Page 73 of Sacrificing the Untamed Lady Henrietta
You should not have invited such a thing,she scolded herself.You have ruined the equilibrium that existed between you both. Now, you have changed it all. There is no going back now, not unless you wish to wound him with rejection.She could not see herself doing that.
A knock at the adjoining door startled her out of her reverie.
“Henrietta?” Ewan’s voice echoed from beyond it.
“Yes?”
He chuckled. “I just wanted to check you had not drowned, for you have been in there an ungodly amount of time.”
“I am soaking my injuries,” she replied.
“Very well, but we ought to be heading down to dinner soon.”
“I shall get out now,” she promised, thinking again of the way he had kissed her. The pressured graze of his mouth on hers and the manner in which his fingertips had traced invisible lines across the curve of her waist.
What ifherejectsme?The thought made her shiver, for she did not think she would be able to bear such a prospect. It would be worse than never knowing his kiss.
Hurriedly, she clambered out of the tub and picked up her bathrobe. Tying the belt around her waist, she opened the adjoining door and stepped back into her chambers. Ewan sat on the chaise, gazing into the fire. He looked up with a smile as she entered, alleviating any of her former fears. Adoration remained in his eyes, which seemed like an encouraging sign.Not that you want to be encouraged, Henrietta! A kiss is quite enough.
“There was something I wanted to talk to you about,” she said hastily, feeling marginally exposed in nothing but her robe.
He arched an amused eyebrow. “Oh?”
“Not aboutthat, if that is what you were thinking,” she chided. “I have been having some thoughts about the Mr. Booth situation.” They had discussed the meeting with Isobel, in the carriage on the way back to the Old Bell, and neither of them had been particularly overjoyed by the revelation that Seth had been telling the truth about his family. Still, it had not allayed any of their former suspicions. It only meant that he had used alternative means to put Henrietta in harm’s way.
“You have?”
She nodded. “This ball at Scampston Hall—might we use it to entrap Mr. Booth? If he discovers that I will be attending, we may be assured that he will attempt to strike at me. All we will have to do is keep our eyes on him and stop him before he can do anything. That way, we will catch him in the act.”
“I will not use you as bait, Henrietta.”
“But it is the only way to put an end to this, once and for all.”
He pulled a doubtful face. “I do not like it.”
“I will be perfectly safe with you watching over me. Indeed, if we tell my mother and father of what has been happening, then my father will also be able to watch me,” she explained. “He might not be good at paternal instincts, but he has a military mind. He will know better than any of us where Mr. Booth will be likely to make another attempt on me.”
“The parkland is much too exposed, even in the outside ballroom there,” Ewan replied. “You could be snatched, and we would have no way of knowing where you had been taken to.”
“My father can send for his men. He can station them throughout the parkland of Scampston Hall, in the event that something should happen. All possible exits will be covered, thus leading to Mr. Booth’s capture.”
“How can you be sure that Mr. Booth will strike then?”
“It will be too tempting for him not to. I will be served up on a silver platter.” She smiled at him. “And, if he does not, then we have lost nothing. We can simply enjoy the ball.”
He tutted. “I still do not like it.”
“Neither do I, but once this is all done with, we can enjoy our lives without the fear of this threat looming over us,” she replied gently. “You see, no matter where we go, this will follow us. We must put an end to it, as soon as we can.”
“And you are sure that your father has such men at his beck-and-call?”
“If he can utilize them to keep me a prisoner in my own home, he can certainly use them to keep me safe,” she said. “He owes me that much, after everything he has done.”
“It has not been so bad, has it?” A boyish vulnerability leaked into his words, as though he were testing the waters of her affection.
“It is better than I could have expected,” she admitted, a shy smile on her face.
“You do not regret that I kissed you?”
