Sage’s blood ran cold.
‘The two of them were gettingverycosy at Raffles.’
‘So?’
‘You can drop the defensive act, Sage. I’m on your side, honestly,’ Louis murmured hurriedly but his words felt sincere. ‘I think it needs to be nipped in the bud. Together they could be lethal. You need to try to get her on side too – or rather, Rafe does. He’ll have more of a chance – she absolutelyloathesyou.’ These last words were said in terms of respect. ‘Whatdidyou do to her?’
Sage put down her spoon. ‘That’s a story for another time. Just how dangerous is she?’
‘You need to take her seriously. Deverill, too – obviously. He’s been bad-mouthing my brother all over town. It could really damage Rafe’s reputation.’
Sage looked at Louis intently.
‘Since when do you care about your brother?’
‘You’re new on the scene – I don’t expect you to understand our relationship. We may not live in each other’s pockets but we are brothers. Believe it or not, if something hurts Rafe, it also hurts me. So what are we going to do about it?’
Sage’s mind raced to catch up. She was surprised to find that her instinct was to trust Louis here in this moment. Despite everything she had thought about him previously, she felt she was only seeing him properly for the first time tonight. Had she changed, or had he? Had Rafe confided in Louis about the Casper fiasco too? What could she do to prevent Santiago from harming them any more?
The seed of her earlier idea began to grow. Staring at Louis, she realized she had the answer.
She was snapped out of her reverie by the sound of her name coming from Constance’s lips.
‘Sorry, Constance – did you say something to me?’
‘Yes, dear. I asked if you’d ever ridden side-saddle?’ Constance said patiently.
‘Oh! No, why? Though I have always wanted to,’ Sage admitted.
‘Sage is avisionon a horse,’ Constance informed the table, to Sage’s mounting horror. Everyone seemed to be listening now, totally oblivious to Mary’s distaste. ‘Sage – I’ve got a side-saddle in the tack room. Will you try it on Ajax next time? I have a hunch it could be a match made in heaven.’
‘Erm … Yes, I’d love to. Thank you!’ Sage turned to Mary in an attempt to include her in the conversation. ‘Do you ride, Mary?’ she asked.
‘I can ride, if that’s what you mean?’ said Mary loftily. ‘I don’t any more, obviously. Not in London.’ She pushed away her virtually untouched plate.
‘Poor Mary is aterriblerider!’ trilled Constance gaily, ploughing on unconcerned. ‘She couldn’t stay on a three-legged donkey even if she wastiedon!’
Sage’s heart sank: this was not going to help.
Mary scraped back her chair and stood up abruptly.
‘Walter, forgive me. I have a headache,’ she hissed at Walter, and with that, she stalked from the room.
Sage felt a warm hand on her knee.
‘You’d better come up with a plan, fast – and I’d lock my door tonight, if I were you.’ Louis was laughing but there was a glimmer of concern in the undertone. They were the same age but Louis looked older than twenty-five this evening; there were lines around his eyes that she had not noticed last time.
‘Are you all right?’ she asked him softly, and with genuine concern.
‘Me? I’m fine – thanks.’ Louis batted away her concern and lifted his glass to his lips, the mask coming down. ‘I’m just tired. I’ve hardly been to bed since I got home a couple of days ago, that’s all.’ He winked rakishly at Sage, performing again. It ruined their tentative rapport, the putting on of his other face; it made her turn away.
After cheese and port, Sage watched Rafe across the table, trying to catch his eye. He was wedged between Vanessa and her mother, who had swapped places in order to ingratiate herself with him. He half-stood, beginning to make his excuses, but Mrs Pole, the woman on his other side, pulled at his hand and urged him to sit back down. Sage was tired and, more than anything, longed to sink between the starched cotton sheets in the enormous bed that stood waiting for her and Rafe upstairs.
Louis approached him, seemingly keen to liberate his brother.
‘Rafe, may I have a word?’
Rafe leapt hastily to his feet.
