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Miss Wells blinked rapidly, no hint of a smile now clinging to her lips. It appeared as though he had shocked her with his blunt manner of speaking, and in what he had said, Edward knew there was a great deal of truth. He truly did despise the beau monde and found their falseness and flattery to be a matter of great disillusionment. It was why he was so very glad that he had been able to remove himself from it by throwing himself completely into working for King and country, albeit in a rather hidden manner.
“You speak very harshly, Lord Carroway,” Miss Wells said slowly, looking at him with something of a quizzical expression. Her head was tilted a little to the left, two spots of red now forming in her cheeks and her emerald eyes glittering as she watched him. “It sounds as though you find no enjoyment whatsoever in any part of society.” She arched one eyebrow, as if in silent challenge. “It sounds as though you simply go about your business out of duty rather than pleasure.”
He inclined his head, aware that she was attempting to find out whether he considered calling upon her to be a duty instead of truly wishing to be in her company. It was a trifle arrogant, he supposed, but then again, he had obviously confused her with his strange declaration that London society was, to his mind, something of a scourge.
“There are, I suppose, some moments that can be enjoyed,” he admitted, allowing a small smile to curve the edges of his lips. “I will admit to that, Miss Wells.”
She seemed to soften slightly, her shoulders relaxing and her smile growing steadily.
“Good gracious, Titania!”
One of her sisters – Edward could not recall which one was which – frowned as she gestured to the empty table in front of them both.
“You have not yet rung for tea, Titania, and I am quite sure that Lord Carroway is in desperate need of sustenance now that you have questioned him in such a manner!”
Edward frowned, hearing the cattiness in the lady’s voice and finding himself quite displeased by it. He did not like to see the blush that rose in Miss Titania’s face, nor did he like the way her eyes clouded with shame. Opening her mouth to speak and to—most likely—apologize, Edward found himself on his feet before she could say a word, bowing low.
“Please, Miss Wells, do not concern yourself with a such a thing,” he found himself saying, his mind working quickly. “It is such a fine day, and I have heard that the gardens here are quite lovely.” He raised his head and kept her gaze, seeing the way her expression cleared. “If it would not be too much trouble, might I ask you to join me for a short stroll through them? I shall be on my way directly otherwise.”
Miss Wells blossomed in front of him. “I should be glad to, Lord Carroway,” she said at once, getting to her feet and shooting a quick glance in the direction of her sisters. “I shall have one of the maids accompany me, Merry—so you and Catherine will not be required.” She gave them both a sweet smile, and Edward found himself grinning inwardly, feeling quite proud that he had managed to extricate Miss Wells from both her sisters. He could not speak freely to her when they were present, but to walk with her in the gardens would allow him to do precisely that.
* * *
A few minutes later and Edward found himself walking through the small but pretty garden at the back of the townhouse, marveling at the fountain that lay in the middle of it. A good deal of work had gone into the garden, and he had to admit that he was truly enjoying it.
“You are quite an unusual gentleman, Lord Carroway,” Miss Wells said suddenly, surprising him completely. “You come to call upon me and then state that you dislike society greatly. Then, when it is time for you to take your leave, you rise to your feet and ask me to accompany you in the gardens instead.” She looked up at him as they walked along the paved path that led through the gardens, the maid trailing behind them. “Not that I find your company unpleasant, of course.”
“I thank you,” Edward replied, not certain what to make of this young lady. “You are most kind to say so.” His mind began to work quickly as he tried to think of what he might say to begin to discover what it was he needed to know from Miss Wells. It had sounded rather simple when he had first thought of it. He would simply call upon her, speak to her, and ask her some questions that would give him insight into why Ravel was pursuing her. However, now that he was in her company, he found his mind scrambling to think clearly, his eyes caught up with her beauty. It was both frustrating and utterly intoxicating.
Clearing his throat, he gave her a quick smile. “I have heard, Miss Wells, that you are never without company when in society,” he stated, not quite certain where he was attempting to go with his questions. “Does that bring you any particular difficulties?”
Miss Wells looked startled, then frowned. “If you are attempting to seek a compliment, Lord Carroway, then I fear you will go without.”
“A compliment?” he repeated, a trifle confused. “What do you mean?”
She shook her head in mock disbelief. “If you wish me to state that garnering a good deal of attention is difficult in that it keeps me from gentlemen such as yourself, then I fear you shall go without hearing it, Lord Carroway.” She tipped her head, stopped, and turned to face him a little more. “However, if you wish me to state that I have been in some sort of difficulty of late, then that is entirely another question.” She said nothing more but remained directly in front of him, her eyes sharp.
Edward cleared his throat, feeling a tingle of awareness run up his spine. There was something in Miss Wells’ eyes that had him a trifle afraid, as though he knew that she was aware there was more to his visit than he was admitting. That could not be true, however, for he was quite certain that she had not recognized his face the first time their eyes had met across the ballroom.
“I am sorry if you have found yourself in some difficulty,” he said slowly, looking at her steadily. “That is troubling to hear.”
Miss Wells arched one eyebrow, her eyes narrowing just a little. “And yet you will continue to pretend that you know nothing of what I speak, Lord Carroway,” she replied in a clear voice. “That is not particularly wise, given that you were both present and forced to come to my aid.”
A lump formed in his throat as she spoke, sweat beading on his forehead. He had not expected this. He had not expected Miss Wells to not only recognize him but to speak to him of it in such a direct manner.
“You say that you are Lord Carroway,” Miss Wells continued, her voice soft but her eyes sharp. “I will believe that, for it seems that much is not in doubt. However, you are more than just a titled gentleman, are you not?” Taking a step closer, she put one hand on his arm and looked up into his face. Edward felt his breath leave his body in a moment, her closeness overwhelming his senses. He wanted to speak, wanted to pretend that he had no understanding of what she was saying, and yet he found his mouth seemingly filled with dust, sand lodging in his throat. He could not say a single word.
“I think you have called upon me for reasons that you will not yet state,” Miss Wells said, her hand tightening just a little on his arm. “But I will not be lied to, Lord Carroway. If you wish to speak to me honestly, if you wish to tell me what it is that you seek, then you must tell me the truth about yourself.” Her lips thinned as she took another small step forward, her closeness making him catch his breath. “Who are you, truly, Lord Carroway? You are not just a titled gentleman, so what else is it that you are involved in? And why did you tell me that night to keep what I had seen entirely to myself, if you were to come prying only a few days later?”
Edward began to stammer, sweat trickling down his back as he struggled to know what to say and what to do. Miss Wells had caught him entirely off guard. Not for one moment had he considered that she would know him, that she would recognize him to be the gentleman who had saved her from the murderer some nights before. What should he do? Should he tell her all?
“Titania?”
Closing her eyes tightly, Miss Wells let out a long frustrated breath and then stepped back fro
m Edward. Edward too let out a sigh, although his was one of relief. It seemed he would not have to summon an answer at this very moment.
“Allow me some time to consider what I must say, Miss Wells,” he said, his voice rasping somewhat as he bowed in her direction. “This has come as something of a surprise, but I will consider what you have said and what I must do.” His eyes strayed to the door from whence they had come, seeing one of her sisters beginning to advance. “Pray, maintain your silence, Miss Wells, for the time being.”
