Page 14 of Most Sought-After Scoundrel in London
Taking her time to adjust her skirts, she kept her eyes averted but was keenly aware of Cameron’s every move.She waited for Lord Hadfield to be seated.Hands clasped in her lap, shoulders relaxed, and she kept her breathing at a slow, even pace.
“Has Hurlington been treating you well?”Lord Hadfield asked as he accepted the tumbler Cameron offered him.
In a relaxed manner, Cameron took the seat next to her and crossed his outstretched legs at the ankles.Since discovering that her trainer always acted with purpose, she had begun to analyze his every move.Had Cameron placed his long limbs out to protect her or to prevent her from escaping?
“No need to answer, Lady Violet.Hurlington’s repose says it all.”Lord Hadfield crossed his leg over one knee and then proceeded to slowly raise his glass to his lips.
Her brows knitted before she could mask her reaction.Cameron had briefed her on the art of reading and interpreting the body language of others, but she’d not thought about adjusting her own movements with the intent to communicate.What had Lord Hadfield’s slow and deliberate movements meant?She made a mental note to ask Cameron once they were alone again.There was much for her to learn.Violet caught Cameron sneaking a glance over his glass at her, and the wave of uncertainty that had threatened to crush her confidence petered out, knowing that she was in Cameron’s capable care.
Lord Hadfield turned his gaze to Cameron and asked, “Have you shared with Lady Violet your objective and the timing we need it completed?”
“I thought it best to provide her with the fundamentals before burdening her with more,” Cameron answered as he swirled the amber liquid around and around in his tumbler.He was purposefully avoiding eye contact, which meant he was skirting the truth.
“Perhaps, Lord Hadfield, you could provide me with the details?”Violet bravely asked.
“You and Hurlington are to devise a new method for disseminating mass messages within the Network.”
“New?”she blurted and pinned Cameron with a look of disbelief.Why would he have agreed to do the impossible?
Lord Hadfield polished off the remainder of the brandy in his glass with a swift swig and stood.“After today, I have every confidence you shall succeed.I’m looking forward to hearing your solution orsolutionsbefore we return to London.”
If she had not undergone three days of intense instruction on controlling facial expressions, her mouth would have fallen agape, or her lips would have thinned into a fine line.She held her tongue as her emotions volleyed between worry and anger.Violet waited as Lord Hadfield unraveled his long form and stood.With a nod as a farewell, Lord Hadfield left the room, pausing briefly to set his glass down on the sideboard.She must remember to ask Cameron to teach her how to put into practice the art of body language, but only if she didn’t succeed in strangling the man for not informing her about their task from the beginning.
With her host out of earshot, she turned to Cameron and asked, “We have covered less than a handful of covert message delivery methods during the past few days.How many are there?”
Cameron continued to stare into his glass.“Umm… a dozen or so.”
Never one to back down from a challenge, she grabbed the tumbler from his hands and downed the brew.The burning sensation confirmed she was alive and was, in fact, not dreaming.When she opened her teary eyes to find Cameron staring at her with utter shock, Violet laughed and said, “Well, if we are to devise a method in ten days, we’d best start now.”
The children were frolicking about in the gardens as they did every afternoon.Cameron watched from the drawing room window in awe.The Earl of Hadfield, the head PORF, had stripped out of his jacket and waistcoat and was chasing his children about the lawn, his arms high in the air.Egad, was the man pretending to be… a bear?
Cameron shook his head.Not a bear.Bears didn’t wave their arms and jump about.Whatever creature Lord Hadfield was, he had the children running in peals of laughter.
A tug of jealousy pulled on his heart.
About to turn five-and-thirty, his closest mates had one by one decided to marry over the past two years.Cameron had believed he still had time before finding his match and having a family, until now.One of the Neale boys zigzagged around his father and darted away from the others.Cameron’s gaze followed the boy until Violet and Lady Hadfield came into focus.
Violet.Even when dressed in a simple modest day gown in her favored color blue, the woman fully captured attention.He dreaded her afternoon strolls with their hostess when she was fully out of his reach and purview.Every minute she spent away from his side was agony.He had become accustomed to her company, and from the moment he awoke, Violet preoccupied his thoughts.
Initially, his preoccupation with Violet stemmed from the need to successfully train her.Needing to understand the woman’s strengths and weaknesses was key to completing his task, except comprehending Violet evoked emotions within him that were unrecognizable.
He had assumed that when it came time to marry, he would live a life of duplicity.Not ideal, however, over the years, he had come to accept the fact that the priorities of the ladies of thetonand those of a member of the Network were not in alignment.There had been a time or two when he considered the possibility of marrying a woman raised within the Network, only to discover they regarded him as a close friend and a brotherly figure.Fear of rejection had prevented him from ever declaring his feelings but as he watched Violet from the window, he began to question the true nature of his affections from the past.Had he simply been infatuated, or had it been love as he had believed at the time?
The unsettling questions continued to plague Cameron’s thoughts as he observed Lady Bronwyn and Violet stroll along the garden path that led back to the house.He presumed it was Lady Hadfield’s doing, but regardless of whose intent it was, the ladies never ventured close enough to allow him to lip-read.Not knowing what the pair discussed each day, since his pride prevented him from asking, had his curiosity driving him to the brink of sanity.
The careful, steady footsteps alerted Cameron to Lord Hadfield’s arrival.He didn’t bother to turn to greet the man who joined him daily to enjoy the view from the window.There was much Cameron could still learn from his host, but the man’s ability to make his wife of over five years still blush was a skill at the top of his list.
Lord Hadfield's devotion to Lady Bronwyn was abundantly clear to all, which placed Lady Bronwyn in peril and required various members, at the discretion of Lord Hadfield, to be assigned to guard her for varying lengths.Cameron had not forgotten nor neglected his duty to see to Lady Bronwyn’s safety while training Violet.However, he would be lying if he didn’t admit that there were moments when Violet was a dangerous distraction, particularly each evening as he walked her to her chambers and especially on the nights he succumbed to his urge to kiss her.To his dismay, each interlude had left him wanting more rather than satisfying his thirst for her touch.
“Have you and Lady Violet made any progress?”Lord Hadfield asked.
Distracted by the vision of Violet in the distance kneeling to give Lord Hadfield’s son a hug, Camron echoed the last word he could recall, “Progress?”A jolt of jealousy had him firmly crossing his arms over his chest.
“The Network Council is eagerly awaiting to hear Lady Violet’s ideas.”
Accompanied by a long sigh, Lord Hadfield stepped in front of him.The gentleman's large form blocked his view of the ladies, who were diminishing in size.
“Hadfield, how am I expected to keep an eye on your wife if you are obstructing my view?”He took a side-step only to find that the blasted PORF had anticipated and mirrored his movements.
