don’t think they’ll talk about it? Spread the tale from here to kingdom come?”
She swallowed. She hadn’t actually considered that.“Then we’ll just…I don’t know…invent a story about why we’re together. We’ll tell people you’re my brother.”
His laugh mocked her. “Oh, aye, they’ll believe that. You and me are just two peas in a pod, aren’t we? You might as well claim we’re lovers, because that’s what they’ll think if you try to pass me off as your brother.”
Lovers! The very idea! She ducked her head, striving to hide her blush beneath her bonnet’s brim. “You could…pretend to be my servant.”
“Oh, you’d have a fine time with that, wouldn’t you?” he snapped. “You’d enjoy an excuse to whip me raw with your tongue whenever you take a notion to it. But I’m not putting myself in that position, so give up that idea right now, m’lady.”
“I-I didn’t mean—”
“There’s only one explanation that anybody might believe—and I say might because it’s as ridiculous as those others. You could pretend to be my wife. No one would question a woman traveling with her husband.”
She lifted her gaze to his. Was he serious? She searched his face, the grim slant to his mouth, the hint of calculation in his gray eyes. Hard to tell. Yet the very idea turned her insides to jelly. “How does that differ from my pretending to be your sister?”
He shrugged. “Men of my kind don’t have sisters born above themselves, do they? But they do marry above themselves—which is why Pryce can succeed at carrying off your sister.”
“That’s absurd.” Yet she knew he was right. Still, was that satisfaction she glimpsed in his face?
He gave an exaggerated sigh as he strolled back behind his desk and began stuffing items into a small leather bag. “Well, then, there’s no help for it. You’ll have to stay here. If you travel with me unchaperoned you’ll be ruinedfor sure, and we both agree you can’t pretend to be my wife. A pity.”
“I didn’t say I can’t,” she hastened to correct him. “Or even that I won’t.”
His head shot up and his gaze burned into her. “You’d travel as my wife? Share a room with me if necessary? Because that’s the only way I’ll let you go. I’ll not be responsible for ruining your future, and nobody’ll ask questions if you travel as my wife.”
Now she knew he wasn’t serious. Share a room with her, hah! He didn’t even like her. He was just trying to scare her off, the wretch.
She tossed her head back. “If that’s the way it must be, then yes, I will.”
“Like bloody hell, you will!” he exploded, proving her supposition correct. He raked his fingers through his hair, leaving the blond, rough-cut locks more unruly than before. “I’ve never met a woman as stubborn as you.”
“You can’t dissuade me from this, you know. I don’t care about the dangers, I don’t care about your dislike of me, and I certainly don’t care if some strangers gossip about me afterward. I only care about Juliet.”
Her hands trembled, but she went on even in the face of his black scowl. “Don’t you understand? When you find her— if you find her—you’ll need me, if only to convince her she can’t marry this wretch. She certainly won’t listen to you on such a matter. Besides which, I just can’t…sit here and wait to find out what has happened. I have to do something.”
When his frown softened the merest fraction, she pressed her advantage. “And I can be of use to you—I know I can. Surely there will be places where my rank or my sex can work in our favor. I could make things easier for you by ensuring that our lodgings furnisheverything required for your comfort while you’re making inquiries or—”
“Enough, m’lady. The last thing I need is you seeing to my comfort.” His gaze played over her with an odd mix of emotion—exasperation tinged by something else, something shattering and dark and dangerous.
She swallowed. She hadn’t actually considered that.“Then we’ll just…I don’t know…invent a story about why we’re together. We’ll tell people you’re my brother.”
His laugh mocked her. “Oh, aye, they’ll believe that. You and me are just two peas in a pod, aren’t we? You might as well claim we’re lovers, because that’s what they’ll think if you try to pass me off as your brother.”
Lovers! The very idea! She ducked her head, striving to hide her blush beneath her bonnet’s brim. “You could…pretend to be my servant.”
“Oh, you’d have a fine time with that, wouldn’t you?” he snapped. “You’d enjoy an excuse to whip me raw with your tongue whenever you take a notion to it. But I’m not putting myself in that position, so give up that idea right now, m’lady.”
“I-I didn’t mean—”
“There’s only one explanation that anybody might believe—and I say might because it’s as ridiculous as those others. You could pretend to be my wife. No one would question a woman traveling with her husband.”
She lifted her gaze to his. Was he serious? She searched his face, the grim slant to his mouth, the hint of calculation in his gray eyes. Hard to tell. Yet the very idea turned her insides to jelly. “How does that differ from my pretending to be your sister?”
He shrugged. “Men of my kind don’t have sisters born above themselves, do they? But they do marry above themselves—which is why Pryce can succeed at carrying off your sister.”
“That’s absurd.” Yet she knew he was right. Still, was that satisfaction she glimpsed in his face?
He gave an exaggerated sigh as he strolled back behind his desk and began stuffing items into a small leather bag. “Well, then, there’s no help for it. You’ll have to stay here. If you travel with me unchaperoned you’ll be ruinedfor sure, and we both agree you can’t pretend to be my wife. A pity.”
“I didn’t say I can’t,” she hastened to correct him. “Or even that I won’t.”
His head shot up and his gaze burned into her. “You’d travel as my wife? Share a room with me if necessary? Because that’s the only way I’ll let you go. I’ll not be responsible for ruining your future, and nobody’ll ask questions if you travel as my wife.”
Now she knew he wasn’t serious. Share a room with her, hah! He didn’t even like her. He was just trying to scare her off, the wretch.
She tossed her head back. “If that’s the way it must be, then yes, I will.”
“Like bloody hell, you will!” he exploded, proving her supposition correct. He raked his fingers through his hair, leaving the blond, rough-cut locks more unruly than before. “I’ve never met a woman as stubborn as you.”
“You can’t dissuade me from this, you know. I don’t care about the dangers, I don’t care about your dislike of me, and I certainly don’t care if some strangers gossip about me afterward. I only care about Juliet.”
Her hands trembled, but she went on even in the face of his black scowl. “Don’t you understand? When you find her— if you find her—you’ll need me, if only to convince her she can’t marry this wretch. She certainly won’t listen to you on such a matter. Besides which, I just can’t…sit here and wait to find out what has happened. I have to do something.”
When his frown softened the merest fraction, she pressed her advantage. “And I can be of use to you—I know I can. Surely there will be places where my rank or my sex can work in our favor. I could make things easier for you by ensuring that our lodgings furnisheverything required for your comfort while you’re making inquiries or—”
“Enough, m’lady. The last thing I need is you seeing to my comfort.” His gaze played over her with an odd mix of emotion—exasperation tinged by something else, something shattering and dark and dangerous.
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