Page 13 of The Marquess of Temptation
"I did not see you at breakfast," he stated simply. At his words Belinda's eyes left her plate and locked with his for the first time, leaving him almost winded with desire.
"I slept late," she offered, picking nervously at the food he had given her. "I'm usually early to rise, but last night I found it difficult to fall back asleep, after--"
Her face flamed red as she mentioned their midnight meeting. A thrill of satisfaction coursed through Alex; at least he had not been alone in finding sleep difficult after their brief encounter. Belinda's head turned as Henry padded over to them, his tail wagging as he sniffed the meat upon his mistress's plate. He rested his head on Belinda's lap, his eyes wide and innocent, as he gazed up at her, begging.
"He's not very well behaved," Alex observed, as Miss Bowstock discreetly fed the dog a small piece of ham.
"No, he's not," she agreed with a chuckle, flashing him a mischievous smile. "But I adore him, despite his obvious character flaws - he reminds me of home."
"And where is home?" Alex asked, leaning forward to hear her answer. Miss Bowstock was a complete mystery to him; he knew nothing of her lineage or her past; it was as though she had simply appeared out of thin air.
"Cornwall."
"Cornwall is rather large," Alex said, wondering if she was being deliberately vague, her answer was so curt. Did she have something to hide?
"It is," eagerly Miss Bowstock nodded her head in agreement. "Very big. Have you ever been, my Lord?"
Goodness; he would have laughed at the obviousness of her tactics had he not been so intrigued by her evasiveness.
"I have just returned from Truro," he volunteered, casually leaning over to scratch Henry's ears. The dog glanced at him dismissively, he would not pay attention to mere ear scratching, when there was food to beg for.
"What were you doing in Truro?"
Alex knew he wasn't imagining the slightly defensive note to Miss Bowstock's question and his eyes narrowed in thought. This was a woman with something to hide, and he was determined to find out what exactly it was. His inquisition was put on hold as Lord Payne let out a call for a game of cricket. Alex rose to his feet, with a short nod to Belinda, ignoring the look of relief on her face. He would have answers from her, he decided, but he would not scare her into revealing her past...he would woo her instead.
