Page 75 of The Hellion and the Hero

For he hadn’t imagined the tears that wet his chest last night, nor the look of despair that filled her face, demanding to know why he hadn’t married. Georgiana cared about him. Even more than he realized. Possibly more than she was ready to admit. But for the first time in eight years, reckless hope blazed through him, refusing to yield to his cautious whispers until Henry gave up and let his thoughts run wild.

As Henry dressed, he ran through all the ways he could covertly woo Georgiana during the last days of their stay. They still had more freedoms here than back in London, and he would take advantage of it as much as he could. To show her what she meant to him—what she hadalwaysmeant to him. And then he would hold his breath to see if she reciprocated. But when he exited his room, his heart stopped, then sank.

Georgiana’s travel trunk was in the foyer, and Bea was rushing around, gathering up odds and ends. There was no mistaking what was going on here: She was leaving.

Was she running from him?

On that thought, Georgiana breezed into the room. “Bea, I’ve found the second dressing gown under the—” She stopped as she caught sight of Henry, then immediately crossed to meet him, a look of regret on her face. “I’ve had a message from Mr. Khan early this morning. The papers were tipped off regarding the threats against me. Now the owner of the building I’m trying to buy is pushing up the signing. I think he’s worried I’lldiebefore the deal goes through.” Georgiana rolled her eyes. “So I need to leave today. I’ve already spoken to Mr. Previn, and he thinks we can make the afternoon train to Paris if we leave for Nice within the hour. But you can stay until our original departure date.”

“Absolutely not.” The idea was absurd. Offensive.Leaveher? Why would she make such a suggestion?

Because you told her the truth, and now she wants to be rid of you, of course.

With effort, Henry dismissed the ugly thought. “Even if I wanted to, that wouldn’t be appropriate,” he pointed out. “I didn’t exactly come here for a holiday.”

Understanding flashed in her eyes and an embarrassed flush stained her cheeks. But before Henry could question her further, there was a knock on the door. “Oh, that’s probably Sylvia. I asked her to come.”

She stepped away to answer it and sure enough, Sylvia and Rafe entered the suite. As Georgiana explained the situation, Rafe’s eyes met Henry’s. His disappointment must have been clear on his face, for his friend’s brow furrowed.

“You’re leavingnow?” Sylvia burst out.

“I don’t have a choice,” Georgiana responded, looking very grieved. “I’ve already told the captain he could stay—”

“Well, I certainly hope he said no,” Sylvia cut in. “I know this deal is important to you, but for heaven’s sake, London isn’tsafefor you right now!”

Rafe placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “Darling, try not to upset yourself. Or Georgiana. Of course the captain is traveling with her.” He flashed Henry a pleading look. “And remember that Scotland Yard has been busy investigating the threats these last few days. She is not walking into a trap.”

Sylvia scowled. “I know that.”

“And I’m sure her family will meet her at the station.”

“Yes,” Georgiana said. “I’ve already wired a message to my brother. I won’t be alone for even a moment. Not until we uncover who has been behind these threats.”

Sylvia visibly relaxed but her frown remained. “Fine. But I still don’t like it,” she grumbled.

Henry quite agreed with her on that point, but he kept his mouth shut. It was useless to try to dissuade Georgiana. For now all he could do was keep her safe.

“I know, dearest,” Georgiana said. “Will it help if I send you a message every day until the perpetrator is caught?”

“Twicea day,” Sylvia countered and Georgiana laughed.

“All right. You have a deal.”

The two women then disappeared into Georgiana’s bedroom, while Rafe followed Henry into his own. He needed to pack, and fast. Rafe shut the door quietly behind him.

“Are you going to tell her?” he asked without any preamble.

“I don’t know,” Henry admitted as he emptied the contents into his bag. “I thought…I thought we’d have more time here.”

Rafe wrinkled his nose. “Time for what?”

Henry moved on to collect his shirts. Why had he brought so many? He gathered them in his arms.

“Henry.”

He didn’t look up as he began to shove the shirts into the bag. “I told her the truth about Turkey last night. All of it.”

Rafe was silent for so long that Henry nearly thought he had left. But when he finally looked up, his friend was still there, one dark eyebrow raised in question.

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