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But of course she would not see anything sinister about the whole matter. Demeter was an innocent.
Though, not entirely innocent. He had discovered her at Pidgeon’s after all.
“No. He is up to something.”
“So you want me to go to some secret meeting, read the lips of a likely innocent man and report back to you? All because yourinstinctsays something is wrong?”
“You won’t report back to me. And my instinct is always right.”
“I won’t?”
“No. I’ll be with you.”
“You’ll be with me?” she repeated.
“Is that so hard to comprehend?”
“Alone?”
“You will be perfectly safe.”
She let out a light laugh. “Of course I will be.”
Blake didn’t understand what she meant by that and didn’t want to ask. “You owe me, Demeter. Do not forget that.”
She ran a finger over the lace trim of the tablecloth, following the swirls over and over. He held his breath and waited, not quite able to believe how much he needed her to say yes.
Eventually, she looked up at him. “I suppose I do not have much choice.”
“You do not,” he agreed.
“Very well then. I am all yours.” She gestured widely. “Use me how you see fit.”
He bit back a groan. Blast his roguish imagination.
Chapter Eight
Yesterday’s rain left the grass a little damp underfoot but it did not dissuade swathes of the population of London from descending upon Hyde Park. Gentle puffs of clouds dotted the skies, promising not to hinder the bright and sunny day. Demeter was grateful for the clear weather. She needed her daily walk and that had proved impossible with the intermittent drizzle these past few days. Every time she put on her pelisse, the heavens opened up.
Clusters of people were dotted about the park, some bringing chairs and blankets to sit leisurely by the river whilst others walked slowly along the winding paths. Children giggled and the clop of horse hooves and the rattle of carriage wheels forced her and her sisters to raise their voices on occasion when they went by.
Their group had already grown from the family gathering of her brother Anton and his wife Eliza, her sisters, their husbands and Aunt Sarah. Several mamas were keen for their young daughters to make connections with the duke’s daughters, and some old friends had gathered too. There were almost twenty of them today. Conversation flowed about her—a lot of it directed at Chastity and her upcoming confinement.
Demeter suppressed a shudder. Sometimes, she rather felt as though she had been confined herself for much of her life. Her manner of speech left her unwilling to speak in large crowds and she wasn’t certain she cared for the chatter anyway. Demeter would rather walk than gossip or catch up. Her feet twitched in her sturdy boots.
“I can come with you if you wish,” Chastity said with a knowing smile.
“You should be sitting down,” her husband muttered. “Let me fetch you a chair.”
Chastity waved a hand. “I shall be doing plenty of that before long. Let me appreciate standing for just a while longer.” Her expression softened at the concern furrowing Valentine’s brow. “I shall not be silly, I promise.” She rose on tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
The furrows vanished instantly and the stern-looking man’s eyes lit with love. The Earl of Kendall was not the man Demeter would have immediately chosen for her sister but he was an utter gentleman and loved her sister beyond distraction. Somehow, they worked perfectly together.
“I shall walk with Aunt Sarah in just a moment,” Demeter explained. “There is no need for you to accompany me.”
Chastity sighed and rubbed a hand over her stomach. “I suppose I will not be able to keep up. You always keep such a fast pace.”
“Exercise is important.” She’d never let herself sicken again, not like when she was a child.
