The Inventor (The Legend Chronicles) Read Online Free PDF Page A

closer to inspect it. “What the devil is that?”
    Persephone glared at him. “Language, Lieutenant. And clearly it’s a dog.”
    His face grew thunderous, his dark gaze shifting to Marley; he had the unmistakable look of a man whose territory has been trespassed upon by a poacher. “A toy?” he scoffed.
    Marley tried his best to ignore him. “It’s just a trinket, really. My cousin Thadeus and I make them for the little ones in the family, but I—we thought you might enjoy this one.”
    Her slender fingers caressed the little dog, then took hold of the winding key and twisted, bringing the creature once more to life. “Oh!” The sound of her genuine laughter, bright and delightful, filled the room as she set the small dog down upon the tea table and watched it with fascination. “Oh, Martha, come and look how she lifts her ears and twists her sweet little head! She even sits and wags her tail. Isn’t she precious?”
    Frobisher took a step, inserting himself as much as he could between Lady Persephone and her maid, and Marley. “Thank you for your gift. I’m sure my fiancée appreciates it.” His tone was low and threatening, almost a growl.
    Marley’s chest contracted for a moment. Lady Persephone was affianced? She had not uttered a word of this to him. He felt a crushing pressure on his chest at the thought that she was in love with some—with Frobisher . The thought of such a capable and brilliant young woman being attached to such an obvious buffoon stuck like a bit of sand where one ought not to get sand, grating and irritating in the extreme. He lifted one brow. “Many felicitations to you both,” he said with no genuine enthusiasm.
    Lady Persephone picked up the little dog and held it close in the crook of her arm. “We are not engaged.” Her firm and resolute tone eased Marley’s discomfort some.
    Frobisher gave her a hard stare. “We are intended, and that is enough until your father decides we should declare it formally.”
    Her nostrils flared slightly, and Marley found the blue flicker of fire in her eyes most enchanting. “We shall see about that.” She turned to her maid. “Martha, I feel a sudden headache.” She glanced at Frobisher and then at Marley, her body vibrating with restrained anger he could feel shimmering in the air of the room. “Will you gentlemen please excuse me?”
    The men bowed as she swept from the room.
    Frobisher waited a second after she’d left before he flopped himself down on the settee, making himself at home. “I thought she hated dogs.”
    Marley’s eyes burned inexplicably. She hadn’t seemed disappointed in his choice. Was she just being kind as a hostess? She didn’t seem the type to offer false flattery.
    Frobisher grabbed up three little finger sandwiches at once and stuffed thsm.d stuffem all in his mouth and chewed. “Bit of a fireball, isn’t she? I’ll soon have that corrected.”
    Marley swallowed hard. He might not know as much as Thadeus knew about women, but he knew enough to tell when one was truly angry versus just playing the coquette to earn male attention. “She doesn’t seem to take well to the idea of your coming nuptials.”
    Frobisher brushed the crumbs from the front of his jacket onto the fine hand-cut wool carpet beneath his feet. “She’ll get used to it. Love isn’t always necessary in these arrangements, is it?”
    At that moment Marley was quite sure of two things. One, given the right opportunity, he’d like to light Lieutenant Frobisher up with a great wallop of an electric charge just to watch him bounce about on the ground like a beached fish; and two, Lady Persephone Hargrieve deserved better than this big lout for a husband.
    Marley pulled back his shoulders, stretching himself to his full height, and glared openly at Frobisher. “Perhaps the arrangement isn’t necessary at all. She might have more than one suitor to choose from.”
    Frobisher rose to his feet, his face turning red, his fists bunched by