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As if he were just dropping by for tea.
As if they were stillfriends.
The word caused a faint pang somewhere in the vicinity of her heart. Lottie quickly wiped the shock from her face and glared. She wasn’t naive enough to assume that Uncle Alfred, a man who staunchly refused to accept he didn’t have complete control over the fates and furies of life, would simply let her be. But to sendAlecafter her?
The gall of both of them was maddening.
But if Alec was at all bothered by this frosty reception, he didn’t show it. He sauntered over until he was no more than a foot away, forcing her to look up into the face that was at once both achingly familiar and surprisingly breathtaking. The trace of boyishness that had still been visible when they last met was no more, as his features had fully matured into the kind of stoic, patrician beauty the Romans had adored. His dark hair had grown so long it nearly brushed his collar, the waves as unruly as ever, and his strong jaw was lightly bearded. But beneath that easy charm the same undercurrent of antagonism crackled—just as captivating, and disquieting, as it always had been. His hazel eyes glinted, daring her to look away first. But Lottie stared right back.
Alec filled the silence by studying her with an openness that bordered on indecent. If he were any other man, she would have walked away or taken him to task. But then, if he were any other man, her skin wouldn’t feel so flushed and tight, and she wouldn’t have any trouble swallowing. Alec’s gaze tracked the movement of her throat, then briefly flitted to her mouth. Lottie clenched her hands against the unwanted attraction swelling inside and released a breath.
“Funny. Marta told me a handsome nobleman had come to visit.” She narrowed her eyes to match her icy tone. “But I see it’s onlyyou.”
That earned her a chuckle. “I know you don’t like surprises, but don’t be too cross with me.” He tilted his head and squinted; it was a perfect imitation of someone trying to recollect a distant memory. “How long has it been since we last saw each other, anyway?”
The act was nearly as infuriating as the question itself. There was no need to put on a show for her, of all people. Lottie loosened her jaw just enough to answer. “I haven’t been keeping track.”
It had been five years.
And still nothing about Alec was genuine. He only made it appear so. That was his talent—drawing people in, telling them what they wanted to hear, to see, tofeel, until they gave him everything he wanted. Then they were discarded.
He smirked again and moved a little closer. “I’d say it’s been about five years or so. Not since your—”
“Who told you I was here?” Lottie didn’t have time for this. He needed to leave. Immediately. She had not come all this way to deal with people like him and Uncle Alfred. Not anymore. “Was it Mrs. Wetherby?”
Lottie had placed the timetable for the train to Rome on her desk when she left the pension, where even her harebrained chaperone could not miss it. She also underlined the city a few times so there would be no doubt of her destination. But perhaps Lottie had slipped and mentioned the village once…
Alec shook his head. “She was sure you had gone to Rome, but I know a diversion when I see one.” His eyes warmed with approval, but Lottie made sure hers remained cold.
At least someone noticed.
She had also left behind a pressed red rose and a little note—love tokens from her imaginary Italian suitor. Had he seen through those as well? That could spoil everything.
“Then I remembered how you always talked about coming here because of your parents.” The smile faded along with his voice, but the words still hung heavily in the air between them.
Blast.
That was the problem with childhood friends. They knew your inner workings, your inspirations, all your closely guarded dreams, because they had been there when the seeds were first sown. But while Alec knew plenty about Lottie, it seemed like everything she thought she knew about him—or at least, everything that had truly mattered—turned out to be wrong. He was little more than a stranger. And perhaps always had been.
“After that, it was easy enough to track you here,” he continued. “A young English woman traveling on her own is a bit of a novelty around these parts. Especially one with hair as pretty as yours.”
She frowned at the shallow compliment even as her traitorous heart beat a little faster. “A fine story, but I can’t begin to imagine your purpose in coming all this way.” Lottie made sure each word practically dripped with condescension.
Alec’s eyes darkened as he stepped closer, filling the air with a familiar woodsy scent that made something soft and tender curl around her heart. His formerly white shirt was unbuttoned at the throat. The sun had turned his olive skin even darker and threaded his deep brown hair with the barest hints of copper and gold. Her fingers twitched with the old urge to touch those messy waves until she folded her hands tightly against her middle.
Who knew where he had been before this: Turkey, Sardinia, Greece. Perhaps even Egypt. She had never once asked her uncle. All that mattered was that Alec had left. Living in such ignorance all these years made it slightly easier to pretend he didn’t exist outside of her memories. But now he stood before her in the flesh, radiating vitality and undeniably real. Lottie caught herself staring at the tanned hollow of his throat and quickly met his eyes, but of course Alec noticed. Yet another smirk briefly hovered on those well-formed lips then vanished. Time to get on with it.
“You know exactly why I’m here, Lottie. And on behalf of whom.” Then he raised a dark brow to further emphasize that she had beenvery bad indeed.
She rolled her eyes. “I did leave him a note.”
“Oh yes,” he scoffed with surprisingly grating sarcasm. “The one your chaperone was too terrified to send him: ‘I know what I’m doing. Please don’t be too cross’? Did you really thinkthatwas going to convince Sir Alfred?”
Lottie shrugged, unrepentant. The note had been a hastily dashed afterthought. Uncle Alfred should have been happy with two lines from her. But it was vexing to hear that Mrs. Wetherby hadn’t passed the message along. “As you very well know, trying to convince that man of anything is useless. I thought my time was better spent begging for forgiveness. And I knowwhyyou’re here in the general sense. What I’m wondering is what you’re hoping to accomplish today.”
For once Alec looked puzzled. “You’re to come home. With me.”
Lottie couldn’t stop the laugh from bursting forth. “My goodness, does Uncle Alfred always send you on his errands? I’d have thought you would be doing something far more important these days.”
