Page 10 of An Enchantress for an Earl

Violet sighed – one day, Iris would show interest in something other than music and handsome men – but this was obviously not that day. Turning away from her sister, Violet slipped out through the terrace doors they were standing near, suddenly overcome by the need for fresh air and a little space.

There was no-one new here for her to meet, and she had been annoyed to find herself looking for Lord Merryfield – who was not, as far as she could determine, present. A short while in the chill night air should clear her head and allow her to steel herself to appear as if she had no thoughts in her mind beyond the latest fashion.

The terrace was deeply shadowed, with only one lantern at the far end, and the small garden just beyond its railing was equally unlit – it seemed that Lady Dartwood did not expect anyone to wish to venture out into the chill. She may well be correct in that, Violet thought, perhaps only I am fool enough to expose myself to the cold. She leant on the railing, deep in the shadow against the house wall, and simply appreciated the quiet. The deep thrum of the conversation inside was still detectable, but it was barely so, a background tone, almost more felt than heard.

In counterpoint, there came the quiet call of a bird – perhaps, even here in London, a leafy garden was enough to draw a robin. It was only then, as she stared out into the darkness, that she realised that she could hear another sound. Below her, from around the corner of the building, there came the faint sound of voices. Two voices, she thought, two men. She edged slightly along, until she was hard against the wall where the railing ended, and stood completely still, listening. She should go back inside… but… what might they be talking about, out here in the dark? It was a most strange place to converse… and it did not sound like an amorous assignation…

By some strange trick of the flow of air about the building, when she leant her head against the stone, the sound came clearer.

“…no doubt that, if they do what I’ve heard rumour of, we’ll not be able to continue. Your man may be good, but I doubt he’s good enough to match what’s suggested. And if we can’t continue…”

“…we’ll be forced to live in a manner neither of us wants to.”

“Exactly. So… what are you going to do?”

“What am I going to do? Why me?”

“It’s your… system…. Remember, if it comes to it, and exposure seems likely, I’ll save myself, and report my shocking discovery of your activities…. So you’d best find a way to stop them, for both our sakes, and our families.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Not a threat, exactly… more a warning… I don’t think you want to lose your easy ticket any more than I do, after all. And if I’m to marry your sister, you’ll want me to have the money to support her in the way she expects, won’t you?”

“You’re a hard man, Cater.”

“Yes, but you knew that when we made our deal. So I repeat, what are you going to do?”

“Escalate from what we have been doing, and find a way to stop them, I suppose. A way to convince them it’s not practical, or possible, or something like that.”

“Make sure that you do, and soon.”

They fell into silence, and Violet stayed frozen in place, even though the chill of the stone was seeping into her bones. Then they moved.

What if they saw her? She had no idea who they were, but she was utterly certain that she should do everything in her power to prevent them from realising that she had overheard that conversation.

The rustle of their movement through the bushes intensified – they seemed to be coming her way. She had only seconds – she spun around and slipped back in through the terrace doors, praying that the sound of their own movement would disguise the sound of hers, and that they would never realise she’d been there.

>>>

Arryn reacted instinctively, his hands shooting out to grasp the person before him and prevent her falling, even as he averted an embarrassing collision between them. The door from the terrace had opened, and before he was barely aware of that, the person entering had been upon him.

She gasped and, as he managed to keep both of them on their feet, he realised that he held Lady Violet Gardenbrook, her eyes wide with shock, and her face pale. Her arms, where he held them, were chilled to the touch, and he wondered just how long she had been outside in the cold October night air. A quiver ran through her, and she flicked a glance behind her to where the door had clicked shut.

Then her eyes met his, and everything but the intensity of her blue violet gaze faded away. He was not sure how long they stood like that – probably far too long for propriety – but her soft voice brought him back to himself.

“Thank you, Lord Merryfield. I believe that I am quite able to stand unassisted – you should, perhaps, release me before anyone notices…”

He dropped his hands to his sides, feeling a slight flush colour his cheeks. How was it that, despite his promises to his father, and all of his best intentions, as soon as he came near this woman, nothing went as planned?

“Lady Violet… is all well with you? You seemed rather… hurried, and you look most pale and chilled.”

She looked away, as if embarrassed that he had noticed.

“I believe that I stood on the terrace for far too long, contemplating the stars. I am sorry to have startled you so.”

He did not, for one moment, believe that there was nothing more to it than that. She had been far too hurried in her entry to the room for it simply to be a return from some time spent in the crisp night air. And that glance behind her… it was almost as if she had expected to be pursued.

That thought raised the strangest feeling in him – a desire to protect her from whatever, or whoever, might have caused her to flee. Ridiculous – she was not his responsibility to protect! But… he shook his head, confused, yet again, by her simple presence.