Misleading a Duke. A.S. FenichelЧитать онлайн книгу.
you check all the doors and see they are bolted for the night?” It was probably nothing, but in his experience, it was better to err on the side of caution.
Thea’s eyes were wide, but she nodded and rushed to do as he said.
Alone again, Nick walked to Faith but didn’t touch her. She had gotten under his skin and he didn’t know how he was going to walk away. Even knowing she’d be better off without him, he wanted her. “It’s probably nothing, Faith.”
She drew a shaky breath. “You’re right, of course. Just an uncomfortable feeling.” Her smile was wide but fake and didn’t touch those intriguing eyes that showed a touch of green in the firelight.
Heart pounding, he longed to draw her close and taste her lips. “It’s late, my lady. Perhaps you are tired.”
With a sad smile, she nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning, Nick. Thank you for the talk.” Leaning on her tiptoes, she pressed those lips that he coveted to his cheek, then left the salon.
Rumple ambled after her with sleepy eyes.
Unlikely he would find sleep for a long time, Nick poured himself a brandy and stared into the fire until it had nearly burned down.
* * * *
Nick had received a note in Faith’s swirling hand to meet her in the hothouse for luncheon. He had not seen her at breakfast, and somehow she had managed to elude him all morning. Parvus was a petite place—in fact, the name meant small in Latin—so how she had avoided him was a mystery. His own longing to catch a glimpse of her, was unsettling.
There was a fleeting moment when he’d first woken and saw the blue skies, that he considered getting on his horse and riding toward London. He would stop at Geb’s home near the city and give him a severe thrashing for his interference.
Then the memory of Faith touching his hand, and understanding his joy and shame at the abbey, swamped him with warmth. He couldn’t leave her alone for so many days until her friends returned. He even considered carrying her to town and putting her in a coach to make her way home. It would be sensible and not ungentlemanly. Still, he could not bring himself to do it.
She had set up this elaborate and unconventional seclusion, and the snowstorm seemed like a sign that perhaps she was in the right. He would take the situation one day at a time.
He rounded the side of the house and found MacGruder placing a bag in his mule-drawn cart.
The groundskeeper took up the reins. “You look better today. Perhaps the country air is good for you.”
Nick couldn’t help liking the old curmudgeon. “Where are you off to?”
“I go once a month to see my niece in town. Lillian MacGruder is her name, should you need to reach me. Since you look to be staying with Lady Faith, I saw no reason to delay my visit. I’ll be gone two or three days. In winter there is little for me to do in the garden and it does my heart good to see Lillian. She makes me a fine tea for my aching joints.” He smiled warmly.
“Enjoy your visit,” Nick said, and waved him down the lane.
Continuing around the house, he walked down the path to the hothouse. The south-facing wall was almost entirely glass, allowing enough light to warm the inside where plants grew as if it were summer. When he’d been in Spain, he’d loved the warm winter while also missing the cold damp of England and home.
Inside, he followed the sound of shuffling and crystal clinking, past orange trees and other warm-climate plants that had been brought inside to winter over, until he discovered the source.
In a light blue day dress, Faith flitted and fussed with the small round table set in the center of a circle of yellow rose bushes. She was like a bluebell among the thorny bushes, lovely and delicate.
She told Thea, “You have done an outstanding job. Thank you.”
The cook spotted him and her eyes went wide as she cleared her throat and blushed.
Faith turned, and a shy grin spread across her face. “I see you found our luncheon spot.”
“Your note was very helpful,” he said and approached the table.
“That will be all, Thea. Thank you.”
With a curtsy, Thea took up her skirts and rushed toward the exit.
Faith’s smile remained fixed as she poured two glasses of wine. “I hope Mr. Arafa will not mind, but I discovered he has a rather fine wine collection in the cellar. I procured a bottle for our meal.”
He accepted the glass of deep red wine from her. “He will probably never notice as he does not drink spirits and only keeps it for friends to enjoy.”
A bead of wine lingered on her lip for a moment before the tip of her tongue poked out and licked it away.
Nick’s groin tightened at the sight, and he closed his eyes and tasted the rich contraband wine. Lord only knew how Geb managed to procure French wine during the war, but he could get anything he wanted; the political state was unimportant for his purposes.
Once he pulled his desires back in check, Nick opened his eyes and surveyed the table. China and silver had been brought to the hothouse as well as cold chicken, meats, cheeses, and bread. “Have you arranged a picnic, Faith?”
She beamed with pride. “I saw no reason to allow winter to deter me when this oasis exists here at Parvus.”
“And I thought Geb had lost his mind when he built this glass monstrosity. I shall have to admit my mistake.” Nick stepped closer and pulled out a chair for Faith.
Once she was seated, he rounded the table and sat facing her. “Thank you for making such an effort. I do not deserve such fussing.”
She cocked her head. “Of course, you do. We all do, Nick.”
“Who fusses over you, Faith?” He’d meant it to tease her, but her sad expression made him immediately regret his question. “I’m sorry. I did not mean to offend you.”
Forcing a smile, she shook her head. “I am not offended. It is just that I have not warranted a great deal of pampering in my life. My greatest accomplishment was getting myself sent away to school so as not to embarrass my family beyond repair. I did have a nanny, who was quite good to me.”
Her head was cocked in thought, searching for one pleasant memory of her youth that might have been gratifying.
It was ridiculous to want to flay her parents for their negligence, but there it was along with the sudden urge to do something to make Faith feel special.
“One of the things I liked in the description of you, sent by your mother, was the fact that you had been a student at the Wormbattle School. It gave me hope that you were not conventional and might not despair at my manners.”
A long sigh deflated her. “And I was horrible from the start.”
“I should have waited for a proper introduction. Storming across the ballroom and introducing myself was impertinent. I thought myself above such conventions just because I have a lofty title. You were right to put me in my place. Perhaps if I had acted like a gentleman, we would not have come to such a pass and become estranged.” He’d thought about this many times since they first met.
Faith leaned in and placed her wine on the table. “May I tell you a secret?”
“Of course.” Curiosity had him bursting.
“I wasn’t really put off by your introduction. I was just terrified of marrying a man whom I didn’t know. Fear is the one thing that always makes me fail. I wish I was more like Poppy.”
Perhaps Faith’s notion of getting to know him through his friends wasn’t so far-fetched. He helped himself to bread and cheese. “Tell me about your Wallflowers.”
She nibbled on the bread. “Wallflowers