Page 18 of How to Seduce a Viscount
‘That’s because the sun was out. It was actually mild today. There’s a word for the warmth of sun on snow— apricity.’
‘You are full of archaic words, Luce Parkhurst.’ She gave a soft laugh.
He liked the sound of her, the feel of her, the ease with which their bodies communed. He wanted to forget that he had doubted her, that he should be applying the same standards to her as he did to everyone else when it came to trust and belief. One had to earn those things from him. But when he was with her, all he could think of was how she made him feel—seen, heard and appreciated as himself, not just as one of four. Not just as a Horseman.
‘The snow will be gone soon, Luce. After today, I think I should be, too. At least I can lead the men away from you.’
‘Absolutely not,’ Luce snapped, more upset with himself than he was with her. He’d made her feel as if she couldn’t stay; that she had to leave before she was fully healed. ‘No, those menbeing here are exactly why youshouldstay. We should face them together instead of letting their presence separate us. That only makes us easier to conquer. You are not strong enough to be travelling alone and exposed. Don’t let them flush you out like dogs on a hare. Grandfather would never forgive me.’ Nor would he ever forgive himself if she ended up hurt or worse because she’d left too soon.
‘We need a plan,’ Luce forged on ahead as if it had been decided she would stay. ‘I’d prefer to take the fight to those men instead of waiting for them to come to us. Go on the offensive, as it were. We have the advantage currently since they don’t know yet who we really are. Why not take a leaf from Grandfather’s book?’ Luce slid her a glance. ‘We’ll borrow Vicar Paterson’s idea and invite them to dinner here. You can resurrect your pickpocket role again. See what they’ve got in their pockets. We’ll have the kitchen staff slip something into their food and ship them off to Sandmore.’
‘Have them to dinner here? In your unfinished dining room?’
‘It wouldn’t take much to polish the table and set out the silver. In the candlelight you can’t tell how old the wallpaper is. At any rate, I am not looking to impress them.’ He was looking to get them as far away from Wren as he could so that she could heal in peace.
She slanted him a saucy look. ‘Well, it might be quite the adventure to feast with our enemies right beneath their noses, after all.’
‘Wouldn’t be the first time for either of us.’ Luce gave a low chuckle as they made their way back to their chairs, a sense of accord restored. Mostly. He’d learned his lesson: he could not let personal feelings override the need for caution when it came to assumptions. Perhaps she had learned her lesson as well: teams did not withhold information. But something about her reaction in the village still niggled.
This time, Luce forewent the tea and poured brandy alone into the teacups. Wren tucked her feet beneath her and took the cup. She had made that chair her own. It would be difficult to look at it and not see her in it when she did leave. ‘In the spirit of full disclosure, I want to enquire about something in the village. When you squeezed my arm, you were not just alerting me, you were afraid. Why was that?’ He’d noticed because the fear seemed out of character for her, this woman who wielded her knife with deadly precision.
She offered a small smile over the rim of her teacup. He would have to learn to guard against that smile better so as not to be distracted from her answers.
‘You are very intuitive. Iwasafraid, but not of them. I’ve met my enemy face to face before. As you say, this is not my first time.’ Her quicksilver eyes were steady on him as his body considered the double entendre of her words. Recalling the boldness with which she’d pulled him into an alley and kissed him, stirring last night’s sparks to life. Wren Audley was nothing if not intrepid.
‘I was afraid of what those men represented. I hated knowing that my mistake had brought them into this peaceful place. I was afraid for the innocent people who might unintentionally be drawn into their web. People like the very gullible Vicar Paterson. I regret also, bringing them into your sanctuary. This is where you come to get away from the world and, despite your best efforts, the world has come to you.’
Dear lord, she’d read him like a book. She’d not seen through him, butintohim and she’d made the perfect response. How long had it been since anyone had thought of his needs? Or seen what it was that he uniquely craved? His own space, his own life. Sometimes family, even a beloved family, could be formidable. Sometimes the Horsemen were overwhelming.
‘You take too much on yourself. It was not a mistake to ensure you didn’t freeze.’ He could give her absolution on that point. ‘Anyone with common sense would have chosen the same.’
‘You are kind to say it.’ She could not quite meet his eyes in her humility.
‘I amtruthfulto say it.’ Luce sat back in his chair. ‘I would like you to be truthful as well. May I ask you something?’
She laughed. ‘That’s hardly a fair question. You know I have to say yes, or where will all our talk of teams and truth be?’ Then she sobered. ‘Yes, you may ask me anything.’
He wanted to believe that was true. But experience had taught him otherwise. Where there was one secret, there was often another. If she’d not told him about the other men at the pub, what else might she conveniently be withholding?
He let his eyes hold hers for a long moment to indicate the gravity of the request. ‘I will only ask this once, so be sure of your answer. While we are clearing the air, is there anything else you are keeping from me?’
Chapter Nine
He could have asked her anything but that. Just moments into their fragile truce, she was going to break faith with him again. And yet, to keep peace with Luce meant betraying the earl to whom she owed everything. The earl had explicitly asked that she say nothing about the lead regarding Stepan until they were sure, fearing that false hope might lead to reckless action. She was protecting Luce by not telling him, although she doubted he’d see it that way if he knew.
‘You know better than to ask that,’ she chided him with a smile meant to distract him as much as he was trying to distract her. Good lord, but they were both shameful flirts, using each other’s tactics against each other. The lingering glances, the little touches and the long kisses. Seducing each other to protect their own secrets. But maybe there was one secret she could share with him that might be offered in appeasement.
‘There is something. I’ve kept it to myself because it did not seem relevant to our situation. This is to be my last mission for the earl before I retire.’ She let out a shaky breath. It was the first time she’d said the words out loud. It was a far different thing to speak them out loud than it was to think them. That had been hard enough. Saying the words to another made them real.
‘Retire? At twenty-three?’ Luce didn’t quite believe her.
She gave a small nod. ‘Your grandfather wants it.’ She did not elaborate on the reasons why, which were both personal and professional.
His eyes lit with understanding. ‘But you don’t want it.’
‘It’s the only life I know. Why would I leave it?’ Except to honor the last thing asked of her by the man who had raised her and educated her. And perhaps to chase her impossible dream of a family of her own. ‘Your grandfather wants me safe before…’ She had to catch her breath. This, too, was difficult to say out loud. ‘Before he can’t watch out for me any more.’ Wren swallowed, watching Luce’s face. Would he hate her for it because his grandfather was giving to her the one thing he would not give to his grandson—freedom from the network?
Luce gave nothing away but stayed silent. His own gaze steady, matching hers, while the fire crackled gently and the mantel clock ticked.
