A Lady in Hiding Read Online Free

formally dressed in dark blue coat and black breeches, opened the door. He stared down his long nose at her before moving to stolidly block the entrance.
    “What do you want?” he asked coldly. His eyes moved from the top of her head down her smock to her dusty shoes. “Tradesmen use the back entrance.” With that remark, he started to close the door.
    She shoved her foot in the crack. “I’m here on business.”
    “If it’s a bill, you may leave it with me.”
    From the depths of her past, she pulled forth a tattered memory of the manners of those who did not work for a living. She raised her chin and stared down the length of her sunburned nose.
    In the richest tenor she could manage, she replied, “It is a private matter. Announce me.”
    The butler eyed her another moment before opening the door a foot or so and standing aside.
    “You are?”
    “Mr. Samuel Sanderson.”
    “Very good. Wait here.”
    Without deigning to glance at him again, Sam entered. She stopped a few feet beyond the door and stood still, hat bunched between her hands. Small clouds of reddish brick dust gently settled on the black-and-white marble of the hallway, surrounding her in a rust-colored pool that looked very much like dried blood.

Chapter Two
    William Trenchard sat in his office with his feet up on the desk, mindlessly bored and staring at the naked angels painted on the ceiling. His associate and employer, Mr. Knighton Gaunt, had neglected to repaint the ceilings when he refurbished the elegant townhouse to turn it into offices. He then added to his neglect by failing to give William any sort of meaningful work, which was rather exasperating.
    So, floating above William was an entire harem of angels, and he had absolutely nothing to do but stare at them. There was one voluptuous, fair-haired beauty he was particularly fond of, with a flowing white scrap of material clinging to one plump shoulder. Her drapery managed to cover only a small portion of one arm and her waist while leaving all the more interesting bits quite well displayed.
    He closed his eyes and imagined the angel walking into his office, weeping and imploring him to assist her in finding her dear, late husband’s foul murderer. Of course, she’d have to wear more clothing during the initial interview. After that, well, it was quite convenient to have his apartment right upstairs.
    His desk was also quite large and solid.
    Very convenient, indeed.
    “Sir,” Sotheby asked from the doorway. “There is a person here.”
    William turned his head, but didn’t bother uncrossing his ankles. There was a tone in Sotheby’s voice that made William’s chest spasm with a suppressed laugh. “What sort of person?”
    “A—a common laborer, sir.”
    “Really?” William sat up, removing his feet from the desk. “Well, show him in.”
    A laborer? What on earth would a common laborer want with an inquiry agent? He stared at the door that Sotheby held open. The butler’s nostrils pinched as if he smelled a disagreeable odor.
    To William’s surprise, a slender man walked in. Small puffs of reddish dust delicately swirled in his wake. The young man examined him while William half-stood, leaning over his desk with a hand outstretched. Finally, the lad clasped his hand in a firm handshake, his fingers hard with calluses.
    “I’m Mr. Trenchard. And you are?” William asked.
    “Samuel Sanderson, sir.”
    A pair of clear gray eyes met his. Steady, honest eyes fringed with ridiculously long lashes that gave him a faintly feminine look. William sat back in his chair and motioned to his visitor to take the seat opposite the desk.
    The man was indeed a laborer. His smudged and torn linen smock had large red patches of brick dust. Grit obscured his face and hands. His short, brown hair had long streaks of blond, bleached from constant exposure to the sun, no doubt. Large, intelligent eyes dominated his face. He stared at William directly, measuring him even as he weighed his odd