Page 40 of The Recluse of Wolfeton House (Ladies of Devon 4)

“Which was?”

Lifting a palette covered in paint, Bentley crossed the room and situated himself behind the easel across from her. He took a few moments to arrange his things before lifting his eyes to meet hers. “That we tell no one.”

Ah, of course. The recluse would want this to remain a secret more than she would. “Including your cousin,” she said, the words a statement to reiterate what he had earlier mentioned.

“Yes, including my cousin.”

She could do this for Bentley. It was only fair, and in all honesty, it was much safer.

“Besides,” he added, dropping his attention to the canvas. “As innocent as these lessons might be, I’m not sure it would benefit your reputation if they were discovered.”

Cool fear slid into her stomach, sending a wave of prickles over her skin. That was one implication she had not yet thought of. In her excitement to learn, Hattie had failed to consider what would happen if others discovered their lessons and made their own minds up about the arrangement. She had feared for Lucy learning of it because the woman was bound to take advantage of the situation or believe that Hattie had already been doing so. She hadn’t thought of the rest of her neighbors doing the same thing.

But they would, of course. If it was known that Hattie had been to the duke’s house multiple times, alone and unchaperoned, she would be completely ruined. Then what would happen if she was to meet a man and fall in love? He wouldn’t have her, that was for certain. Not if she was tarnished.

She needed to come up with a way to protect herself from that possibility. But foremost, Bentley was right. “Indeed. No one can ever learn of this.”

He nodded in agreeance and returned to setting up his station. It occurred to Hattie that she would likely benefit from watching his progress on the canvas as well, but that wasn’t really feasible when she was the subject. She sat still, watching Bentley focus, his dark eyebrows etched with a faint crease between them as he cycled between looking intently at her and then with equal concentration at the canvas. She found herself wondering if his beard was uncomfortable. It looked scratchy, but that did not necessarily mean it was.

Time felt suspended while Hattie sat, patiently allowing Bentley to paint her. She could see why Romeo had liked it in this room. It was warm and cozy, the chair soft and comfortable. But above that, the duke was comfortable company.

“How long have you lived here?” she asked.

He did not remove his attention from the canvas. “Seven years or so.”

“It is so odd that we did not meet before now.”

Bentley shrugged. “It’s not so strange. I seldom venture beyond my trees, and you do not venture into them. Until recently, of course.”

Her cheeks warmed, and he glanced up, a small smile flickering on his lips. Would she have been able to get away with it if the man wasn’t painting her? He likely wouldn’t have noticed the blush if he hadn’t been focusing on her face so wholly for the last quarter-hour.

His even, smooth voice slipped over her. “I take that rosy hue on your cheeks to mean that the day I found you painting was not the first time you’ve trespassed on my property.”

“Trespass sounds so awful, does it not? I merely stepped onto the edge of your land a handful of times, and very briefly at that.”

“When you were searching for your cat, that was the edge of my land?”

She sent him a wry look. “Surely you must know that I was chasing my sister-in-law, not searching for my cat. I had suggested sending you a note to beg permission before trespassing.” Hattie looked away from his penetrating eyes and muttered, “Lucy had other plans.”

A sharp rattling of the door startled them, and Hattie jumped.

“Bentley, are you in there?” a deep voice called.

The duke wore a panicked expression. That didn’t bode well. “My cousin,” he said quietly.

“Did you not say that he was out for a ride?” she whispered hurriedly. “Surely he could not have gone to Graton and returned in so short a time.”

Bentley shrugged. “I have no idea, but I can tell you one thing: he isn’t going away.”

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