Page 57 of A Duke for Adela
Enraged.
But all he wanted to do was take Adela in his arms and kiss her.
She glanced up in surprise. “You still trust me? How is that possible?”
Because he loved her.
Fool that he was, he had fallen more deeply in love with her when he saw her clinging for dear life to that knave’s cloak, this little warrior in her elegant lilac gown never giving up because she was determined to get that book back for him.
Nothing on heaven and earth was going to stop her.
This is how deeply she would love and defend their children.
This is how fiercely she would love and defend him.
She was going to completely disrupt his orderly life. Shatter his peace. His solitude would be flung out the window.
And he did not care.
He wanted Adela in his life, desperately wanted her with all her foibles and passions and stubborn determination.
She repeated her question. “How can you still trust me?”
“Because your motives were selfless. You behaved like a peahen while trying to help me.”
Her gaze turned hopeful. “Well, yes. That is true.”
He tucked a finger under her chin. “But that does not mean I have calmed down about it. I am still furious, Adela.”
“As you ought to be,” she assured him, clasping her hands to stop their trembling.
He wanted to take them in his, but thought better about encouraging her or her friends to pursue the matter of Runyon on their own. Adela would take advantage of any softness he showed her. Not that he meant to remain frowning at her, but all would be lost if she knew how much he truly cared for her.
“Octavian, Julius, and I will take you and the ladies to Dr. Farthingale. Once done there, we’ll drop them off at theirrealhomes, and then finish up the day by tying up any loose ends.”
“Yes,” Adela said. “You must find Runyon and that book. He probably has it on him now and must be searching for another place to hide it. Do you think he knows your Bow Street men are following him? That could be a problem. Although he must have eluded them today. What if he loses them again tomorrow? You really must bring him in today. Are the bank notes not enough to connect him to the scoundrel we caught today? I–”
He kissed her to stop her from talking.
A short, but urgent kiss.
“I should go with you,” she said, the moment he took his lips off hers. “After all, they are my friends and I feel responsible. I would also have so much useful information to convey to your Bow Street runners.”
“No.”
“Ambrose…um, Your Grace, am I not safer in your company? This way, you will know where I am at all times.”
“If you promised to stay home with Lady Eloise, then I would not have to worry about you. Will you promise me, Adela?”
She stared at him with pinched lips. “But I can help you.”
“Adela, will you promise me?” He took her hands in his, trying not to laugh at her deliciously stubborn look. Why was this so difficult for her? He did not want her anywhere near him or his Bow Street men when they caught up to Runyon.
He wasn’t certain what had been meant to happen this afternoon at the lecture hall, only that Runyon was somehow involved.
Adela’s concerns were not unfounded, for he also wondered whether Runyon had been at the lecture. How else were those two knaves going to successfully make that exchange? Yet, he also knew Mr. Barrow and his men had not lost sight of Runyon, so he should have seen them and Runyon there as well.
But he had not recognized anyone, not at the lecture nor while tearing through the Hall of Planets after Adela and that stranger.
