Page 37 of Forgotten No More

Lightly, his fingertips moved to her inner thigh, caressing the soft skin, untouched by another man. Her hips rose into his touch so slightly he almost missed it.

“Ruby.” His words were little more than a groan, the muttering of a man who’d certainly lost his mind. A man willing to risk discovery by all to hold this woman—a beautiful, intelligent woman.

Suddenly, the lights rose and applause sounded intermission had arrive.

Harold quickly dropped Ruby’s dress back into place and adjusted his own pants to hide his arousal.

Lady Haversham and Brock stood as they applauded the end of the act. “Brava!” They both chimed.

“That was exquisitely lovely,” Vi exclaimed, turning. “Did you enjoy your first play, Ruby?”

Harold looked to Ruby when she didn’t immediately answer. Her eyelids hung low as if she’d fallen asleep—or possibly her blood pumped through her veins in expectation of a release that would not come.

“Ruby?” Vi asked.

Lady Haversham’s voice finally penetrated Ruby’s daze. “Oh, yes. I am enthralled with the spoken word. So very different from reading them upon a page in a book.”

“I agree, Miss Ruby,” Harold chimed, hoping to take a bit of the focus off her.

Brock stepped forward with Lady Haversham in tow. “We are going to step out for refreshments. Would you care to join us?”

The question was aimed at them both, but Ruby failed to respond, leaving Harold to pass on the offer. “I believe I will await you both here.” It was too soon for him to stand, for it would surely give away where his thoughts had been during the performance.

“And you, Ruby?” Vi asked.

She sat up straighter. “No, thank you. I will stay here and keep Mr. Jakeston company.”

“My dear friend would do well with a nursemaid to keep a close eye on him,” Brock laughed as he steered Lady Haversham from their box, securely closing the door behind them.

Ruby was on him instantly. “Whatever were you thinking?” she questioned. “If anyone had seen what was happening, then my little blackmailer would be the least of our troubles.”

“Clearly I was not thinking at all.” He didn’t know how to respond to her hostile words. She had unquestionably enjoyed his touch. “And, we are the guests of Brock and Lady Haversham. No one will question our attendance as anything more than what we are—the impoverished, untitled, yet dearest friends of London’s newest influential couple.”

“Which is exactly why our association will harm you.”

“Harm me?” Harold hadn’t the faintest idea what she was talking about. Any association with Ruby was the exact opposite of harmful.

“How do you propose meeting an eligible girl if people think you are courting me?”

The notion stopped him dead in his tracks. “Courting you—or anyone, for that matter—is simply not my objective. I have merely been lucky enough to bump into you at a few social functions and happen to be residing under the same roof. People will expect us to share an acquaintance based off those facts.” Although, members of the ton believing he was courting her did not sit wrong with him.

But for all he knew, she fought their association so venomously because her objectives in town did, in fact, have everything to do with another man. He’d seen her hastily scribbled notes and her list of men. If she was using the list as a prospective catalog of marriageable men, it needed much revising. Most of the men were either married or too old for any young woman’s liking.

Ruby stood. “I only think we should keep our distance, that is all,” she said, stepping toward the door.

“Where are you going?”

“I find I need a spot of fresh air.”

“I thought you were supposed to keep me company. Who will keep me out of trouble if you are gone?”

She eyed him suspiciously. “It seems we get into more trouble while together than apart. Good evening, Mr. Jakeston.” With that, she opened the door to their box and departed.

Her firm manner of closing the door signaled he was not welcome to follow. What she failed to realize was that the performance was only half over. When she returned, he would be waiting.

Chapter 15

Harold waited patiently for Ruby’s return, all the while keeping his eyes trained on the crowd below. Many agreed the playgoers standing in the general admission section were the true entertainment for the night. The crowd this evening was overly boisterous, their jovial mood infusing the room with a lighthearted feel that matched the whimsical nature of the play.