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It was getting dark early beneath the foamy clouds. A faint mist of drizzle was blowing in the breeze, moistening her upturned face. Elise drew her hood again about her hair realising she would soon need to seek sanctuary in the Red Lion. She had gone in there before and asked after Lord Blackthorne. The landlord had told her he’d been gone all day and had travelled out of town. Her stomach had lurched at that damning information, although the fellow was unable to say whether his eminent lodger had headed off towards Enfield that morning.
The rain became heavier, slanting to sting her face, and Elise sprang up, her skirts in her fists, and sprinted to seek the protection of the whitewashed wall of the tavern. She pressed back against it, under the eaves, while trying to pluck up the courage to enter the premises and again face down speculative stares from the innkeeper and his wife.
A stable lad emerged from the adjacent barn with a bale of hay in his arms, closing the creaking door by kicking it to behind him before disappearing. Elise bolted towards the wooden building and grasped the latch, intending to shelter within when she heard the sound of an approaching vehicle. Her breath caught abrasively in her throat. She waited, squinting into the dusk.
The curricle was being driven fast and came to a stop in a spurt of earth in front of the Red Lion. Alex jumped down, tossing the reins to the tiger. The first sight of his tall powerful body caused her a physical ache. It was so easy to understand why women wanted him, why they might not easily let him go. Having waited so long for this moment, Elise now felt frozen to the spot, her tongue welded to the roof of her mouth.
He hadn’t seen her, or if he had noticed her bedraggled figure he was ignoring it. And why would he not overlook a lone woman loitering by a barn in the pouring rain? No doubt he considered her what he had on first acquaintance: a soliciting harlot.
Elise knew that if she didn’t intercept him he would soon be gone and confronting him inside the inn would be beyond her courage. She must do it here where the wind might whip away her bitter words before they were overheard.
Alex observed his manservant steering the horses into the courtyard, then turned, about to stride into the welcoming warmth of the inn. Instead he hesitated, casting a glance to one side. Despite her shoulders being hunched and a hood protecting her features, there seemed to be something familiar about the willowy woman stationed just inside the barn. With dawning astonishment he crossed the few yards that separated them. His immediate welcoming smile for Elise was quickly followed by a fierce frown.
‘This is a very nice surprise, sweetheart. But what on earth are you doing here?’ he asked, shielding her from the weather by altering his stance.
‘Waiting for you,’ Elise replied, gazing up at him through lashes made heavy by mingling rain and tears.
Alex’s expression turned shrewd as he sensed an accusation beneath her cool reserve. This was no impromptu visit because she yearned to see him...as he had longed all day to see her. Neither had she come to find him because he hadn’t arrived at the appointed hour to dine at her father’s house. But he used that as a prelude to discovering what was wrong.
‘I’m sorry I’m late for dinner; I’ve been out of town. I came back here to make myself presentable before turning up.’ He glanced ruefully at his mud-splattered boots and breeches.
‘It doesn’t matter; it’s not important,’ Elise said huskily. She was glad that raindrops were masking her watery eyes. Her insides might be wound tight as a spring, but she wanted to appear in control while demanding he tell her what he had done today and whether he needed to change his clothes because they’d been soiled by his mistress’s scent as well as dirt.
‘Come inside so we can talk. I’ll get you something hot to drink while I get changed. You look frozen.’ He took her elbow to solicitously steer her towards the Red Lion.
‘There’s no need for that.’ Elise jerked her arm free with a shake of her head. ‘I have just one question to ask and I’m hoping...if you feel anything for me at all...that you will dignify me with a truthful answer.’
Alex pivoted slowly towards her, but it seemed she could no longer bear to look at him. He took her sharp chin, silky and wet, in thumb and forefinger, tipping it up so their eyes tangled. ‘Ask away,’ he invited calmly, yet an inkling of what was troubling her was already in his mind. How she had come by the information, however, eluded him.
‘Did you meet your mistress today at a tavern in Enfield?’ Elise asked in a strong voice that sounded quite unlike her own. He had no need to answer her. She knew from an unbearable silence, from a stony glint between his close black lashes that her aunt and Mrs Vickers had correctly reported what they’d witnessed. She had also been correct in knowing she’d see the truth in his eyes. Still she insisted on having it from his lips. ‘A yes or no will do.’ Her tone was different now, sarcasm suffocated by the anguish clogging her throat.
