“And nothing,” he grumbled as he dropped onto the settee. “We spoke for a few moments before we were interrupted by the constable.”
“That might be for the best.”
Niles leaned back, his head resting against the upholstered seat as he stared up at the ceiling. “I can’t stop thinking about her,” he admitted. “I don’t know why. I don’t even know who she is.”
The valet moved closer, his expression thoughtful. “What is it about her, my lord?”
“There is something familiar about her,” Niles said after a long pause. “Something I can’t explain. It is like—” He stopped himself, shaking his head. The notion was ridiculous, absurd even. “It feels as if our souls are somehow intertwined.”
Wiley’s brows lifted slightly. “That is quite the sentiment, my lord.”
Niles let out a humorless laugh. “Madness, isn’t it? She is a highwaywoman. A thief. I should be condemning her actions, not being obsessed with her.”
Wiley took a step closer, folding his hands in front of him. “Perhaps you see something in her that others don’t. Or perhaps she is meant to cross your path for a reason.”
Niles huffed. “Don’t say that you believe in destiny and whatnot.”
Wiley chuckled. “I do, in my own way. I met my wife at a country dance I hadn’t even planned to attend. If I hadn’t gone that night, my whole life would have been different.”
The sincerity in Wiley’s tone caught Niles off guard. “And are you happy?”
“Wholeheartedly,” Wiley replied, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Marriage is not without its challenges, but it is a partnership. A choice made every day.”
Niles grew silent, his thoughts shifting. He had always believed marriage was a matter of practicality. Mutual toleration. Shared goals. Love had seemed unnecessary, even frivolous. Yet Wiley’s words stirred something within him, a seed of doubt about his own rigid beliefs.
“Perhaps love does make a difference,” Niles murmured, almost to himself. The thought felt awkward, unwelcome even.
The image of Lady Elsbeth came into his mind, and he quickly banished it. Where had that thought even come from? He would no more marry Lady Elsbeth than chew glass.
Shaking his head, he rose from the settee with a groan. Between the highwaywoman and Lady Elsbeth, he doubted he would get even a moment of sleep.
Wiley studied him for a moment. “If I may, my lord, sometimes the answers come when you least expect them.”
“I am not looking for answers,” Niles said, heading towards the bed. “I am looking for peace and quiet.”
With an amused look, Wiley replied, “Then you should not get married.”
As Niles sank onto the edge of the bed, he couldn’t help but agree.
6
Elsbeth woke with a sharp jolt of pain radiating from her left arm. Sunlight streamed in through the tall windows, brightening the room but doing little to lift her mood. Her memories of the night before flooded in. The gunshot. The searing pain. And the betrayal she hadn’t seen coming.
Lord Westcott.
How could she have been so foolish? She had almost trusted him. Almost believed he cared. But no. He had kept her distracted, giving someone the perfect opportunity to ambush her. The infuriating lord had tricked her, and she wouldn’t make that mistake again.
A soft knock interrupted her musings before Clara entered the room, balancing a bowl of water and bandages. Her usual cheerful demeanor was replaced by quiet efficiency as she set the bowl down on the table beside the bed.
“Good morning, my lady,” Clara said. “It is time we clean that wound before it gets infected.”
Elsbeth groaned, reluctantly pushing herself up against the wall. “Do you have to sound so happy about it?”
Clara arched an eyebrow as she reached for the clean linen. “It is hard to be cheerful when I am tending to a lady who insists on behaving like a highwayman.” She dipped a cloth into the water, wringing it out with practiced hands. “Do I need to remind you that this would not have happened if you had stayed in bed where you belong?”
“Do you truly have to lecture me now?”
Clara smiled as she moved to sit in the chair beside Elsbeth. “Would you prefer I schedule a lecture for a more convenient time? Perhaps before supper?”
