The Forbidden Lady Read Online Free PDF

on the ceiling. The coach jolted to a start.
    Quin fell back against the seat, his foot stuck in the air with a silk stocking halfway on. “Why the hurry, Johnson? I haven’t finished dressing.” He tugged the hose past his knee and tied the garter.
    “Redcoats are nearby. We need to return to Boston.”
    “Fine.” He slid on his other stocking. “You do realize these rivers will freeze over in a few months?”
    “Of course. The storm that blew through on the eighth put us behind schedule, but we’ll have the Turtle ready and hidden in the harbor before winter sets in.”
    Quin shrugged on his brocade waistcoat. If he had to abandon ship again, the water would be very chilly.
    “Her name is Virginia Munro.”
    Quin paused with his hands on one of the many buttons of his waistcoat. He glanced at his employer who was staring out the carriage window with a blank face. “Excuse me?”
    “Her name is Virginia Munro, daughter of James Munro, a farmer from North Carolina.” Johnson shifted his gaze to Quin. “Do you wish to know more?”
    As Quin fastened the buttons of his waistcoat, he considered feigning ignorance, but he knew exactly to whom Johnson was referring. How many times in the past three weeks had he found himself staring out a window, picturing a pair of bottle-green eyes and a turned-up nose? He met Johnson’s watchful eyes and knew it was useless to pretend. “I told you there was no need.”
    “But you didn’t mean it.”
    Sighing, Quin wrapped his cravat around his neck. “Her father will not let me near her.”
    “Her father left, headed south. I assume he has gone home.”
    Quin paused in the process of tying the cravat. “She stayed in Boston?”
    “Yes. She and her sister are staying with their aunt, Mary Dover, the widow of Charles Dover.”
    “The merchant?”
    “Yes. I believe he did business with Stanton Shipping in the past.”
    “Aye, my uncle did a great deal of business with the man, though I could never understand why.” Quin thrust his arms into the sky-blue velvet coat. “Dover was a snide and grouchy old bastard. And a Loyalist.”
    “Your description is accurate.”
    “The aunt is a Loyalist, also?”
    “It would appear that way.”
    Quin recalled the young woman’s words aboard The North Star. She had given every indication of sympathizing with the Colonials. Even her name was patriotic. Virginia.
    “The aunt is in mourning, but I hear she’s accepting invitations to Loyalist social functions.”
    “I see.” Quin stuffed the ends of his cravat into the top of his waistcoat, where the top three buttons remained undone. His heart was beating fast, but he attempted to appear nonchalant. “They might attend the same parties as I.”
    “Most probably. I felt I should warn you beforehand and remind you of your priorities.” Johnson eyed him as if he were an errant child. “You’re to look for information, not a pretty face. What we need is written proof that the British army came here not to protect us as they claim, but to suppress us.”
    “I understand, sir.” Quin pulled on an uncomfortable pair of shoes. If he saw her again, he would still be trapped in his role. How could he possibly impress her when he behaved like a pompous ass?
    Johnson glanced out the window. “We’re approaching the Neck.”
    Quin leaned out his window for a better examination of the narrow strip of land that led into Boston. “Damn. Redcoats, ahead.”
    “We’ll have to stop.” Johnson rapped the cane on the ceiling. “Find out what’s happening.”
    “Yes, sir.” Quin reached for the door handle as the coach slowed to a stop.
    “Your wig, Stanton.”
    “Oh, right.” Quin plopped the wig onto his head with a grin at his employer. “You know, as my servant, you should open the door.”
    Johnson raised his eyebrows. “Very well.” He exited and waited by the open door.
    Quin stepped out of the coach and into his role. “I say, a lovely day for a ride in the country, is