The Daring Exploits of a Runaway Heiress by Victoria Alexander Page A

Mr. Channing was paying you,” she added.
    He stared. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, miss.”
    She blew an annoyed breath. “No, I didn’t think you could. Honor among thieves and all that.” She thought for a moment. “Exactly how much did Mr. Channing tell you about my plans?”
    “I . . .”
    “If you’re going to tell me again that you can’t say, you might as well hold your tongue,” she said sharply, and again the dog growled. “This is my life that is being meddled with and I resent not having my questions answered.”
    “I can understand that.”
    She arched a brow. “Can you indeed?”
    “I would think it would be most annoying.”
    She snorted. “You have no idea.” She rose to her feet, gestured for him to stay seated, then paced the room. The dog trotted along at her heels. “Were you to report back to him? About my activities?”
    What was it Phineas had said about the lady who wished to hire him to watch Miss Merryweather? Ah yes. “No. My charge was only to make certain no harm befell you.”
    “That’s something at any rate.” She continued to pace, then paused and looked at him. “I have no desire to have my plans interfered with, Mr. Fairchild. I could, of course, just throw you out right now, but I doubt that will stop your observation of me. You will simply go back to hiding in doorways. Am I correct?”
    “I do have a job to do.” It simply wasn’t the job she thought.
    “I suspected as much.” She resumed pacing, her brows furrowed thoughtfully. He could almost see the gears and wheels of her mind working, like a fine timepiece. Whatever she was up to, it went far beyond sightseeing. This was much more intriguing than he had expected. Perhaps she really was having adventures, after all. After a few silent moments, she nodded as if she had come to a decision, and turned toward him. “It seems if I am going to accomplish what I intend to accomplish, I am going to have to trust you. Can I?”
    What on earth did she want to accomplish? “I have always been most trustworthy.”
    “Although really, I have little choice. I can confide in you and hope it’s not a mistake. Or I can allow you to trail along behind us, hopefully keeping us safe from brigands and scoundrels, and let you draw your own conclusions. Which would probably be a mistake as well.” She shook her head. “I have never been fond of choosing the lesser of two evils.”
    He waited.
    “Very well then. Let’s get on with it.” She moved to a side table, pulled open a drawer, and withdrew a sheet of paper. She sat back down on the sofa, the dog resuming his previous position. “My fortune is the legacy of my Great-aunt Lucinda. When she was young, before she married, she made this list of things she wanted to do in her life, adventures, she called them. She never managed them, and instead of adventures, this became a list of her regrets.” She handed the paper to Cam. “I intend to accomplish as many of these as I can.”
    “I see.” Cam scanned the sheet. Most of the items were exactly the kind of innocuous things a young girl might want. A few were profound, and indeed, if he had a list of his own, some of these same things might appear on his. And several were definitely scandalous. No wonder Mr. Channing, or Phineas’s client, wanted someone to keep an eye on Miss Merryweather. “You do realize some of these will be extremely difficult if not impossible?”
    “That’s the challenge, isn’t it?” A wicked twinkle gleamed in her eyes, and for the first time, she cast him a genuine smile. It lit up her face and did something odd to the pit of his stomach. Good Lord, what had he gotten himself into? “And the fun.”
    “Fun?” He swallowed hard, trying to get some of the items regarding romantic interludes or taking a lover or being painted sans clothing out of his head. “Yes, I can see that.”
    “Do you think it’s silly? My wanting to accomplish these things my great-aunt never