The Wolf's Pursuit (London Fairy Tales #3)(19)

At least now she was able to concentrate on her targets.

Wilkins had sent her a note stating that the following three men were suspected of treason.

Lord Trehmont, Sir Hollins, and Lord Redding.

Men who, by all appearances, valued propriety above all else.

But she knew their secrets.

Trehmont was in debt up to his ears, and to some powerful people within the fallen French aristocracy. Meaning they were finally calling out all the debt. But was he desperate enough to betray his country? Or murder someone because of it?

Hollins was a young idiot who had more money than sense. His desire was to buy himself a better title, but nobody seemed to be willing to give him the time of day. It was rumored he also enjoyed sexual escapades that were enough to make any debutante, or woman for that matter, cringe. She could see him killing someone. In fact, she could see him doing a lot of terrible things in order to gain power.

And finally Redding. Unfortunately, she knew nothing about him. Only that he was devastatingly handsome and rumored to have grotesque scars from the war. Though one couldn't see the scars by looking at him.

He still walked with a slight limp, but that didn't keep females from chasing after him. The poor man often resorted to hiding. He was akin to the last antelope at a dinner party for lions.

With a sigh, Gwen squared her shoulders and batted her lashes at the men surrounding her, each of them in her mind a suspect.

She ignored most of the conversation, allowing them to fuss about her and compliment her dress. The smile felt frozen across her face as each and every one of the men, around ten of them, continued to pay her false compliments, all the while leering at her breasts and panting after her.

Gwen wasn't vain enough to think it was her looks that gained her acceptance, but the fact that the great Wolf had declared her pure and she had slapped away his advances. Men.

After being asked if she was receiving callers in the afternoon, to which she replied yes, she decided to remove herself from the situation.

"Gentlemen, it is dreadfully hot, is it not?" With a flourish, she pulled out her fan and began dramatically fanning her face.

"Well then." Trehmont cleared his throat and stood directly in front of her. "It seems all the lady needs is a brisk walk into the cool night air with a willing gentleman." He reached for her free hand, but was slapped away by another intruder.

"Terribly sorry, Trehmont, but it seems the lady has already promised to take the air with me." Hunter's voice was like silk compared to the rest of the men's.

"As the lady wishes." Trehmont grimaced, showing his vast irritation. Gwen thought it a kindness that she would talk to him at all, considering the circumstances. It would be a trial to even speak with the man longer than a few minutes, let alone let him touch her person.

She shivered at the thought as Hunter led her toward the outskirts of the ballroom.

"Trembling beneath my touch, my sweet?"

Gwen rolled her eyes but kept her smile firmly in place as they passed curious onlookers. "Yes, it seems you've caught me, Hunter. Your touch turns me to liquid, your kiss makes my knees weak, please, let us marry and be done with this whole charade."

Hunter sighed. "I leave you for five minutes and the dove turns into a shrew."

"Are you always this poetic?"

Hunter clenched her arm tighter as he led her toward the doors to the balcony. "Always."

Gwen smirked and stole a sideways glance at the man. His golden eyes were trained on the door, his perfect devil-may-care smile in place, but he was rigid with tension.

She cleared her throat. "You should have given me more time with the gentlemen. I need to be in their confidence if I am to find out their secrets."

Hunter snorted and finally looked at her. "Believe me, they were within seconds of blurting every blasted secret in the known universe." Why did he sound so irritated?

"You need to let me do my job."

He smirked. "And you, my dear, need to allow me to do mine." He pushed through the door and led her out into the cool night air. "Besides, it is our job to leave them a little trail of bread crumbs." His eyes gazed at her face and then lower. "Very attractive little crumbs."

"Bread crumbs?" Gwen repeated, ignoring the shiver his look gave her. He was her partner. Perhaps if she kept chanting that over and over again, she would forget his kiss. And the way his golden eyes caressed her skin.

"Why, yes." Hunter released her arm and pulled out a cheroot. "Give a squirrel a basket full of nuts and it will gorge itself or worse yet, covet the nuts and no longer search for more."

"Nuts? Now you're comparing men to nuts?"

Hunter scoffed as he took a long draw of the cheroot. "Absolutely not. I'm comparing men to squirrels."

"Oh."

"You, my dear, are the nut."

"Oh?" Gwen had to clench her hands behind her back to keep from lunging after the man.

"Why, yes." Hunter blew out another puff of smoke and grinned. Blast, how she hated that grin. She looked away as he continued to speak, his chest puffed out much like a peacock when mating. "When men or animals, for that matter, are in pursuit, they are easily bored and distracted. We need to make this game a challenge."

"So now I'm part of a game." Gwen looked up at Hunter just as he threw down his cheroot and turned his full male arrogance upon her. Shocking that God didn't feel the need to strike the man down for his petulance.