Sweet Revenge Read Online Free

been the truth, this one was a lie. She had seen someone, but she had no intention of sharing that information with the Crown.
    Shoving back his chair, the captain rose abruptly, setting off a jangle of metal. Arianna watched the flutter of ribbons and braid as the gaudy bits of gilded brass and enameled silver stilled against his chest. Did the man have any notion how ridiculous he looked, strutting about in his peacock finery? His martial scowl was belied by the fleshiness of his hands as he braced them on the polished wood. They looked soft as dough.
    A bread soldier, thought Arianna. A staff flunky. Put him in a real fight and a butter knife would cut through him in one swift slice. As for the other one, he looked to be made of sterner stuff. She guessed that he was the man in command.
    “Mr. Alphonse!” Raising his voice to a near shout, the captain leaned in and angled his chin to a menacing tilt. “Did you try to murder the Prince Regent?”
    Arianna ducked her head to hide a smile. Conceited coxcomb—I’ve been bullied by far more intimidating men than you.
    “If you answer me honestly, it will go a lot easier for you,” he went on. “Otherwise future interrogations could become quite unpleasant.” His mouth twitched into a nasty smile. “For you, that is.”
    “I have told you ze truth. I did not poison the Prince,” she said. “If you don’t believe me, why don’t you search the kitchen?”
    The draperies stirred, echoing a low laugh. “What do you think my men are doing as we speak?” The officer there moved to stand in front of the windows. Limned in the morning light, his silhouette was naught but a stark dark shape against the panes of glass—save for the halo of ginger fire.
    “I have nothing to fear,” she answered calmly. The bag containing her disguises was well hidden beneath a pantry floorboard, with the weight and odor of the onion barrel discouraging too close an inspection of the dark corner. “I am innocent of any attack on your Prince.”
    The captain replied with a vulgar oath.
    “Am I under arrest?” asked Arianna, deciding it was to her advantage to end the interview as soon as possible. She had overheard two of the guards discussing their orders earlier, and was aware that Whitehall was sending another interrogator later in the day. She would save her strength for that confrontation.
    “Not yet, you stinking little piece of—”
    “Leave us for a moment, Captain Mercer.” The other officer cut off his cohort with a clipped command.
    The captain snapped a salute. “Have a pleasant chat with the Major, Froggy,” he muttered under his breath.
    The Major’s boots clicked over the parquet floor, echoing the sound of the door falling shut. Approaching the captain’s vacated chair, he picked up a penknife from the table and slowly began cleaning his nails.
    Snick. Snick. Snick. The faint scrapings were meant to put her on edge, thought Arianna as she watched the flash of slivered steel. Like her, the Major understood the importance of theatrics.
    The noise ceased.
    Bowing her head, she remained silent.
    “I think you are lying to us, Mr. Alphonse,” he said in a deceptively mild tone.
    She lifted her shoulders in a Gallic shrug. “What can I say? Iz hard to offer proof for an act that I haven’t committed.”
    “Oh, I don’t expect you to speak right now. I am perfectly happy to let you stew a little longer about your fate.” He stroked at his side whiskers, and his fingers came away with a trace of Macassar oil on their tips. “You see, I expect you to die. But if you give us the information we want, the process will be a good deal less painful for you.”
    Arianna kept her expression impassive.
    “What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?”
    “Arguing with you would only be a waste of breath,” she murmured. “Am I excused? The household expects to eat at noon.”
    “Go.” He placed the blade atop the captain’s sheaf of notes. “But be assured, you