Sins of a Virgin by Anna Randol

her bidders? It was beyond aggravating. “Lenton’s financial records are ready for your perusal this afternoon.”
    Gabriel acknowledged her with a slight inclination of his head.
    “All seven years’ worth.”
    His eyes narrowed, but he gave no other reaction.
    “I’d forgotten I was so demanding. Remind me why I decided on seven years.”
    “Your friend is getting lonely.”
    Madeline glanced back to find Lenton shifting from foot to foot, fingers tapping on his leg. “I expect to hear my brilliant reasoning later.”
    He bowed, his expression bland, but his gaze was anything but obedient.
    She let her stubbornness clash silently with his for a second before resuming her place by her suitor’s side. “That man can’t wait to be through with me.” The words roused a strange discomfort. She frowned. That sentence shouldn’t have bothered her. It was the truth, after all.
    Lenton didn’t disappoint. He pulled her close. “I, on the other hand, can’t wait to win you.”
    His flirtation didn’t soothe her vanity as much as she might have wished. Yet she brightened her smile and kept Lenton—and the other gentlemen who joined their group—enraptured until she’d finished their circuit around the park. She dispersed the fellows with promises of future dalliances and rounded on Gabriel.
    He gave her a brief bow and began to walk away.
    Oh no, he wasn’t about to leave without an explanation. She caught his arm. “Walk me to my coach.”
    “It’s two feet away from you.” He halted, glaring at her hand. “I believe my duties are fulfilled this morning.”
    “Apparently, your sense of duty knows no bounds. Seven years?”
    “It will be hard for your suitors to hide the truth of their situations from me. They might counterfeit a few months’ worth of financial records to win you, but they won’t be able to falsify seven years’ worth, not in the amount of time I give them.” His voice was noncommittal, as if he wasn’t even interested enough to try to convince her of the truth of his words.
    “That’s the best lie you could come up with?” Anger burned across her cheeks, warming them. He’d even had extra time to come up with a better one. “Why seven years?”
    “You’ll know if they have the money, which is what I was hired to find out. As you’re so fond of pointing out, the rest doesn’t concern you.”
    But it did. He was hiding something. And as someone who had done that professionally, she knew not to trust secrets.
    Or the person who kept them.

Chapter Nine
    M adeline handed Ian a cold towel.
    He pressed it to the back of his head and collapsed into a chair. “Really, old man, you knew it was me.”
    Canterbury’s face remained expressionless. “I had no idea. I took you for a common thief.”
    “You accuse me of being common when you hit me over the head with a frying pan? That would have done a fishwife proud.”
    Canterbury sniffed, causing the scarlet plumes on his hat to jerk toward his face. “You should know. You are the one who has far too much experience with wives of all kinds. Now I must prepare the tea.” He bowed to Madeline and backed from the room.
    How did they know each other? They bickered like an old couple.
    “So did you find out anything about the note?” she asked.
    Ian groaned. “Give me a moment to collect what remains of my meager mental facilities.” He stood and poured himself a brandy.
    Madeline snatched it from his hand and poured it back into the decanter. “You know that brandy is only for show.”
    “But it’s excellent brandy. I bought it.”
    “With my money. You also know the one bottle is all I could afford. What will I do if I’m forced to entertain some gentlemen?”
    Ian reached for the decanter. “Offer them tea?”
    She slapped his hand away.
    “But it’s your butler who—” He held up his hands. “Fine. You win. I haven’t been able to discover anything about your note. No one’s heard anything unusual. I took