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But something seemed off. Will had offended Turley, and badly, too. Perhaps he was still nursing the wound. Afterall, they’d gotten into a fight at that gentleman’s club some weeks ago.
I felt a shiver run down my spine. Could Turley be trying to do Will harm?
The thought of that made me briefly forget any of my hurt or animosity. I went quickly inside, intent on telling Will what I had seen and heard. I couldn’t bare the idea of him being attacked or hurt… and me having done nothing to stop it.
Even if he wasthe worst.
I asked the butler to show me to Will, and he brought me to his study. It was a room I hadn’t been to before. On first glance, I found it similar to the library, but smaller and more cluttered. Dark mahogany panels covered the walls, and the smell of cigars hung in the air.
Will was sitting behind a large mahogany desk, his expression dark. He was staring at something on the opposite wall. As I entered, his gaze shifted to me, and I could sense that something was wrong. His eyes were troubled… almost tortured.
The next thing I noticed was the half-drunken bottle of scotch sitting on the desk in front of him. There was no glass; he was drinking straight from the bottle.
I ignored that fact, looking into his eyes instead.
“Amelia.” He said in a deep, low voice.
“Good evening.” I responded, my voice sounding much higher and weaker than I had meant for it to.
I cursed myself for being nervous. I just couldn’t help it – when I was around Will, it felt as if the whole world were a little off-kilter.
He watched me, and I thought I saw something sad in his eyes.
“You’re soaking wet.” He finally said, glancing down at my dress.
I felt my cheeks color red. He was right, I was soaked. But wasn’t that his fault? He’d been the cause of my sour mood all day. Staring into his stormy, ocean blue eyes, it was tempting to pretend like nothing had happened between us. To go on as if everything was okay. But it wasn’t.
I couldn’t forget last night so easily.
“Yes, I’ve had a long day, and it’s pouring outside.”
“Indeed, I’m aware. I too have been outside… though I managed to stay a bit drier.”
There was a hint of a smile on his lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
A silence stretched on for a few moments. Will’s glance suddenly slid back to the wall behind me. I felt a bristle of annoyance. Wasn’t he going to say anything about last night?
Apologize?
Of course not.
“Look, I just came to inform you that I saw Lord Turley on the street outside.”
He slowly looked back at me, his eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch.
“Lord Turley?”
“Yes.”
“Well… what was he doing?”
I felt my mouth open in exasperation.
“Oh, I don’t know – I mean, it seemed like…” I felt myself trailing off.
Suddenly, the idea of telling Will that I thought Lord Turley was stalking me felt ridiculous. I couldn’t bare to give him something to laugh about.
“I don’t know.” I finally said, making up my mind to be stubborn. “He was just on the sidewalk.”
