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Ash took a bite of his bread too. Her father hadn’t been like his then. It might have been easier if Ash could dismiss his father as a bad person. Instead, he’d been often left to wonder if he and his mother just weren’t lovable.
“Anyway…” Lily shook her head. “I just wanted to say. You need not protect me that way. I can find the food I need. Next time, you take the bigger piece of bread.”
Ash raised his brows. Lily didn’t seem at all worried about being lovable; she did, however, appear determined to keep him at arm’s length. “Understood.”
She dropped her chin and picked up a berry, popping it into her mouth. Ash tried not to notice how lush her lips were while she ate the fruit. Her tongue darted out to lick at the corner of her mouth.
The sight of her pink tongue sent a riot of desire coursing through him and he looked away to regain his control as he instead focused on her words. He wished to ask her more about her childhood. Had she been hungry often?
But he didn’t have a chance, because she began asking the questions instead. “How did you manage to best four men, anyhow?”
“I’m a good shot. Always have been,” he said, then ate a berry too, ripe juice bursting in his mouth. “These are good.”
“I’m glad.” She leaned forward, her head cocking in curiosity. Then, after easing back, she grabbed another berry. “It seems as though it would take more than just good aim. You had to pick your moment, keep your head against terrible odds.”
He appreciated her praise. He’d always been good under pressure.
With his father gone so often, his mother had often relied on him. He’d learned from an early age how to remain calm under duress. One of them had to keep a clear head and his mother had never been good at it. But he shrugged as he answered. “Luck, mostly. And a bit of skill. I’ve had some practice.”
“The gaming hell?”
There too. “Maybe. A little. We’ve not owned that establishment for very long.”
“We?”
“Your brothers sold it to Arabella, me, and a few of our other friends.”
“And now thieves are attacking the club and me?” Her face hardened, her features growing tight.
His mouth fell open in surprise. “You think they might have set you up? Us up?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know, but I won’t rule it out.”
He’d seen Bash and Baxter with Lily. They’d appeared cautious but committed to her well-being. And they’d appeared frantic to find their sister again when they’d all parted ways in London to search for her. Still, he ought to ask a few more questions. “What happened the day you were taken?”
She took another bite of her bread, her throat lightly working as she chewed. Awareness settled like a weight in his loins. How could even her eating be attractive?
“I was on my way to an interview at a dress shop.”
“Dress shop?” he asked, sitting up straighter. Normally, that wouldn’t be odd except Arabella owned a shop in London.
“That’s right. I’m a trained seamstress.”
“That’s wonderful, but aren’t your brothers going to support you?” Surely, they had the funds to keep up one illegitimate sister between the two of them?
Her chin notched up again. “The job was my idea.”
“And the shop. Which one was it?”
“Madame White’s. Why?”
The name made him grimace. “That’s Arabella’s shop. Did you know that?”
Her face paled. “No. I didn’t.”
She’d been going to an interview at her sister’s shop, having no idea the position she sought when she’d been kidnapped was to work for her sister. Ash had to confess, that did sound a bit suspicious. Actually, it sounded very suspicious.
Perhaps her theory had some merit.
And while it wasn’t his tendency to get involved in family affairs, he’d not hand her back over to men intent upon hurting her, even men who were her family. That was a promise he could keep.
