“What is she doing here?” Saffron hissed.
Leo squeezed her hand. “It’s not what it seems.”
Saffron huffed. “Really? You didn’t invite your mistress to this event? The same woman who was fawning over you at Lady Jarvis’s ball, when we first met?”
Lady Allen met his gaze and raised one sleek eyebrow. He shook his head slightly, then took a step backward, forcing Saffron along with him. He led her out of the room and into a dark corner before realizing she was tugging at her hand.
Look what you’ve done now. You’ll be lucky if she doesn’t hate you.
He released her, increasing the distance between them before he could do something stupid, like kiss her. Her eyes were wide and misty, her lips twisted, her brows drawn together.
“Trust me,” he said. “Please. Let me explain.”
She bit her lip, crossed her arms, then nodded, once. “Fine. Explain.”
He took a deep breath, exhaled. “Yes, Lady Allen was my mistress, but I severed our arrangement years ago.”
He could see the suspicion in the hard lines of Saffron’s face, and the indecision in her eyes. She wanted to believe him; he just had to give her a reason.
“Why is she here?” she asked.
“Our parents were friends,” he said.
“Could she be—”
“Olivia is too refined to stoop to theft,” Leo said, interrupting Saffron’s accusation. Of all his guests, he suspected Lady Allen of being the thief the least. Seduction, trickery, and blackmail were Olivia’s weapons, not theft.
“See to your guests,” Saffron said. “I-I must make sure my sister and aunt are settled in their rooms. I will return shortly.”
“Of course.” Leo bowed, and when he straightened, she was gone.
At least she didn’t reject you.
He had feared that exact outcome, a termination of their agreement, and the weight of it still rested heavily on his shoulders. In the short time he’d known her, Saffron had become important to him. That was the most terrifying thought of all.
Restless, he returned to the entryway, where Olivia was waiting. She met his gaze and smiled, but the expression held none of the heat that he’d expected.
“Lady Allen, I apologize that you were not greeted properly.”
“A trifling matter.” Her eyes sparkled. “I am far more interested in your relationship with Miss Summersby. I saw the way she looked at you. Quite the mess you’ve landed yourself in, Leopold. You will give me the entire story when it is over.” She held out her gloved hand, and he pressed a kiss to her fingers, then handed her off to a footman, who took one look at the mountain of trunks being loaded from her carriage into the foyer and paled.
“I would suggest you consider a household bonus after this event,” Olivia said as they watched the footman struggle to carry a trunk up the stairs. “Unless you want to hire a new staff.”
Leo closed his eyes. It was only three days. He could manage three days of disruption.
Chapter Eleven
After seeing toher family’s health and comfort, Saffron was reluctant to return to the entrance.
I should observe each of the guests as they arrive.
How they interacted with their host might provide clues as to their motives.
Her reluctance had nothing to do with her dislike of meeting strangers, however, and everything to do with the memory of Leo’s face as she’d left him. She’d been angry at him at first, when she’d seen Lady Allen, but the softness in his eyes had nearly undone her.
With a mere glance, he shatters me.
She paused at a corner and straightened her back. It was a lapse in judgement, nothing more. He had made his view on marriage clear. The physical attraction between them would soon fade, and they would go their separate ways.
