Wendy Soliman Read Online Free PDF

different reasons.
    “We must think of another way,” the earl said forcefully.
    “You have my assurance that I will take the greatest possible care, Father.”
    “Anyway, we don’t know definitely that the daughter has any involvement at all. If that were the case, surely their meeting one another wouldn’t go unnoticed? So you would be risking your life for naught.”
    “Possibly, but I, for one, find it hard to believe in such a convenient coincidence. It must, at the very least, be investigated. Do I have your approbation, Father?”
    “If I give it to you, have you considered what I’m to tell your mother?”
    “When I miss Christina’s betrothal party and the opportunity to escort Lady Maria in to dinner, do you mean?” Felix pinioned his father with a speaking look.
    The earl regarded his son for a long time. “All right, Felix,” he said, “but we must set up some form of reliable communication. I must know at all times what’s going on, and be in a position to send immediate assistance in the event that it becomes necessary.”
    “That’s a comforting thought.” He refilled their glasses. “Stay and dine with us, Smithers, and we’ll plot our strategy.”

Chapter Three
    T WO D AYS A FTER T HE M EETING with Smithers, Felix and his valet Perkins set out for Weymouth. They travelled by post, not wishing to draw attention to themselves by arriving in any conveyance connected to the Westerns.
    Perkins, who’d been with Felix for only a couple of years, and who wasn’t much older than his master, was delighted by the prospect of participating in what he perceived of as a famous escapade. He dismissed the likely dangers with youthful disregard for his own safety. Before their departure Perkins had managed to equip Felix with clothing suitable for a gentleman agent, and he was now the proud possessor of two valises full of such items.
    At Weymouth, Felix and Perkins left the post and separated, giving no indication that they were connected. Weymouth was bustling with activity, the constant arrival of vessels being largely responsible for the transient population. But Felix still considered it a relatively small community, and someone as well connected in the area as Barker was likely to be kept informed of any unusual arrivals.
    By prior agreement Perkins took himself off to an indifferent livery stable and hired a saddle horse. He was to ride directly to Burton Bradstock and take a room at the Dove Inn, a well-known rendezvous for smugglers. He would pose as an itinerant, and integrate himself with the customers on the pretext of looking for any type of work, making it clear that he wasn’t too particular if it was legal. Perkins was personable, young, and strong, qualities that would doubtless be advantageous to his cause.
    At Weymouth, Felix called at a slightly superior livery stable and hired a curricle and two mediocre horses. He asked directions to Swyre and set the horses to a leisurely trot on the appropriate road, falling into contemplation about all he was likely to encounter when he reached his destination. This led to thoughts of Saskia Eden, whose complicity in Barker’s exploits Felix didn’t doubt for a moment. In spite of his father’s advice that he show caution, Felix was convinced that he knew better, and he was determined to put a stop to the woman’s evil exploits, once and for all.
    He slowed the horses to a walk as he turned them into the driveway leading to Riverside House. The gravel, he noticed, was overdue for raking, but light woodland on either side prevented him from gaining an impression of the house itself until he turned the final corner and was almost upon it. It was a large, angular building perched near the edge of a bluff with, Felix imagined, a fine prospect over the bay. Before he could discern anything else about the place, a cat cut across the drive in front of his horses, spooking them, and he was obliged to apply his complete attention to his team.
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