Page 46 of You Only Love Twice
The womanwho called herself Hollis Beechworth, took a deep breath as the Duke of Malloryn led her to the top of the staircase in the Winter Palace.
A servant appeared out of nowhere offering a glass of champagne, which she accepted.
"Are you ready?" Malloryn murmured, surveying the enormous ballroom as if he owned it.
"Seek. Enamor. Destroy," Hollis told him in return, with a sultry lift of her shoulder and a saucy smile. "It seems simple to me."
Malloryn gave her an astute look. This was her first official mission for him.
Oh, there'd been many other small tasks. Pretending to be other people, luring targets into admitting a particular bit of information, a little bit of break and entering, forging certain notes, taking transcriptions of others.... All done in the shadows of night, where her gift for recall helped her excel. She could read a page once and manage to remember almost everything on it hours later.
But this was the first time Malloryn had ever asked her to play a role in public.
She felt almost giddy with the thrill of it; of finally being able to repay him for sparing her life all those years ago.
"There's Sergey Grigoriev," Malloryn murmured, his glance flickering across the room. "I want you to get close to him and discover what he knows of the Empress's condition, and where her familial affections lie."
Hollis drained the glass of champagne, watching the enigmatic stranger across the room smiling like a shark. Tall. Handsome. Dressed all in black, with an ornate golden Orthodox cross hanging against his black coat. "He's mine."
The press of Malloryn's hand on the small of her back stilled her descent.
"Be careful," he said, his expression unblinking. "The Blood Court is a dangerous place, and there are rumors Grigoriev murdered his uncle, aunt and younger cousins for the title he now holds. He's a dangerous player in this game, Hollis."
"Careful is my middle name," she protested.
Malloryn gave her an arched brow.
"I won't fail you."
Then she swept down the stairs on his arm, aware of all the eyes turning to survey her.
Miss Hollis Beechworth. Malloryn's young cousin. Here to potentially cement an alliance between the British Empire and Russia, by marriage, if nothing else.
A simple role, helped by the seclusion of the real Hollis Beechworth, who despised Malloryn.
They were introduced, and Malloryn set his shark's smile in place as he swept her into the crush of silk organza.
Circling the room, she nodded at one Russian aristocrat, and laughed as another bumped into her with a smile that showed a little too much teeth. Hollis made light commentary as she was introduced to dozens of people, responding in limited Russian.
Malloryn caught her eye, and tipped his head.
Time to roll the die.
Slipping another glass of champagne from the servant's tray, Hollis headed in a meandering path toward Sergey.
He stood in a coterie of elegant gentleman, his gaze flashing across her as she swayed toward him. Then back, clearly enamored with her appearance. Time to cast the lure.
Shoulders back, she caught the eye of the strapping officer beside Sergey, then glanced beneath her lashes and moved toward him, focusing all her attention upon him. Out of the corner of her vision she caught a brief flicker of Sergey frowning, and smiled inwardly.
In her experience, men dreamed of what they couldn't have. And powerful men wanted what other men had. He was used to being fawned over, but he liked to do the chasing himself.
The bait was cast.
The officer seemed startled by her attention. His mustache quivered when she smiled at him, and he took a startled drink of his champagne, his gold medallions gleaming in the candlelight.
She was almost there when a tall, dark blot of shadow stepped in her path.
Hollis blinked as she looked up—and up—into gray eyes the color of stormy seas. For a second all she could see were his thick lashes, tipped with blond, and the faint crease between his brows. Her breath caught. The newcomer wore strict black from head-to-toe, but it only served to highlight his handsome features.
