The Temptation of a Gentleman by Jenna Petersen Page A

thought…”
    “ I just don’t know, Marion. You don’t know what you’re asking of me.” With a frown, he rose to his feet. “Give me a day or two to think it over and I’ll return to you with my answer.” He couldn’t bear to look at her disappointed face. “Goodnight.”
    “ Ye-Yes. Goodnight, my lord.”
    Marion watched him go, trying to hold back tears of disappointment until he was gone. She’d been so certain Noah would be her salvation, but he’d suddenly turned much colder, as if she’d asked him to do something that tried on his soul.
    But Noah was a rogue, well known for his behavior with women. How could pretending to ruin her harm him in any way? Unless…
    Her mind flitted back to Lucas’s mention of Noah’s fiancée in London. Noah seemed loath to talk about the young woman. Perhaps she was the reason he couldn’t pretend to ruin her. Perhaps his days as a rake were over now that he’d found love.
    Choking back a sob, Marion hurried back to her room. She could only hope the friendship she’d forged with Noah over the short time she’d known him would be enough for him to help her. If not, she was on her own and her chances for escape were very small indeed.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
Chapter Six
     
    Noah paced his office like a tiger in a cage. The ice in the tumbler in his hand tinkled against the crystal as he spun on his heel. Since the previous night when Marion asked for his help, he’d been unable to think of anything but her. Yet he couldn’t do as she asked, or at least, not without a great deal of consideration.
    Consideration he’d been unable to achieve while she stood only a few feet away. Her presence made rational thought completely impossible. He needed time alone to reflect on what she’d asked.
    But a night of brooding left him with no new solutions. He had no idea how to assist her, yet still stay true to his case and keep his vow to his future bride.
    Well, he had one idea, but it was dangerous.
    While Marion had told her story about finding her aunt’s letters, a vision of her as a little girl spy had made him smile. Now it made him think. She was quick-witted and graceful, two qualities essential to a good spy. His own sister had demonstrated both, and Audrey had been a successful agent for the crown. Could Marion do the same?
    If so, she might help him find the evidence he needed to prove Lucas was a killer. Instead of ruining her, Noah could free her from her father’s debts by arresting the man who held them. And even if it turned out Lucas was innocent of murder, Noah could easily buy Marion’s freedom. He was sure Walter Hawthorne could be persuaded to let his daughter go. For the right price.
    Neither option would require Noah to ‘spoil’ her publicly, He wouldn’t have to kiss her or touch her to make their deception look real. Because if he started down that path with Marion, he wouldn’t want to go back.
    Working alongside her would be difficult enough. They would have to meet in secret to exchange information and were bound to get into confined situations. But being pressed up against Marion Hawthorne in order to solve a murder wasn’t the same as humiliating Charlotte with some country tart.
    Was it?
    “ Noah, there you are.”
    He turned to find his mother at his door. Normally Tabitha Jordan kept to herself during the day, tending to her gardens or her charitable works. She didn’t often seek out Noah’s company, or anyone else’s for that matter. Since his father’s death, she’d been reclusive, though Noah told himself it was natural for her to mourn. He could do nothing to ease her pain while his own was still so great.
    “ Good afternoon, Mother,” he said. “I didn’t expect to see you until tea time.”
    She arched one dark eyebrow with a smile. “But my dear, it is tea time.”
    Noah flipped his pocket watch from his waistcoat. He hadn’t realized the hour had grown so late. “By God, Mother, you’re right. I’m sorry