To Catch An Heiress Read Online Free PDF Page A

mission.
    Whatever that was.
    She was playing a dangerous game and she knew it. She wanted to remain here at this cushy estate as long as possible—it was certainly warmer and safer than any place she could afford on her own. To do that, however, she had to let him continue to believe that she was this Carlotta person. She had no idea how to do this; she didn't know Spanish and she certainly didn't know how a criminal was supposed to act when apprehended and tied to a bedpost.
    She supposed Carlotta would try to deny everything. “You have the wrong person,” she said, knowing he wouldn't believe her and taking a wicked delight in the fact that she was telling the truth.
    “Ha!” he barked. “Surely you can come up with something a little more original.”
    She shrugged. “You can believe what you want.”
    “You seem to be acting very confidently for someone who is clearly at the disadvantage.”
    He had a point there, Caroline conceded. But if Carlotta truly was a spy, she'd be a master at bravado. “I don't appreciate being bound, gagged, dragged across the countryside, and tied to a bedpost. Not to mention,” she bit off, “being forced to submit to your insulting touch.”
    He closed his eyes for a moment, and if Caroline hadn't known better she would have thought he was in some sort of pain. Then he opened them and once again looked at her with a hard and uncompromising gaze. He said, “I find it difficult to believe, Miss De Leon, that you have come so far in your chosen profession without having had yourself searched before.”
    Caroline didn't know what to say to that so she just glared at him.
    “I'm still waiting for you to talk.”
    “I have nothing to say.” That much, at least, was true.
    “You might reverse your opinion after a few days without food or water.”
    “You plan to starve me, then?”
    “It has broken stronger men than you.”
    She hadn't considered this. She'd known he would yell at her, she'd thought he might even hit her, but it had never occurred to her that he might withhold food and water.
    “I see the prospect doesn't excite you,” he drawled.
    “Leave me alone,” she snapped. She needed to develop a plan. She needed to figure out who the devil this man was. Most of all, she needed time.
    She looked him in the eye and said, “I'm tired.”
    “I'm sure you are, but I'm not particularly inclined to let you sleep.”
    “You needn't worry about my comfort. I'm not likely to feel well-rested after spending an evening tied to the bedpost.”
    “Oh, that,” he said, and with a quick step and flick of his wrist, he cut her free.
    “Why did you do that?” she asked suspiciously.
    “It pleased me to do so. Besides, you have no weapon, you can hardly overpower me, and you have no means of escape. Good night, Miss De Leon.”
    Her mouth fell open. “You're leaving?”
    “I did bid you good night.” Then he turned on his heel and left the room, leaving her gaping at the door. She heard two keys turn in two locks before she regained her composure. “My God, Caroline,” she whispered to herself, “what have you gotten yourself into?”
    Her stomach rumbled, and she wished she'd had something to eat before she'd run off that evening. Her captor appeared to be a man of his word, and if he said he wasn't going to give her food or water, she believed him.
    She ran to the window and looked out. He hadn't been lying. It was at least fifty feet to the ground. But there was a ledge, and if she could find some sort of receptacle, she could put it out to collect rain and dew. She'd been hungry before; she knew she could handle that. But thirst was something else altogether.
    She found a small, cylindrical container used to hold quills on the desk. The sky was still clear, but English weather being what it was, Caroline figured there was a decent chance it'd rain before morning, so she set the container on the ledge just in case.
    Then she crossed to her bed and put her belongings