Secret Fire Read Online Free PDF Page B

aware of what he had just done. “Procuring whores right off the street now? She must have been exceptionally pretty.”
    Dimitri ignored her sardonic tone. “Not particularly. Let us say my vanity was piqued. I like to succeed where others have failed.”
    “But from the street, Mitya? She could be diseased or worse.”
    “You would like that, wouldn’t you, my dear?” he replied drily.
    “At the moment, yes.”
    Her rancor got her only a bland smile.
    Across the street, Vladimir was met with the difficulty of securing a carriage and at the same time keeping an eye on the little figure in black moving steadily up Regent Street. There were no carriages in the vicinity to hire, his English was not so good, and his French not well understood. But money solved most problems and this one as well. After several tries he was able to induce the driver of a small, enclosed private carriage to desert his post, where he was waiting for his employer. What amounted to nearly a year in wages was well worth the risk to his job.
    Now to catch up with the woman. Clearly the carriage could not overtake her on such a crowded street. The driver was told to follow behind Vladimir as quickly as he was able. The driver just shook his head at the eccentricities of the wealthy, which he assumed the bloke to be, to hire a carriage and then not make use of it. But with so much money in his pocket, who was he to disagree?
    Vladimir caught up with the woman near the end of the street, but only because she had stopped, and for no apparent reason. She just stood in the middle of the walk, staring straight ahead.
    “ Mademoiselle? ”
    “ Oui? ” she said in some distraction, barely glancing up at him.
    Excellent. She spoke French. Most of the English peasants did not, and he had been afraid he would have difficulty communicating with this one.
    “Attend me, please, miss. My master, Prince Alexandrov, would like to hire your services for the evening.”
    The mention of Dimitri’s title was usually all that was required to conclude transactions such as this. Therefore Vladimir was surprised when all he got was a look of annoyance from the woman. And seeing her face clearly now surprised him further. She was not at all to Dimitri’s taste. What could the Prince be thinking of, to want this little wren in his bed tonight?
    Katherine was indeed annoyed to be bothered again, and for employment this time, a party or gathering, no doubt, that required extra servants. But to hire them right off the street? She hadnever heard of such a thing. But the fellow was a foreigner, so she had to make allowances.
    Nor did she dismiss him out of hand, as she had that other fellow. She had realized her mistake there. She was disguised as a servant. She needed to at least try to act the part. By not doing so earlier, she had come close to creating a disturbance with her thoughtless attack on that other man. Causing a scene in which she might be recognized by one of her acquaintances was out of the question, yet she had foolishly nearly done so before.
    One thing Katherine would never allow was scandal attached to her name. She prided herself on the most impeccable behavior, far above reproach. So what was she doing here? She could only blame that nasty headache for fogging her thinking. Clear-headed, she would have come up with a better plan than to masquerade as a servant.
    The man was waiting for her answer. He must be an extremely well-paid servant, for his coat and pants were of a superior quality. He was tall, middle-aged, and not bad-looking, with brown hair and pale blue eyes. What would Lucy reply to him? The girl would probably flirt a little to make her refusal more palatable. Katherine couldn’t quite bring herself to do that.
    With an eye on Elisabeth, who had crossed the street, but had gone no further, she said, “I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t require an extra job.”
    “If it’s a matter of money, the Prince is extremely generous.”
    “I