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“She?Well, in that case, I absolutely want to see your painting,”hesaid.
Emma bolted from the room, and Rachel returned her brother’s letter to the envelope, though she kept her eyes leveled on Marc. “You bought her with candy,” sheaccused.
Shamelessly. And he would do so again without a moment’shesitation.
“I can be bought just as easily, “she said with a sigh. The enterprisinglittlechit.
“Can you, indeed?” He frowned, having a very good idea where this conversation was headed. Honestly, Marc shouldn’t have been surprised by her. After all, this was the same girl who’d snuck out in the middle of the night and traveled to Covent Garden on her own, all in the hope of unmasking a dagger-wieldingguardian.
Rachel’s face brightened for the first time since he’d seen her that day. “Just one little name,isall.”
Just one little name of a certain dagger-throwing idiot. “No,” he said without giving a moment’s consideration to heroffer.
“I don’t know why you won’t tell me,” she complained. “I said I wouldn’t go outagain.”
“Unless you want the fellow apprehended, youwon’tgo out again,” Marc agreed. That was the deal they’d made, after all. “But one has nothing to do with the other.” When her brow furrowed, he added. “I’m not certain with whom you normally negotiate, MissBenton—”
“My Uncle Luke,” she replied, sounding slightlyindignant.
And at that, Marc couldn’t help but laugh. Certainly, Beckford was a better negotiator thanthis. “Then he has been making it too easy on you for too long. You’ll find I’m not your uncle. And the last things I’m willing to negotiate are your safety and yourgoodname.”
“You don’t even like me,” shemuttered.
“You haven’t shown me a great dealtolike,” he said with a shrug. “But I do care about your mother and she loves you. So…” he let his voicetrailoff.
“What’s this?” Caroline’s voice came from thethreshold.
Without missing a beat, Rachel started toward her mother, a most radiant smile on her face. “Adam sent a letter.” She offered the folded up note toCaroline.
And she was just as good an actress as her mother. If one didn’t know better, they’d never suspect Rachel Benton had just been trying to blackmail Marc into giving up the name of the CoventGuard.
* * *
Caroline had seenher son’s letter. In fact, she’d given it to Emma before Bethany Carteret and Hannah Astwick had come to inform her, under the guise of a social call, that she and Marc had appeared in some gossip columns the last couple days. She supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised by that. Marc was, after all, often fodder for printed gossip. While Caroline wasn’t at all certain what to do about that situation, at the moment, she was much more concerned with whatever had been transpiring in the library when she walked in. She wasn’t as big a fool as her oldest daughter seemed to think she was. Honestly, who did Rachel think she was duping with her feigned serene smile and the bashful drop of her eyes? Something was definitelygoingon.
Caroline turned her attention on Marc who…Well, he quite took her breath away, standing in the library, the way his dark jacket stretched across the expanse of his shoulders, the way his light trousers hugged his thighs, the way that familiar twinkle in his eyes could make her heart race, even in the light of day and even when she knew it shouldn’t. “I didn’t know you’dreturned.”
“I didn’t want to interrupt.” Which his entrance would surelyhavedone.
The slow smile that spread across his lips made her knees just the slightest bit weak, though she was still going to find out what was going on when she’d walked into the library. Of course, she’d probably have a better chance finding out from Marc than from Rachel, surprising as that was. But he could at least be reasonable. Onoccasion.
Caroline noticed a familiar book resting in the overstuffed leather chair that had been her husband’s favorite. “The Faerie Queen again?” she asked her daughter as she and David had read that collection together more than once over theyears.
Rachel nodded. “Britomart has just won herjoust.”
Perfect. The tale of the lady knight did appeal to Rachel. Her daughter could read that particular volume a million times over and never tire of the story. “We’ll leave you to it, then.” She lifted her hand out to Marc. “I’m hopingyouhave a momentforme.”
“You can have all my moments,” he said, taking her hand in his withouthaste.
Heat washed over her from the contact, but Caroline was determined to focus on the matter at hand. Once in the corridor and away from Rachel’s ears, Caroline glanced up at him. “All right, would you like to tell me what that wasaboutnow?”
“What exactly?” heasked.
That was the question, wasn’t it? “You’re not willing to negotiate Rachel’s safety and good name? I’m fairly certain that’s what Ioverheard.”
An exasperated expression settled on his face. “Your daughter is extremelystubborn.”
That went without saying. “Yes, well, she does come by it naturally. But you didn’t answer myquestion.”
