He wiped his eyes. “I’m fine. I’m astonished, however, that I could go so quickly from almost throttling Richard to thinking he’s an utter boob.”
“Yes, but he’s mostly harmless.”
“What he was doing didn’t look harmless when I first came upon you.”
“But twenty seconds later you would have come upon a much different scene. I reallywasgoing to knee him in the privates.”
Kade shook his head. “It’s still risky, though. You shouldn’t have been outside here by yourself, not with everything that’s going on.”
“How did I know my ridiculous mother was going to send Richard out looking for me?”
“What if she’d sent Sir Leslie?”
“He’s not interested in me.”
“He is now, apparently.”
She winced at that unappealing notion. “Really? That’s annoying.”
“Charlotte—”
“It’s fine.” She took his arm and steered him to the bench. “It’s you I worry about. I’m afraid you hurt your shoulder when you threw Richard off me.”
“My shoulder is fine.”
She gently pushed him down and then sat beside him. “Stab wounds are nothing to be sneezed at.”
“I’m well aware. Fortunately, we have a doctor in the family, and he took excellent care of me.”
She hesitated for a moment before letting curiosity overcome caution. “You still haven’t told me how you got stabbed by a Russian spy. It sounds . . .”
“Idiotic?” he dryly replied.
“I was going to say dangerous. Are you ever going to tell me what happened in Paris?”
He affected astonishment. “Do you mean my grandfather has yet to disclose the details?”
“Yes. He’s been annoyingly closemouthed since you scolded him.”
“Will wonders never cease?”
“Kade,” she said in a warning tone.
His smile briefly flashed in the moonlight. “Someday I’ll tell you. But for now, we have other matters to discuss.”
“I’m aware, but can you at least tell me what transpired in the drawing room? The arguments, and such.”
He cocked his head. “How do you know about that?”
“Your niece very kindly warned me off.” She frowned. “How did you know where to find me?”
“I happened to glance out the drawing room window when you were crossing the terrace. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make my escape immediately, but I came down as soon as I realized Richard had slipped out.”
“Lucky for him,” she wryly said. “Tira did say that Richard thinks he should be able to marry me, even without the brooch. And Sir Leslie has decided to enter the fray. Do I have that right?”
“Mostly. Your father also wants to put out a discreet word to local swains who might be interested in pursuing both you and the brooch.”
“There is nothing discreet about my father, I’m afraid.”
