Fortune's Lady by Patricia Gaffney

be mentioned again by any of us.”
    â€œAgreed,” said Quinn swiftly.
    â€œAgreed,” Riordan replied more slowly. “As long as you place no condition on remembering it.” He wondered why he persisted in teasing her. It wasn’t really like him. But she turned such a lovely shade of pink when she blushed, he couldn’t help himself.
    â€œEnough, Philip,” Quinn chided, standing up. “We have much to discuss.”
    â€œHave we?” he asked, puzzled. “I thought we’d all but decided Miss Merlin’s usefulness was at an end.”
    â€œDid you?” Quinn sent him a measuring look. “I don’t recall deciding that. It’s true, her usefulness in the original role may be over, but that only means we’ll have to be more resourceful. Flexibility, that’s the key. A shift of focus. The goal isn’t to establish a relationship between Wade and Miss Merlin anymore, at least not immediately. It’s to establish one between you and Miss Merlin, one which Wade will believe he can infiltrate and compromise.”
    There was a silence. Cass’s wits were slow today; she couldn’t immediately comprehend what Quinn was saying.
    Riordan’s were quicker. Almost before Quinn had finished speaking, he was grinning and slapping the top of the desk with his palm. “Of course! Oliver, you’re a genius. This is even better than the original plan. This way we not only learn things about Wade from Cass, we can pass selected information to him through her. It’s perfect!”
    â€œYes, I thought you’d like it,” Quinn smiled thinly.
    Besides feeling a mounting sense of alarm, Cass was growing tired of being spoken of as if she weren’t in the room. “I’m afraid I don’t understand,” she interjected sharply. “Why would Mr. Wade want to infiltrate a relationship between Mr. Riordan and me?”
    Riordan glanced at Quinn. “You didn’t tell her?”
    â€œNo, there wasn’t time.”
    â€œTell me what?” She looked back and forth between them.
    â€œMr. Riordan is a Member of the House of Commons,” the older man explained.
    Cass looked at Riordan for half a second before bursting out with a spontaneous laugh. An answering chortle sounded from the direction of Mr. Walker, although at a hard look from Quinn, it turned into a choking cough. “You’re joking, of course,” Cass stated with certainty, still smiling.
    â€œOdd, a lot of my new constituents had the same reaction,” Riordan smiled back amiably. “But I’m afraid it’s true. You see before you the distinguished junior Member for St. Chawes.”
    â€œSt. Chawes?” It had to be a joke.
    â€œIn Cornwall. A small borough, it’s true—only twelve voting burgesses. It helped at election time that my father’s wool business employed all twelve of them. My father is the Earl of Raine, by the way. He was a Member of the House of Lords until a few years ago, when drink and syphilis finally incapacitated him. Now he stays at home, peacefully counting my mother’s lovers. No easy feat even for a man in good health.”
    Cass could only stare. His tone was jocular, but there was a tightness around his mouth that made his smile seem forced.
    â€œIt’s really true?” she asked after a full minute. “You are truly a member of the Parliament?”
    â€œMy dear, this continued skepticism is beginning to hurt my feelings. Believe it. It’s true.”
    â€œThen…” She put a hand to her forehead; this was getting too complicated. “How do you expect to make people believe we’re involved?” She directed the question to Quinn. “I mean, why would we be? Mr. Riordan is the son of an earl, he holds a high position in the government, he’s obviously wealthy.” Unconsciously her chin rose a fraction. “On the other hand, you’ve had