Intriguing Lady Read Online Free

side, putting her hands on the bed as she bent over him. As she peered at him, she felt a slight movement, and before she could withdraw her hands, they were trapped beneath the Englishman’s.
    “How dare you take advantage of me so!” she whispered fiercely. “Let go of me.”
    “Am I in heaven? Are you an angel?” the man quizzed as he gently squeezed her fingers.
    “No,” responded Roberta roundly. “As you will soon discover if you continue in this fashion.”
    “Monsieur,” Henri said, as he, too, joined Roberta at the bedside. “Are you all right? What has happened? Are you in trouble?”
    With seeming reluctance, the Englishman relinquished his hold on Roberta and turned his attention to Henri. “The merest of scratches, my good friend,” he replied nonchalantly. “Nothing serious, although I’m afraid my presence here will be discovered by the comte shortly, for I carelessly left a blazing red trail for him to follow.”
    “He will get no answers from me, monsieur,” Henri answered stoutly. “I will send Jacques to hide your horse. You have nothing to fear.”
    “Except this angel, it would seem. Who are you, mademoiselle?”
    “Who—who am I?” Roberta spluttered. “It is the very question I want to ask of you. You—you have the unmitigated impudence to come bursting into my room, disturb my night’s rest, take over my bed, and now you want to know who I am? Really, sir, I think you have taken leave of your senses. I demand an immediate explanation of your intrusion; otherwise I shall have to report the entire incident to the proper authorities.”
    “My angel shows spirit,” the man said playfully. “Is she or is she not a vision of true beauty, Henri?”
    “Enough!” Roberta said. “I refuse to be drawn into any further discussion of my spirit or beauty. Who are you?”
    “Sir Nicholas Thomas, at your service,” the Englishman answered promptly. “Pray excuse my tawdry manners in not making the proper leg, but as you can see, I am handicapped.”
    Roberta nodded perfunctorily. The name was unfamiliar, and she saw no reason whatsoever to give it any further acknowledgement. “And how do you propose to explain away your intrusion into my bedroom at such a strange hour?”
    “I don’t, for I have no wish to embarrass you further, my dear young lady.”
    Roberta eyed him speculatively, totally unaware of what an alluring picture she made in her shimmering blue night attire. Her hair, still ruffled from sleep, resembled a halo, and her eyes, glinting in the flickering light, sparkled like diamonds.
    Suddenly she recalled the conversation she had had earlier with Jacques. “The comte’s sister!” she exclaimed triumphantly. “Of course! How obtuse I have been.”
    Henri looked at Sir Nicholas in dismay. “I swear, monsieur, I have not said anything.”
    “I know that, Henri,” Sir Nicholas replied curtly. “But as the fair lady seems to know of the compromising position I now find myself in, the need for secrecy appears to be over. Who told you of my affair, mademoiselle?” As he posed the question, there was a steely ring to his voice that caused Roberta to draw back.
    “That is none of your business, Sir Nicholas,” she replied, determined not to be intimidated by his manner. “Although, if you wish to indulge yourself in such cloak-and-dagger activities, I would suggest you be more discreet.”
    “It must have been Jacques, monsieur,” Henri interrupted. “Although why he should see fit to prattle on about things that are of no concern to him is beyond my comprehension.”
    “No matter, Henri,” Sir Nicholas said, brushing his brow wearily with his left hand. “The most pressing problem I have at the moment is escaping from the comte and getting back to England. He is bound to have blocked off all routes to Calais, and I’m afraid the wound I have sustained is going to make it impossible for me to travel in any effective disguise. My right arm is useless, and he