Sinful Deeds Read Online Free

is, my lord, I would think that is probably how Mrs Beaumont
wants it to stay.”
    Stiffening,
Dante tried to put on his most impervious air. “I have some of her belongings
still,” he lied. “Some things that are very dear to her. I have no ill
intentions. You know Mrs Beaumont well enough to know that she would not have
tolerated any ill behaviour from me and that I wish only the best for her.”
    “She
certainly was fond of you, my lord.” He sighed and huddled behind his desk to
leaf through a blue leather-bound ledger. He glanced up at Dante once more
before skimming the worn pages and settling upon an almost illegible scribble.
“Berwick Road. Number Twelve.”
    He
nodded. So she was not living in a boarding house. That was a relief. It wasn’t
the finest part of London but nor was it the slums. He wouldn’t have to worry
about her safety there.
    But how
in the devil could she afford the rent, unless...
    No, she
couldn’t have.
    Could
she?
    Had she
run into the arms of another man? Had she been unfaithful? He shook his head.
No, Josephine couldn’t lie to him. It simply wasn’t in her nature. But he
supposed she could have received another offer or was shopping for a new lover.
    He
muttered a vague thank you to the shopkeeper and hastened out of the
shop. Jealousy, as sharp and as ragged as broken glass sliced his insides.
Perhaps she would find another man who would want to spend every evening
sitting around in his slippers and drinking port while she painted. The image
made him sick to his stomach. Fine, she might be able to find some boring
codger of a man but she’d never find someone who could fulfil her needs as he
had.
    By the
time he had returned to his driver, ordered him to make for her address, and
settled in the cabriolet, the jealousy had turned hot and searing. It ate into
him, making his jaw tight. He rarely lost his temper but if he wasn’t careful,
he’d lose it now. The mere idea of her being with another man put him so on
edge that he felt as though each breath was coming as hot and heavy as a bull’s
just before he charged.
    The
time it took to reach her new lodgings aggravated him and made it worse. He
forced himself to take several breaths before leaping down from the vehicle. He
glanced up at the three storey white building and looked around the
neighbourhood. Really, it was quite pleasant. If she was indeed mistress for
someone else, however, he had to be a fairly poor man not to put her up in
better accommodation. Josephine deserved more.
    Him,
for example. He straightened his waistcoat, ran a hand through his hair, and
practiced his most charming smile. As long as no one else was in the picture,
he’d win her back easily enough. She never had been able to resist him. And if
there was someone else, he still liked his chances. Women had always come
easily to him.
    Dante
pulled the door bell and waited. He had to clamp his hands behind him so he
didn’t tap his fingers against his legs. The door swung open and his heart threatened
to leap out of his throat.
    “Jo-Jo.”
    Christ,
he hadn’t realised how much he’d missed her until now. He’d stayed away a week,
as planned, and it had been the longest week of his life. He needed her
already. She wore a prim shirt, buttoned up to the collar and embellished with
an amber broach. Her dark blue skirt enhanced the curve of her hips. That
golden hair that he longed to see over her shoulders was coiled up high. He
couldn’t help running his gaze up and down her.
    “Dante,
whatever are you doing here?”
    He
offered her a lopsided smile, one that usually made her melt into him. Instead
her posture remained rigid and she folded her arms across her chest.
    “Do I
not get a welcome kiss?”
    She
rolled her eyes. “You do not. How did you find me?”
    “Barnaby’s.”
    “Barna—”
She huffed a sigh. “I should have told him to keep my new address quiet.”
    “Why,
Josephine? Why do you need to hide from me?”
    “Because
I knew