Three Nights of Sin by Anne Mallory

life.
    Mark Winters was a leech.
    Kenny Winters lacked ambition.
    Marietta Winters…he was still trying to determine who she really was.
    “How can you say that? Poor Kenny indeed! He is locked away and most likely will not be given a fair trial.”
    Her features turned angry, color lighting her cheeks like the first tentative bloom of a rose.
    He switched off that portion of his mind. “Which is exactly why we need to sort through this mess with the barrister. And you will allow me to do it.”
    “But—”
    “Do you want to go against my wishes in this?” He mixed sugar with steel and watched her hands grip the edge of the table and the color in her cheeks glow hotter.
    Rose was good on her, even with the sides of her lips pinched and stiff. He absently wondered if he annoyed her just to see the color bloom.
    “When do we leave?” she bit out.
    “Now. It’s a thirty-minute walk.”
    He watched her run a hand over her hair, smoothing it back as she smoothed the expression from her face. She was good, he’d give her that. She had passed most of his tests. She had a sharp mouth, but a sharp mind as well. And he had never been against a woman with some vinegar. It was the sugary sweet ones that raised his hackles. With this woman, you’d always know where you stood, if you knew how to look quickly enough. She showed everything on her face for a split second before masking it.
    She might prove to be more trouble than she was worth, but he would continue to watch and see. And test. There was something about her. Her eyes. Both disenchanted and excited—that intrigued him.
    They stepped into the bright spring day. It was a great day for walking. The sun was warm, the soft buttery rays caressing his face. A light breeze floated on the air, lifting pollens from the surrounding gardens and suspending them in midair until they caught the drift and surged off.
    A passerby sneezed.
    “You said that you know men of Mr. Hackenstay’s type?” she asked. He saw her grimace as a giggling gaggle of girls walked past.
    A slow smile worked its way from the middle of his mouth to his cheekbones. He had no hat to tip, having decided to approach Hackenstay as himself, but he made sure to nod and smile at each passing female. Marietta looked as if she’d sucked a lemon.
    “I do. London is littered with them.”
    “How can there be so many incompetent, swindling barristers?”
    “No, not all of them are barristers. Accountants, merchants, peers, gentry . The type to take advantage of a situation without regard to others is not limited to one field.”
    She shot him an angry look from beneath her lashes. It seemed that only she was allowed to refer to her brother Mark as a cheat.
    “What did you do for Oscar?”
    A sliver of shock ran down his spine. “Why do you ask?”
    “He seemed annoyed and crotchety, but at the same time I didn’t sense any true antipathy toward you. You hold the favors over my head, but I don’t work in any government or secret facility. I don’t have connections to help you.”
    “You are a member of society, you have innumerable connections.”
    Her eyes turned to gaze at the row houses on their right. “Not anymore.”
    He knew how society worked. He had been raisedto know everything about it. “Besides, I never said I needed you for your social contacts.”
    Her head turned abruptly. “Let’s be clear on this, Mr. Noble. You don’t need me for anything. I am well aware of that.”
    “Interesting. You seem to have it all figured out, then. You know exactly what I will need you to do.”
    Annoyance flashed in her eyes. “You know that I do not.”
    “But you just said that you are well aware that I don’t need you for anything.”
    “Well, I have ruled out the most vile of suggestions. You obviously have a harem ready and willing to serve any time you call.” She made a vague motion to their fellow pedestrians. “I highly doubt even with your insinuations that I need to do that .”
    A