Surrender to a Wicked Spy by Celeste Bradley Page A

delectable bosom. From his seat he had an excellent view.
    He'd told her to wait for him naked. What an inspired thought that had been. To have her before him, bared and aroused, the candlelight flickering on her skin like a molten glow…
    He rubbed the back of his neck. He was becoming a bit molten himself. By God, he wished this interminable dinner over with so he could carry her off to her bedchamber and watch her undress herself—
    With a jerk he realized that he was contemplating leaving before he and the others had their meeting. Dismay jolted the last of his arousal away.
    Duty first. First, last, and always.
    Of course, making his heir was one of his duties—then again, making his heir did not necessarily include mentally undressing his wife during a dinner party.
    He turned his gaze away from her bosom with determination.
    Duty.
     
    The watcher kept an eye on the proceedings from outside the window. He missed nothing, from the amount of wine young Lord Wallingford downed to the way Lord Greenleigh's gaze kept traveling back to his wife's bosom.
    Everything was going as planned, although it itched at him to see Lord Reardon and his bride at the table. What were they doing there?
    It could be happenstance—most men of that rank knew each other well enough to sit down to dinner. Reardon's wife could be there on behalf of Lady Greenleigh, for that matter.
    Greenleigh might scarcely know Reardon. The watcher certainly had seen no sign of companionship at the table, although that would be hard with the seating arrangement.
    Yet Reardon had been part of the downfall of Wadsworth… and there had been those rumors about Lady Reardon and that mysterious group called the Quatre Royal…
    If Reardon was working for the Crown, then he could be here tonight for much the same reason as the watcher.
    Recruitment.
    Well, then, perhaps it was time to advance the queen. A spot of danger always heated the blood, did it not?
    In the meantime, it bothered him no end that he'd never seen the fifth gentleman before. The fellow sat with his back to the window now, but he'd seen him clearly when the party had entered the dining room.
    Something was going on, something beneath the surface.
    As if he felt the watcher's gaze, the fifth man turned his head and glanced over his shoulder, his sharply cut features in profile against the well-lit room.
    The watcher stepped back quickly, although it was unlikely the man saw anything but himself and the other guests reflected in the glass.
    The fifth man gestured to a servant, who rounded the table to close the draperies.
    Never mind. Despite the stranger at the table, there was no reason why the evening's entertainment could not go on as planned.
7
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    Olivia fidgeted. She and the other ladies sat in the drawing room, the most presentable room in Cheltenham House. The draperies were hardly shabby at all, and the stuffed sofas scarcely sank under one's weight. Dinner was finally over and the gentlemen would join them soon.
    "Is there something the matter?" Lady Reardon—Willa, she'd insisted—gazed at Olivia with amused concern. "Or is it just a newly wed affliction?"
    Olivia pressed her lips together. There was something she was dying to ask someone—something her mother evidently didn't have the answer to—and Willa seemed just the person. Looking about to see if the other two ladies were nearby, Olivia leaned closer to Willa.
    "You're recently wed, yes?"
    Willa nodded, her dimples deepening. "Mere weeks."
    Olivia took a breath. "May I ask you a very improper question?"
    Willa leaned closer as well. "Those are my favorite kind," she whispered back.
    "Is it… is it wonderful?"
    Willa leaned back slightly and gazed at her. "Not yet?"
    Olivia shook her head. Willa gazed thoughtfully at the door through which the men would enter. "Well, bully for him."
    Olivia sighed. "I know it's terribly wicked to be so eager, but—"
    Willa put her hand over Olivia's. It was a warm, friendly