Page 69 of To Love A Spy
“Sweet dreams, Valkyrie,” he whispered.
But as he turned for his own bed, Lynsley knew that for him, sleep would be a long time coming.
Chapter Seventeen
“Iam tired of bed rest,” muttered Valencia
“That may be, madam,” replied her maid. “However, my orders from Mr. Daggett are quite specific. You are not to be allowed up and about until the morrow. Shall I bring you some hot chocolate and cakes?”
“No, thank you.” Nothing could sweeten the situation. She felt like a schoolgirl of old, confined to quarters for some petty infraction. “Tyrant,” she muttered under her breath.
“I am just doing what I am told,” said Perkins.
“Not you.Him.” Valencia scowled. “Kindly ask the master of the house if I might have a word with him.”
“Yes, madam.”
She sat up, fuming at the indignity of being treated like a child.Orders be damned.If he didn’t show up soon, she would storm straight into the lion’s den and confront him. Questioning his authority would come as no surprise.
The door opened with hardly a whisper. “You are feeling better, I hear,” said Lynsley
“Quite,” she snapped, belatedly realizing that her bedsnarled hair and crinkled nightrail did not present a pretty picture.
He, on the other hand, was attired in an impeccable set of evening clothes, the faultless folds of his cravat framing his firm jaw and the elegant, aristocratic nose. His lips, however, betrayed a tiny twitch.
Which only set her nerves more on edge.
“I am glad to hear it,” he replied. “By the morrow you should be strong enough to rise.”
An unladylike word floated up from the tangle of linen and lace.
“It appears thatyouare not going to be spending the evening shackled to a bedpost.”
His brow lifted. “As far as I know, such entertainments are not on the schedule. But in here Paris, the city of fleshly pleasures, I suppose anything is possible.”
“You are on your way to a brothel?” she asked slowly.
He hesitated a fraction before answering. “Our party is gathering for supper at the Salon d’Etrangers and then going on to an evening of gambling at the Palais Royal. But Levalier did make mention of heading on to a certain establishment in rue de Rivoli afterwards.”
The idea of Lynsley spending the night frolicking with a voluptuous whore did not improve Valencia’s mood.
“Have a care not to catch the pox,” she said sarcastically. “Perhaps you should ask your hosts for a condom—the French invented them.”
“Thank you for your concern,” he replied gravely. “I shall exercise caution, in case at some point in my life I should wish to procreate an heir.”
“Enjoy your evening,” she muttered, plumping up her pillows with a punch.
His face remained expressionless, but a hint of laughter danced in his eyes. “As I said, by the morrow, you should be well enough recovered to be allowed out of bed.”
“The only thing keeping me confined to quarters is your order,” she retorted. “Perkins won’t let me move a muscle without your approval.” Flinging back the covers, she waggled her leg, uncaring that the movement exposed a good deal of flesh. “As you see, I am perfectly fit.”
His gaze went opaque, shutting her out in the blink of an eye.That dratted stone Sphinx face.The statue had apparently tiptoed on its giant cat’s paws from Luxor to Paris.
“I suppose we can relax the rules a bit for this evening,” he said. “I shall inform Perkins that you are allowed to take a turn to the library if you so desire.”
“How kind of you to give me your blessing, my lord,” she said acidly. “Any other pronouncement from on high?”
“You need not wait up,” he said calmly. “I will likely be late.”
