“I know.”
“If that is the case, why won’t you let me help you?”
Lord Rushcliffe leaned forward and tucked a piece of errant hair behind her ear, his finger lingering on her skin. “You seem to think that I don’t think you are capable of helping me,” he said. “But that is the furthest thing from the truth.”
Her eyes roamed over his smooth jawline and she could see every freckle, every scar. “What is the truth, then?” she asked, breathlessly.
“I can’t abide the thought of putting you in harm’s way, for any reason. I need you to be safe,” Lord Rushcliffe responded. “I can’t be out there, not knowing if you are safe or not.”
The main door opened and Lord Rushcliffe straightened.
Malcolm stepped into the entry hall and glanced between them. “Dare I ask what you two were discussing?”
“The weather,” Enid rushed to reply.
Her brother gave her an exasperated look. “That seems highly unlikely.”
Lord Rushcliffe bowed and addressed Enid. “I shall call upon you tomorrow, if you have no objections.”
“I do not.”
“Very good,” Lord Rushcliffe said before he swiftly walked out the door.
Enid’s eyes remained on Lord Rushcliffe’s retreating figure until the door was closed. What had just happened between them?
Malcolm crossed his arms over his chest and gave her his most accusatory look. “What was all that about?”
“Nothing,” Enid replied.
“It appears to me that you and Lord Rushcliffe are growing rather close.”
“You would be wrong,” Enid responded. “We are just friends.”
Malcolm dropped his hands to his sides and approached her. As he placed a hand on her shoulder, he said, “Just be careful, little sister.”
“You don’t need to worry about me.”
“But I do, and I always will,” Malcolm said, dropping his hand.
While her brother walked into the drawing room, Enid took a moment to catch her breath. The skin behind her ear still tingled from Lord Rushcliffe’s touch.
ChapterEight
Greydon sat in the coach as he headed towards the unsavory part of Town. He needed to speak to Lord William and he was all too aware of the establishments that the man frequented, especially since his brother would usually accompany his friend.
His thoughts strayed towards Lady Enid and he chastised himself for being so familiar with her earlier. What was he thinking? That was the problem- he wasn’t. He always seemed to lose rational thought when Lady Enid was around. She bewitched him, body and soul, and he fought hard to free himself from these relentless feelings.
Why was it nearly impossible to banish Lady Enid from his thoughts? He couldn’t act on them. He cared little about her tainted reputation, but he knew he couldn’t marry a woman that he could grow to love.Love. What a useless emotion. He had seen how it had destroyed his father, and he refused to follow suit.
The coach came to a stop in front of a gambling hall that was known asThe Lucky Ace. The red-brick building was unassuming, but it was not a place for the faint of heart. The vilest of things happened inside these doors.
Greydon exited his coach and approached the main door. He tried to open the door but it was locked. So he knocked and waited. And waited. When no one answered, he knew he would need to find another way in.
He went around the side of the building and saw an alleyway. It was dark and smelled of excrement but he continued on. He noticed a side door and went to open it. This one wasn’t locked, and he stepped inside.
There was a guard at the door who greeted him. “What is yer business here?” he growled, taking a step closer to him.
“Nothing that concerns you.” Greydon drew himself up to his full height, hoping to intimidate the man. If the man wanted a fight, he had one.
