Page 77 of Noble Scoundrel

Chapter Twenty-four

Later in the evening, a message arrived from Morley. As soon as Mason saw that it contained information on the list of names Lady Katherine had provided, he went in search of the elusive woman. He didn’t bother analyzing the rush of anticipation he felt at the thought of seeing her again, telling himself it didn’t bear that much attention.

He checked for her first in the study, where she tended to spend most of her time. The room was empty, however. As were the library and the parlor and the drawing room. He finally stopped a passing maid, who directed him to a sitting room on the second floor.

The door to the room had been left open, and he found the lady kneeling on the floor beside an open trunk. Her hair had been styled in a lovely mass atop her head, and the robin’s-egg blue of her silk dinner gown fell in soft folds over the curve of her buttocks as she leaned forward to dig through the old trunk.

Desire shot through him, shockingly intense.

He wasn’t sure what he’d expected to happen when he saw her again after their time in the ballroom. As soon as he’d made it to the privacy of his bedroom, he’d done what was necessary to ease the need raging through his body. But it’d been a pale substitute and had done very little to assuage his driving hunger for the woman herself.

If anything, his lust had been strengthened by the experience now that he knew exactly how she looked, moved, moaned, and gasped while in the throes.

Something alerted her to his presence—perhaps she sensed his rising hunger—and she twisted around to pin him with a startled look. Her eyes widened briefly at the sight of him before her gaze took a thorough wander down the length of his body, which was quickly hardening in all the right places.

He saw the shift in her expression, the softening and the flush of pink in her cheeks, before she returned to her chore, giving him her back again. He couldn’t say he was upset by her silent dismissal. It was a stunning backside, after all. And he suspected the irritation in her expression was due more to an apparent lack of success in finding whatever she was looking for than in his interruption.

At least, he hoped it was.

“What is it, Mr. Hale?” she asked. “I’m a bit occupied at the moment.”

He ignored her curt tone as he crossed the room to crouch beside her and peer into the trunk containing a variety of random possessions, including a collection of slim clothbound books.

“I’m just doing as you’ve instructed, duchess. Keeping you advised of any progress.”

With a heavy sigh, she set the book she’d been examining into the trunk and sat back on her heels. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

The lady apologized. This was new. Mason held back his humor. “I’ve gotten a report on your list of names.”

Her eyes widened with curiosity. “Was anything pertinent uncovered?”

Mason shrugged. “You’re more equipped to answer that.” He handed her the letter and watched as she read through Morley’s succinct notations with furrowed brows. He’d already gone through it himself, but none of the idle nobles or fellow researchers of Charles Blackwell’s recent acquaintance appeared to have any history of criminal behavior or apparent motive for the kidnapping of a young duke.

Even though he hadn’t seen anything strikingly suspect in the findings, he was hopeful she might.

When she tensed and parted her lips on a swift breath, Mason leaned closer. He couldn’t stop himself from taking in a deep breath of her scent. The floral, feminine essence stirred the desire in his blood, sparking heat along his nerves. “What is it?”

She rested an elegant finger alongside one of the names. “Lord Emsworth. I didn’t know of him personally, but I recall he sent his condolences upon Father’s death. It says here that he funds a society dedicated to the exploration of unmapped regions in the Americas.”

“So it does. And that’s pertinent because...?”

Her dark eyes met his and he had to grind his back teeth to keep from reacting to the sensual impact of her full focus. Now that he’d looked into those deep brown eyes while the woman trembled in the midst of her climax, he wasn’t sure how he’d ever be able to meet her gaze without getting hard.

“In the months leading up to his death, my father was studying a plant that had only recently been discovered. The natives of the region used the herb in certain spiritual ceremonies, and my father had been tasked with determining whether it might be developed into an agent of sedation for use during medical procedures and such. That plant came from South America. Lord Emsworth could be the unnamed patron who’d requested the study.”

“Certainly possible, but why does that matter?”

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