“You’re trying to distract me.”
She lifted the corner of her mouth. “I’m trying to turn our attention—both yoursandmine—to other matters. Harbury”—she moved her hand to his arm—“I don’t want to fight.”
He stared down at her fingers. “You had your hand against Mrs. Townsend’s arm, too.”
“And?”
His brow furrowed. “Warmth comes easily to you.”
“You, too.”
“No.”
“Yes,” she insisted. “You’re always so thoughtful.”
“I’mnotthoughtful.” His frown deepened. “I’m not—” He bitdown on his lower lip.
“Harbury?”
He closed his eyes, looking pained. “You merely preoccupy my thoughts.”
“A pretty compliment.” Her gaze dropped to his lips. “If only I were actually capable of such a thing.”
His body subtly shuddered as he exhaled. “You are.” He opened his eyes and then took her fully into his arms. “You know very well, you are.”
She did, now. She smiled against his mouth as he kissed her deeply.
Her efforts had gone very well.
Very well, indeed.
*
Our place, she’dsaid.Our place.
Her words had jolted him out of his pique because they weren’t wholly true. The Priory could not truly betheirspecial place to meet because the Priory had been his and Viv’s place to meet.
He kissed her tenderly, more thoroughly aware than he’d ever been that he’d done her an injustice. Or, rather, several injustices. He couldn’t make things right…
Or could he?
Suddenly, he recalled the one place on the estate Vivianne had never been. “Come back to the Hall with me,” he said. “There is something I’d like to show you. Something unique, secret, and”—his voice dropped—“very exciting.”
Her gaze moved between the pathway to the ruins, the restless horses, and the darkening sky.
“Secret?”
He nodded, cradling her cheek. “Secret, secluded, and, should therain commence, much more comfortable for continuing…our current activities.”
Finally, she nodded. “Very well, I’m intrigued.”
He handed her back into the cart, and then mounted his horse.
As they made their way back to the Hall, he considered what had happened.
He’d felt a twinge of guilt when, last time they’d come to the ruins, when she’d assumed he’d brought her there with seduction in mind. And then, earlier at the Townend’s, he had a sharp reminder that she didn’t know as much as she thought she knew about Vivianne. Most egregiously, he’d promised they’d be allies, and he hadn’t shared anything about the anonymous letters. Taken together, the three things left him with a creeping feeling such as a thief might feel—one who had gotten away with a crime but knows he will eventually be caught.
The hatchet would fall on him, too.
