoughts weren't nice though. He was actually thinking of her comfort, a woman he'd just met, when he was probably much worse off that night. He reminded himself that she was also a murderess, and he stopped smiling.
    Alex worried that he was already enjoying the chase more than he should. He couldn't deny that as much as their first meeting frustrated him, it also made him eager for the next.
    He doubted it boded well to find such an independent, sneaky shrew so damned sexy.
     

    * * *
     
    She'd been good all right.
    She smiled every time she went over the