Page 17 of How to Seduce a Viscount
The drive home was accomplished in silence, offering Luce time to align his thoughts. Without warning, the tenor of the day had turned from a light-hearted shopping spree, which picked up where their kiss had left off last night, to something darker—full of danger and quite possibly deceit. Luce was less concerned about the danger. The men posing as the Vicar’s guests were merely an external threat. Luce was used to those. They were all part of every job the Horsemen did. It was the potentialfor deceit, the threat from within, that prodded the deep places of him. He’d not realised how much of his trust he’d given to Wren without being asked to give it. He’d merely volunteered it, something he never did with others. He’d made assumptions because they were on the same side and because he felt he’d held all the power. After all, he had rescued her. He’d stitched her up, overseen her healing.
The most damaging assumption he’d made was that she’d told him everything he needed to know because they were a team. He’d been wrong about that and as a result, he’d been caught by surprise today because he’d been taken in by a pretty face, byher. All of her. Her looks, her touches, her intelligence, her kisses… The list was quite extensive because so much about her was appealing to him. That kiss in the alley…good heavens it had rocked him from head to toe. And all the while she’d been hiding the information that the three men on his doorstep had friends.
Yes, he was angry. But to her credit, she had seemed genuinely surprised and not a little afraid. He’d have to keep his own temper under control if he wanted answers from her. The last thing he wanted was for her to shut down or to bolt. One did not win the trust of someone who was frightened by heaping more fright upon them with threats and rants. His mother had always believed one caught more flies with honey than vinegar and his mother was usually right.
Luce followed that advice, wisely holding his tongue until they were ensconced before the fire in the library. He placed a calming cup of tea dosed with a little brandy in Wren’s hands, making it clear that her comfort was his priority in the moment. He poured a dollop in his cup as well and took the seat across from her before he began. ‘All right, would you like to tell me who those men were? I take it they’re not the vicar’s long lostYorkshire relations?’ He’d get the information first and save the castigation for later.
‘They were in the pub I stopped at the night I came to Tillingbourne.’ She made a frown. ‘Stopping was a mistake. I should not have gone inside to warm myself. It exposed me. I might have gone right past all of them and they would never have known. But I was cold and I was concerned my hands were too numb to be effective if I needed them.’ She shook her head. ‘The irony is that I wouldn’t have needed my hands if I hadn’t stopped. It was just so bloody cold.’ Especially for the orphaned girl who’d spent years shivering on London streets, Luce thought. Her one weakness had been her undoing.
‘No doubt they’ve come looking for news of their comrades, news of the code…perhaps they’ve even come for me.’ Wren gave a resigned sigh. Luce nodded. Most likely they had come for her. Such men were quite keen on revenge.
‘Do you think they recognised you?’ It would be best if they hadn’t. And yet, it would only buy them a little time. If the snow had prevented people from leaving the village, it would have prevented her from leaving as well. Those men would know that. They could be certain the woman they sought was still here.
‘I don’t think they recognised me. I let the hood hide me and I doubt I looked much like the waif who’d come into the pub.’ Luce could agree with that. Without the trousers and coat, she didn’t look boyish in the least.
‘But your hair?’ Luce prompted. A man would not forget hair like that on a boy or a woman.
She touched a hand to her head. ‘I had it under a cap that night, at least while I was at the pub.’ She paused a moment. ‘Luce, we need to consider that they could be here for you, too. If they knew I carried the code, they also knew who it was going to. Fortunately, the vicar introduced you as Lord Waring. The names Waring and Miss Audley will mean nothing to them.’
‘Unless they ask the vicar what my surname is.’ The subterfuge of names provided minimal protection. A veil easily pierced. These men were no fools. They knew a Horseman was in the village. It wouldn’t take them long to put the pieces together given there were no other nobles in the immediate area and given the vicar’s penchant for gossip and talk.
Her quicksilver eyes fixed on him with earnestness and it was all he could do not to reach out and take her hand in reassurance. ‘I am sorry, Luce. It was such a lovely day. All the delightful surprises. The storybook village with its happy children. The bakery with its iced sticky buns. And now I’ve ruined it.’
She was irresistible like this, all sincerity and gratitude. The combination made a man feel powerful, made him want to do things for her—like forgive her and overlook her omissions. Luce fought the urge to do just that. To set aside his anger and his right to castigate her for what had happened. But she’d withheld information and that had consequences.
‘I’ve come to learn that people like us have to liveinthe moments andforthe moments because that’s all we get. We don’t know what comes next. In the next hour or around the next corner.’ He snapped his fingers. ‘In an instant, things can turn and moments can end just as they did today.’
She smiled and he sensed she wanted him to smile back. Not yet. He would not relent, not with a smile or with his words. He would not let her off that easily. ‘You did not ruin the outing. We had a few precious hours enjoying each other’s company. But you did jeopardise my trust.’ He let his gaze linger on her, stern and strong. ‘Youshould have told me from the beginning those men who followed you here had friends.’ He did not hide the accusation in his tone. ‘I thought we were a team and you took advantage of that.’
‘Your assumptions are not my fault,’ she replied coolly. Under other circumstances, he’d admire her aplomb. Right now, though, he’d appreciate some penitence.
‘Are wenota team?’ Luce pressed. ‘Are we not on the same side?’
‘Wearea team.’ She was all calm assurance, her eyes wide with more of that earnestness she did so well. ‘Luce, I did not say anything because I wasn’t sure of them. I didn’t want to unnecessarily borrow trouble. There were a lot of people in the pub that night. They could have been two regular men.’
She leaned forward.
‘Honestly, what use would it have been for me to tell you? There were twenty people in the pub that night. Thirteen of which were men. Four with dark hair, seven with blonde and two with grey. That would have meant nothing to you. There is nothing out of the ordinary in that. And quite frankly, we had more important things to take care of between my recovery and cracking the code, than worrying over who else might have been in the pub with nefarious intentions.’
She put a hand on his leg.
‘Luce, I would not withhold information from you that could put you in danger. That makes no sense.’
Luce did not miss the qualifier. It wasn’t that shewouldn’twithhold information. She’d only share if she personally deemed it useful for him to know.
‘Many things in our particular world make no sense. Men sell arms to both sides of a war,’ he said in response.
‘For money. That makes sense even if it does not seem ethical.’
Wren squeezed his leg. He probably shouldn’t let her do that. He was quite susceptible to the intimacy of that squeeze, the intimacy of her nearness, the openness in her gaze and, by extension, he was susceptible to the logic in her appeal.
‘Luce,’ she whispered. ‘If you fall, I fall. My safety depends on yours. I gain nothing by keeping you blind. You know that.’
He did know that. There was nothing to be gained for her in having him at a disadvantage. He drew a cleansing breath and set aside his anger. Some distance might help as well. He would think better if her hand wasn’t on his leg, her touch reminding him of other aspects of their relationship.
Luce took up a position before the windows. The last of the afternoon sun was sparkling its farewell on the snow. The snow wouldn’t last much longer, a day or two, and then the roads would begin to be passable.
Wren came to stand beside him. ‘I have a confession,’ she said, lacing her fingers through his. ‘Sun on snow is beautiful. It looks like the ground is covered in diamonds.’ She leaned her head against his arm, not tall enough to reach his shoulder. ‘Winter wasn’t awful today.’
