Page 71 of Lord of Fortune
The adventurous spirit he’d sparked in her begged for action. She wanted to make this trade, and standing in front of her was a person who could possibly help. If she could trust him.
She stared at him closely. “Did you mean what you said about repenting?”
“I did,” he said cautiously. “Why?”
“Because I am in need of assistance, and Penn isn’t here. I’m wary of trusting you, but I don’t think Penn will return in time.” Doubt crept over her. Perhaps she should have asked Rhys.
“I can see you already regret asking me to help. Let me put you at ease. I owe Penn and his family, and I would appreciate the opportunity to repay their kindness and care. They were there for me in…dark times. I repaid them with villainy.”
“That all sounds rather epic,” she said drily. “The note you saw me reading arrived in my room this morning.” She probably ought to have asked the maid where it came from. Penn would’ve known to do that. Again, she wished he hadn’t left.
“From whom?”
“I don’t know, but I suspect someone in the Camelot group.” She withdrew it from her pocket and handed it to him. As he reached for it, she pulled her hand back. “Do you swear I can trust you?”
“You can.”
She pinned him with a threatening stare. “You should know that I’m a fair shot, and I don’t appreciate being betrayed.”
“Thank you for the warning.” He placed his hand over his heart. “I swear on my life you can trust me.”
She gave him the note and watched as he scanned the lines. “Do you recognize the hand?”
“I don’t,” he said, frowning. “But this has to be from the Camelot group since they are in possession of the book. Unless the author is lying and looking to dupe you.”
“I considered that, which is why I won’t go alone.”
He returned the note to her keeping. “Would you have asked Penn if he were here?”
“I would.”
Kersey grinned. “Smart. I’ll say it again—I see why Penn likes you.”
Heat threatened to rise in her cheeks, but she kept it at bay. “Do you think it’s worth trying to make this trade?”
He looked at her intently. “Do you have the heart?”
“I do.”
He blew out a breath. “The author of this note knows that.”
She fingered the parchment before shoving it back into her pocket. “Clearly.”
“Which means you’ve been followed and your actions supervised,” he said. “But then you probably knew that too.”
Actually, that hadn’t occurred to her, but of course that was the only way anyone would know. Her neck pricked with unease. How long had they been followed? And why hadn’t they tried to steal the heart from them when they’d stopped at The Falcon in the Cotswolds? Perhaps this person was afraid of Penn, and that was why they didn’t want him aware of tonight’s transaction.
Tonight’s transaction.
That phrase made it seem as though she’d made up her mind. And she supposed she had. She wanted that book, and if the heart really was a fake—as Penn was certain it was—trading it away wouldn’t matter. “How do we do this if I’m supposed to go alone?”
Kersey crossed his arms over his chest. “I can hide in the trees—there’s a copse near where the rivers meet. Or I can disguise myself and go as your groom. They can’t object to you having a groom.”
She was skeptical of his ability to fool someone who might be acquainted with him. “Disguise yourself how? What if this person—or people—knows you?”
“I suspect they do,” he said without a shred of concern. Was he fearless or naïve? She doubted it was the latter. “I can make myself look different. Trust me.”
It appeared she had no choice. “I am. And don’t let me down.” She narrowed her eyes at him and pressed her lips together, trying to look imperious.
