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And she was beautiful. Still. More so than ever.
His left hand held by his belly curled into a fist. She’d better be teasing him.
He stewed until they crossed into the park and walked to the northern side promenade.
By the time they’d reached halfway along the length of the walk, they’d passed by numerous well-dressed couples strolling the pathways, some he recognized from thetonof years ago. None acknowledged him. Not that he expected them to. He was nothing but dirt under their heels now.
But Laney received the same treatment—not even a tip of the hat from Lord Pearson as he had passed, the man who had lined up for more than one dance with Laney at every ball they had attended together during her first London season.
It struck him at that moment, how very much his scandal had become her scandal. He had left this land, but she had not and had suffered all the greater for it. The snubs, the unanswered correspondence.
Everything had been taken from her, just the same as it had from him. The only difference being she didn’t have someone to blame.
Not like he blamed her.
Wes turned his head from her, attempting to draw a cleansing breath away from the air she consumed.
What the hell was she doing to him?
Making him want to dance with her. Protect her. Listen to her.
He was doing a damnable job of making her pay for ruining his life.
Where was the humiliation he’d planned to dole out? The vengeance?
His eye caught sight of a figure moving next to a wide oak tree a furlough away by the canal.
His shoulders tensed. Damn. What was Rune doing here?
Wes veered off the path and steered Laney to the side of the canal, then stopped at the edge where the high water lapped at the green grass that rolled gently down the hill. Pelicans floated in the waters, marring the calm with their grotesque bills.
Why anyone would want those blasted birds in their parks was beyond him. But then, he’d been pecked on more than one occasion by the birds looking for free meals at the ports in his travels.
He extracted his elbow from her grip. “Will you wait here for a moment? I saw an acquaintance back a way that I must catch before he disappears.”
Her eyebrows flipped high and she looked around. “Oh, of course.” She motioned to the water. “This is a pleasant enough spot to wait. The water will do well to calm me.”
“I figured—you always were at peace at the edge of a river or pond.”
A half smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “So you do have some pleasant memories of our past.”
He looked directly at her. “I have more than some, Laney. That’s the problem.”
Her mouth opened, but before she could retort, he stepped away from her, striding across the undulating lawns in a straight line to Rune.
Rune stood in place, leaning against the oak, nonchalantly picking at his nails and obviously waiting for Wes to come to him.
Ten steps before reaching Rune, Wes’s voice rumbled through the air, low and menacing. “What the hell did you do to her house, Rune?”
Rune flicked the tips of his fingers against the pad of his thumb, one by one, and looked up at Wes. “Good day to you, too.”
Wes stopped in front of his shipmate, glaring down at Rune. Good thing he was a half head taller than the man or Rune surely would have busted him down to size on the ship long ago. For all of Wes’s brawn and pure strength, Rune was lean and crafty, a sleek panther in a fight.
His mouth pulled to a tight line. “Hello. Now what the hell did you do to her townhouse?”
Rune met his glare. “I went through it, just as you asked. No box to be found. May I remind you that I was doing you a favor?”
“You may, but it doesn’t change the piss-poor job you did of it.”
