Page 79 of A Whisper of Desire
“You do look similar.” He looked her up and down, lingering indecently on her chest, his cold gaze still managing to leave heat in its wake. “However, I thought you said they lured you out in your stepmother’s name.”
“I assure you I’m as confused as you are.”
“Or perhaps you are a spy in league with our villainess?”
“I’m not even going to dignify that with an answer.”
He looked away. “Still. There has to be some connection, or some reason you were taken.” He swung back to give her a scornful look. “Don’t worry. Iwillderive the purpose. You best hope you are as innocent in this duplicity as you profess.”
With that he turned to look out of the window once again. Humiliation saw her heart hammering in her chest. At least she thought it humiliation. She’d never let it be fear, and God forbid it was anything else like attraction. The man was a block of ice.
An attractive block of ice, she’d give him that.
However, what she would not give him was the satisfaction of the last word. “Perhaps my stepmother might know of a connection. She must be worried.”
He ignored her comment completely, the silence engulfing the carriage once more.
After another hour they arrived in Mayfair, but instead of taking her directly home, the baron made for Lord Lyttleton’s townhouse.
“Wait here and remain unseen. To protect your reputation, I shall collect the Dowager Lyttleton and hope like hell that people believe she took you to visit a relative just outside of London.”
She nodded and slid down on the squab. They had left Crouch End after lunch and now it was darkening for night. She’d been missing for several days. No doubt her reputation was already in tatters. The baron probably was trying to ensure he didn’t get left having to do the honorable thing and make an offer for her hand.
A shiver raced over her skin at the idea of being this man’s wife. She wasn’t honest enough with herself to decide whether she shivered from fear or excitement.
Chapter 20
Today was the first day Marisa managed to walk downstairs at Kenwood House unaided. She’d been home for only one week, and it was almost six weeks since she sustained her injuries. Even with her terrible scar and limited movement, she’d never been happier.
Maitland slept in her bed every night. He hovered over her like an old woman. She had to repeatedly ask either Arend or Hadley to take him out.
This morning they had taken him to Tattersall’s to look for a new steed for her. He wanted a more sedate horse while she was recuperating.
So the first face to greet her as she made her way to the drawing room was Simon’s. The little boy had been made a page, and to her relief he was happy. He worshipped Priscilla and her two girls.
For one brief moment her smile faded. It was Clarence she was worried about. He was not suited for being in service. He hated taking orders and doing what he considered menial work. She sensed she was losing him. He might leave them and slip back into a life he found less demeaning than emptying chamber pots. She hated how he found his previous life more normal.
It was Maitland who gave her an idea one night as they lay talking in bed. Each night, they would lie, wrapped in each other’s arms, talking late into the night. Every night she fell asleep wrapped in his warm, safe embrace. To her frustration, he still refused to make love to her, even though she was feeling much better.
“Good morning, young man.”
Simon beamed up at her.
“Would you fetch Clarence for me? Tell him I wish to see him in my drawing room.”
Simon’s obvious happiness lifted her spirits higher. When Clarence arrived, all serious and annoyed, she wished she could help him more. Simon, being younger, was bouncing back. Clarence, on the other hand, had the guilt to live with.
He looked so handsome in his livery. She wasn’t the only one to notice. The maids twittered and giggled whenever he was around. Priscilla mentioned they would probably have to watch him, but she’d not replied and simply frowned, wondering if he even desired women.
His smile for her was genuine. “It’s wonderful to see you looking so well, Your Grace.”
“And you,” she replied. She beckoned him to take a seat. “Come, sit. I need your help with an idea of mine.”
Clarence’s curiosity was piqued. He sat and looked at her in confusion.
“His Grace has given me my dowry to use as I see fit. It’s quite a considerable sum.”
“I know nothing about investments, Your Grace.”
