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“Lionel is your man. He’s hardly likely to stop you should you decide you want more than I’m offering.”
“I dinna take advantage o’ women.” His brogue was thick, as it had a mind to be whenever he lost his temper. He reined himself back and said mildly, “Besides, on that front, you’ve already proven yourself more than able to defend your own honor. Surely you can toss me on my backside.”
Her shoulders relaxed. “See that you don’t forget it,” she said lightly as she preceded him down the narrow corridor to the stairs. With a rueful smile at her companions, who grinned back—both in perfect health—he followed after her.
The night air was cool against his overheated skin. He hadn’t lied about the beauty of the night, and as he offered his arm to Perdie, she seemed to relax even more. For a moment, they strolled arm in arm past closed-up shops and quaint houses with golden glows bathing them from their windows. No one commented on their leisurely pace, and no brigands stepped out of the shadows to accost them. Thaddeus hadn’t expected them to.
He led Perdie to a footbridge he’d spied when they’d entered the little village. It passed over a brook along the village’s eastern edge, with reeds and cattails poking up from the water. Crickets turned silent at their approach, resuming their chirps after they passed. The light babble of the water as it washed over the muddy banks was interrupted only by the occasional splash of a small fish or frog. When they reached the center of the bridge, Thaddeus tested his weight against the railing and looked up at the star-dappled sky.
“There’s nothing quite like the country, is there? Makes me shudder to think of the hectic pace and lungs full of smog I’m destined for when I reach my aunt’s house.”
His house, when she signed the papers the solicitor had drawn up. Ever since his father had died, Thaddeus had always expected to inherit. His aunt and uncle had never had any children. But that didn’t make the transition any easier.
“Whereabouts are you headed?”
Had he meant to go straight to London, he should have turned south at the last crossroads. Knowing she would protest that he’d only lengthened his journey to join her, he leaned closer and teased, “You first.”
By the light of the stars alone, he couldn’t read her expression, but he could imagine the crinkle of her nose. “I don’t know that it’s any of your business. We agreed to carry on together as long as our paths converge, and no longer.”
He dipped his head to her in acknowledgment and straightened before temptation drew him too close. She hadn’t pulled her arm from his elbow. The press of her body at that solitary point was starting to drive him mad.
He cleared his throat. “If you won’t tell me where it is you’re running to, perhaps you’ll tell me why?” Because he could imagine her scowl, he added, “Or let me guess—you’re running from an unsuitable marriage. Or perhaps running toward one?”
The thought had his stomach twisted in knots.
She stiffened next to him. When she drew her arm away, he felt cold for the first time this evening. She held her arms around her body and rested it against the railing alongside him. He wasn’t entirely certain of the railing’s integrity, so he straightened.
“You can’t possibly know that. You’re guessing.”
He took the accusation with a smile she probably couldn’t see. “And you just confirmed it. So which is it—are you running from a man or toward one?”
Every muscle in his body tensed as he waited for the answer.
“Neither. I’m here out of respect and consideration for myself.”
“Yes, I’m sure that’s why you’re traveling without escort, and why you won’t tell me your full name.”
“You agreed we should keep our identities secret.” She turned her head with her heated words, and he could feel her breath rustling the fabric over his shoulder. She was close enough to touch, close enough to kiss.
“You’re right.” He turned toward her. He couldn’t help himself. But he clasped his hands behind him to keep from reaching for her when she clearly would not be open to sharing anything more than conversation. Even that had taken a turn toward the reluctant. He recalled her companion’s eagerness for her to take a walk with him.
“Your friend, Miss Felicity, and your lady maid. They contrived for you to take a walk with me.”
Perdie rolled her eyes. “I gather they believe the company of a charming rogue like yourself will help me to mend a broken heart.”
Thaddeus was flattered. So she was running from someone. “So you find me a charming rogue?”
“How odiously provoking you are,” she said with a light laugh.
She looked ethereal, unreal in the dim light. Thaddeus’s heart started to throb, and he glanced away, rattled by how easily she captivated him. Here he was desperate to know about her, and she did not seem curious about him in the least.
“Tell, Perdie,” he said with quiet contemplation. “Are you mending a broken heart?”
She whirled to face him, the lace at her throat parted, and he saw the hollow of her neck filled with soft shadows. He also saw the fluttering pulse there. Their eyes met, and in her lovely gaze he saw such profound emotions, Thaddeus’s throat went tight.
“I should be,” she whispered. “But I am not. I think that scares me more than anything. Are my feelings fickle and inconstant?”
Her eyes widened, and it was a jolt as he understood she had not meant to be so honest with him or perhaps even with herself.
