Page 10 of Most Sought-After Scoundrel in London
They walked through Hadfield Hall, which was abuzz with activity.Servants were bustling about, accompanied by the sounds of children scurrying up and down stairs.It was a stark difference to the eerie quietness of his abode that he occupied alone now that his sisters were all married.
As they crossed the threshold of the front door, Violet turned to him and said, “There’s no need to accompany me, my lord.I’m certain you must have much to arrange, as I do, in order to set out tomorrow.”
“Actually, I’ve the afternoon free.My staff are accustomed to me leaving on short notice.”
“Oh, really, and why is that?”
He really should be more careful.“Oh, gentlemen often set off on hunting trips without much planning or simply to escape from the tiresome balls.”
“Ah… yes one of the many privileges of being a gentleman.The liberty to go about as you jolly well please,” Violet blustered at him as he maneuvered her toward his carriage.
After he assisted her up into the vehicle, Cameron chuckled, pleased to hear the informality of Violet’s tone.He was finally breaking through her solid wall of propriety and was just mayhap one step closer to becoming one of the widow’s confidants.
The fresh air was a nice reprieve.Violet stretched her arms out wide and spun in a circle.She was finally free from the confines of the travel coach.She wondered about the neatly manicured gardens at the back of the Hadfield’s country estate, which was far more welcoming than the austere mansion her belated husband had owned and sentenced her to for the first two weeks of their short-lived marriage.A bone-deep shiver rolled throughout her, sending her to her knees.Arms crossed and eyes tightly shut, memories of being thrown out into the night by creditors had welled up tears rolling down her cheeks.
That was the past.
She’d survived.
A heavy arm wrapped about her.
Like years before, her mouth fell open to yell for help but knowing that there was no one to come to her aid, she pressed her lips tight and pushed away with all her might.
Rather than a crude swat of a meaty hand meeting her cheek, two warm, kid-leather-covered palms cupped her face.“Violet, what happened?Did you fall?Are you hurt?”
She blinked until her vision cleared, and a very concerned Lord Hurlington was assessing her from head to toe.Violet tried to shuffle backward but the man moved with lightning speed, shifting his hands from her face to grip her tightly about the arms.Eyes trained on her, Lord Hurlington said, “Breathe.Nice and slow.”His grip eased, and he sat back onto his heels.“You are doing brilliant.”
Mesmerized by his gaze, Violet did as the man said and focused on the simple task of breathing.Brain still in a fog, she opened and closed her mouth twice but words escaped her.
“No rush, there’s plenty of daylight remaining,” Lord Hurlington said, glancing up at the cloud-covered sky.“But it might be best if we try to return to the house.Can you walk?”
Weakened knees had her wobbling as she attempted to stand.In the next moment, she found herself swept off her feet and cradled up against Lord Hurlington’s chest.Why the scoundrel believed it appropriate to take such liberties and why she allowed him to do so was as befuddling as to why she’d succumbed to a crippling episode of the past when she hadn’t in months.
Suddenly bone weary, Violet rested her cheek against Lord Hurlington’s shoulder and murmured, “My thanks, Lord Hurlington.”
“Hmm.Wouldn’t you agree that after spending three days in each other's company, we should discontinue using formalities?Why not refer to me by my given name, Cameron, and I shall address you in kind, Violet?”
She should object to his suggestion but his sure and steady strides had her heavy eyelids closing.Engulfed in a warmth she’d never experienced before, Violet drifted off to sleep, her mind devoid of troubles and focused on only one thing—Cameron, the Earl of Hurlington.
Cameron glanced down at the brave and resilient woman slumbering in his arms.Negotiation was one of his stronger suits, yet it had taken every tactic he knew to obtain the barest of information from Violet.The clever chit avoided answering direct questions and evaded his inquiries with retorts that had his mind going about in circles.Not only was he bone weary from traveling three long days, he was exhausted from all the mental calisthenics Violet had put him through.However, he’d confirmed three key facts: Violet was exceptionally apt at keeping secrets, her marriage not been a love match, and while she held very few in high regard, he was slowly becoming one of those she believed worthy of trusting.
The flutter of curtains in the window on the second story was a signal he couldn’t ignore even if he had other plans of his own.With rain clouds approaching, Lady Bronwyn had sent him out to fetch Violet back to the house.All hopes of sequestering Violet away in the arbor were dashed as he strode up the steps of the terrace and through the country estate that Lord Hadfield had managed to resurrect from years of neglect.Fortunate not to have been born into a family faced with financial concerns, he couldn’t fully understand the pressures or fears that Violet had alluded to during their journey.The urge to discover more about Violet hadn’t waned as soon as the woman was out of sight, as usual.In fact, the longer he was away from her, the more anxious he became.Even now, as he strode down the hall to her bedchamber, dread was seeping into his bones at the knowledge he’d be banished from her side soon.
“Good gracious, Hurlington, could you walk any slower?”Lady Bronwyn admonished in a whisper.While he and his hostess were of the same age, she could make him feel ten years her junior.
“Do you wish for me to wake her?”
“Most definitely not.”Lady Bronwyn ushered them over to the bed and drew back the coverlet.
As soon as he laid Violet down, he was shooed away, and Lady Bronwyn, wife to the head PORF, attended to Violet like a maid.Her humble actions were just one of Lady Bronwyn’s admirable qualities that Cameron had witnessed over the years, reinforcing his commitment to the Network and serving PORF to the best of his abilities.
His gaze naturally wandered back to Violet.Why the special treatment?Why Violet?
Over her shoulder, Lady Bronwyn scowled at Cameron, but rather than obeying the unspoken order to leave, he widened his stance and crossed his arms over his chest.
Once Violet was securely tucked in, Lady Bronwyn marched up to him, the top of her head barely even with his shoulders, and motioned for him to bend lower, which he did as he unraveled his arms and clasped them tightly behind his back.“We need Lady Violet to be well rested.”
“Why?”
