Page 6 of An Earl Unmasked
He briefly released her to slide down to the ground. Randal reached up to assist her. His breath caught at the sight of her beaming smile. Diana leaned over and placed her hands upon his shoulders. She had a tiny waist that molded to his palms. He took his time lowering her to her feet. He wasn’t one to waste time, yet this woman made him want to linger in the moment.
Her hand slid up along his shoulder and neck to cup his cheek. “Will you allow me to tend to your wound?”
He flinched as her palm touched his hidden wound beneath his beard.
Diana snapped her hand away and peered intently at his cheek. “What pains you?”
“An old wound. Naught for you to worry about.” He pressed a kiss to her worried brow. The small gasp behind him was the reminder he needed—they were not alone. “Paddy, give Lady Diana’s mare a good brush down.”
“Aye, me lord.” The boy hurried off, leading the horse further into the stables.
He waited for Diana’s rebuff or, at the very least, lecture on gentlemanly behavior. Instead, she tilted her head and asked, “Is it the wound that required you to return home?” Not waiting for a reply, Diana looped her arm through his and led him toward the terrace doors.
The old familiar feeling of being the outsider in his own home promptly returned. He extracted his arm and stepped away from the woman that had his mind and body in disarray. “I’ll grant you access today and today only. However, you are to limit your visit to the library, and I shall have one of the footmen escort you home when you are ready.” He spun on his heels in the opposite direction. He had taken two steps before he was poked in the back. Did the woman have no sense? Everyone was aware of how risky it was to provoke an injured animal, least of all a beast like him.
“How very generous of you to believe I could solve one of your papa’s puzzles in a matter of hours.” She released a deep sigh, “You have overestimated my abilities.”
He swung around to face the impertinent chit and was hit with a pang of guilt at the sight of Diana’s sad, desolate features. Diana wasn’t mocking him; no she was speaking plainly and was obviously performing complex evaluations within her mind.
Diana placed her hands on her hips and muttered, “To date, I’ve only succeeded to solve one of his puzzles within a week. All the others took at least a fortnight, and that was with me visiting every day and him assisting me. If I involve Minerva or Isadora, perhaps…”
He held up a hand to stall her monologue. “Lady Diana. I posted those no trespassing signs for a reason. I do not wish for visitors at this time.”
“But Lord Chestwick, your papa…”
He ran a hand through his hair. His actions delayed the rest of her retort, but the woman was not easily deterred. Diana took a step closer and continued, “Oh. You really believe there could be danger lurking about. Here, in the Manchester countryside.”
He wasn’t certain. There was no clear reason for someone to attack with the stealth required to sneak up on him, yet he couldn’t quite believe he simply took a tumble. “My need for privacy has nothing to do with today’s events. Perhaps it’s best I simply have Paul escort you home now.”
She pulled out the parchment from her pocket. “Nay. I need to discover the answer to your papa’s puzzle. It’s important to me. You can’t deny me access to the library, especially after I endured an entire Season, remained unwed per his requirements, all for this opportunity.”
“You declined offers of marriage in order to partake in some silly puzzle my papa formulated?”
Her brow creased into a frown for a brief moment. She flickered her gaze heavenward. “Your papa was a brilliant man. Kind. Loving. And he…well, I believe he understood my passion for seeking out knowledge. Not the awareness gained from studying the words on the page but the underlying truth beyond the literal meaning of script upon a piece of parchment.”
Good lord, the lady communicated in poetic verses just as his papa had. “One day of full access to the family library. No more.”
“Very well, step aside.” She marched through the terrace doors without a backward glance.
His feet wanted to follow Lady Diana, but he remained rooted to the spot. His papa had been well aware he’d not live to see another summer—what had the old man bequeathed to the young lady?
Chapter Four
Hanging precariously fromthe ladder, Diana stretched to reach the ancient volume.Achoo. Dust tickled her nose once more, but she held back the second sneeze.
Diana spied Mrs. Humbleworth below. The housekeeper wrung the corners of her apron. “Me lady, ye best be careful, or ye might fall.”
Paul, whose shoulders now filled out his footman’s uniform, had his arms stretched out in the event he might have to catch her. She gave him a confident smile and returned her attention to the book that barely brushed the tips of her fingertips. With the tips of her toes on the edge of the rung, Diana slid her hand up the spine of the book she believed might hold the next clue. She pulled the heavy tome toward her, but she found herself struggling to find her footing.
“Bloody hell! What are you doing up there?” Lord Chestwick’s thunderous voice boomed from below.
Rather than holding on tighter to the ladder, Diana pulled the precious volume to her chest and let go. Eyes closed, she let herself float down into the beast’s arms. She didn’t trust many, but she had an innate desire to trust this man—and to test him.
“Oomph” Muscled arms caught her. She opened her eyes and immediately sought out the green and gold flecks she’d seen earlier.
“You could have broken your neck if I hadn’t arrived.”
“Nonsense. Paul would have caught me.” She glanced at the footman and then back to the brawny beast that held her. Lord Chestwick was not at all like the indolent gentlemen she had been introduced to this past Season. He was a warrior. Bah. She needed to rein in her fanciful thoughts. The dark scowl upon Lord Chestwick’s rugged features reminded her he was no knight in shining armor. No, the man was a mercenary, an extremely displeased one at that. “My thanks, Lord Chestwick, for intervening. You may release me now.”
