Page 15 of Marigold and the Marquess
“Did I or did I not save you from being stabbed?” She turned to face him with furrowed brow.
He smiled. “Will you stop scowling at me if I admit that you did?”
She nodded and managed a small smile. “I do not mean to sound petty. You’ve been wonderful and have done so much for me today. I am just frustrated. It feels as though I am held back at every turn, as though no one trusts me because they believe I am an incompetent child.”
“You are certainly not a child,” he remarked, trying not to be too obvious as his gaze raked over her body. “Nor are you incompetent. In fact, you are inquisitive and clever.”
“I hope to be a bluestocking, just like Adela, Syd, and Gory. Being on the marriage mart does not mean I should stop improving my mind.”
“I heartily agree, but it still does not mean you should run into taverns and start brawls. Ah, we are turning onto Chipping Way. What time do you intend to leave for the Huntsford Academy tomorrow?”
“Around ten o’clock in the morning.”
“I’ll take you. Be ready with your maid…perhaps another maid.” His driver had been a little too friendly with Bessie. He did not need the tearful maid announcing she was with child. He would have a word with Collins. “Will you give me a personal tour of the exhibits? We did not have the chance today.”
“Truly? I was sure you found me tiresome by now.”
He cast her an affectionate smile. “No, Miss Farthingale. You have not bored me yet. My answer will be the same should you ask this same question an hour from now. As for my insistence on speaking to the Duke of Lotheil in your stead, it is for your safety. These Fellows already resent women in their presence. If it is found out you were the one to report those three, others may not take it too kindly and seek retribution. That you were in the right and they were in the wrong will not matter to such men.”
“I see.” She cast him a thoughtful look. “Thank you, Lord Muir. Sincerely, thank you for thinking of me when I was clearly not considering the potential consequences.”
It struck him suddenly just how special Marigold was. Thoughtful. Gracious. To his dismay, he did not think she would ever bore him. He liked her more than he dared admit.
Of course, he would have to keep the little sprite at arm’s length since he had returned to London to put his revenge plan into effect. He was not looking to find a wife. In fact, he was intent on dissuading anyone who thought him eligible.
Marigold would be safe enough with him in the meanwhile, but he could not have her anywhere near him once his plan began to unfold.
She was frothy and delightful, pure sunlight.
He was ominous shadows, vengeance, and pain.
It was safest for both of them not to feel any attraction toward each other.
However, it was easier said than done.
In truth, he was in danger of forming a serious attachment to Marigold.
Blast.
He could not afford any entanglements.
Why her?
And why now?
CHAPTER 4
LEO WAS NOTone for sleeping at night. He rarely managed more than two or three hours rest before he jerked awake with a pounding heart and a struggle for air. There was nothing wrong with his breathing, for he never had this difficulty in daylight. It was the silence and the darkness within enclosed surroundings that did this to him.
He emitted a ragged sigh as he strode to the window and noticed the first cracks of light on the horizon. Since he always kept his windows open except on the coldest nights, he now stood before it and allowed the cool air to wrap around his skin. He took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of lilacs from his garden, smiling as the memory of Marigold chasing her little dog and that hideous skull amid his shrubbery came to mind.
He would see her again in a few hours.
The notion pleased him more than he cared to admit. It worried him, too. He was determined to carry out his plans for revenge and could not let anything distract him, especially not a girl with satin-black hair and eyes of vivid blue.
Marigold would not like him very much once she learned why he had returned to London.
It had nothing to do with finding himself a wife.
