My Lord Hercules Read Online Free

into
the chamber as though it belonged to her. It didn’t. Penny’s
chamber was across the hall and to the left. Miranda scowled at her
exuberant sister. “I’m busy, Penny.”
    Penny launched herself across
Miranda’s nicely made bed and cupped her face with both hands, her
dark curls bouncing about her face. “You have a caller. I told
Louisa I would get you.”
    A caller? Miranda shook her head. Her
sister must be mistaken. She hadn’t caught any man’s interest, and
none had caught hers. None would either, not until she could find
Tessie. Who had time for silly courtships when her dearest friend
was missing? “Send whoever it is away. As I said, I’m
busy.”
    “ Busy moping in your
chambers or plotting or whatever it is you do these days.” Penny
sighed. “It’s no matter. You need to come down. Louisa is
entertaining the fellow.”
    Miranda groaned. “Who is it? Do you
know?”
    “ Wherever did you meet Lord
Harrison Casemore? I’m rather—”
    Lord Harrison Casemore? He’d come
here? He was more than a mere mister? How had Miranda missed that?
Blasted man had learned all her secrets, but had kept a number of
his own.
    “— certain I would have
remembered a man of his stature, and I’ve attended every event you
have this season.”
    Miranda leapt from her chair. “He’s
here?” she croaked. What if he said something to Louisa about last
night? Their sister-in-law would tell Devlin and then Miranda would
be done for.
    “ Mmm. Yellow parlor. You
should hurry unless you want Louisa to scare him off.”
    Miranda could only be so lucky. The
man she met last night wouldn’t be scared away by her kind
sister-in-law. The man she met last night would, in turn, find a
way to weasel out all sorts of information from Louisa. But to what
end?
    She dashed toward her door, but as she
caught a glimpse of herself in the beveled mirror, Miranda stopped
in her tracks. Heavens! She looked awful. Her hair wasn’t pinned
and she’d worn a drab daydress, not for the way it flattered her
figure, but more because of its comfort. She couldn’t see him like
this!
    From her bed, Penny laughed. “He must
be something. I don’t recall you ever giving a second thought to
your appearance before.”
    “ Oh, hush,” Miranda hissed.
“And help me! Quickly!”

    If Harry had to drink another cup of
tea waiting for Miranda Bartlett to show her pretty face, he was
going to float away down the Thames. But what choice did he have?
He was not about to leave Marston House without seeing her once
more. He had to know if she was just as enchanting in the daylight
as she had been in the moonlight. Or he had to know if his
whiskey-soaked mind had created her out of the ether.
    Miranda’s sister-in-law, Lady Marston,
seemed pleasant enough, but she wasn’t at all the exotic,
headstrong girl he’d come to visit this afternoon. Not by a long
shot. And even as she’d tried her best to be a charitable hostess,
the viscountess seemed to have run out of things to say to Harry.
So they both sat quietly in their respective seats, smiling at each
other and alternating turns, taking sips from their
cups.
    But then, in the doorway, a lovely
vision in green appeared, and Harry nearly choked on his tea. He
sprang to his feet and he could only gape at the beauty who stood
just inside the threshold. There was something to be said about
scooped bodices. Her unbound hair, cravat, and waistcoat from the
night before had well hidden Miranda’s charms from his view. Dear
God, he’d missed so much. What he wouldn’t give to be alone with
her in that hack again right now. He wouldn’t care if she told him
her name or not. In fact, he would do everything in his power to
make her forget her name altogether.
    “ Miss Miranda.” His voice
came out, sounding like a croak. Dear God, he sounded like a green
lad of fifteen.
    “ My lord,” she returned,
stressing the last for some reason. “What a surprise to see
you.”
    Was it? She’d had to know