handed her bag to her, then took her car key off her ring and locked the door with it. He then tossed the key into the trunk.
“Wait—” she blurted out as he shut the trunk lid. She looked at him in surprise. “I needed that.”
He handed her the remaining keys, took her by the elbow and led her over to the passenger side of his car. He opened the door and got in.
“Are you going to leave me here?” she asked in surprise. “Without my car key?”
He looked up from where he was sitting in the passenger seat. “I hadn’t intended to, no.”
“You can’t mean to take me with you,” she said, realizing as the words were out there that she’d attached a look of horror to them.
He lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “It seemed polite.”
“But I don’t want to go with you,” she said, feeling slightly alarmed at the thought of being in an enclosed space with him.
He shot her a look. “I don’t think you have much choice, unless you want to stand out in the rain all morning.” He slid over the gearshift into the driver’s seat, then leaned back over and looked up at her. “Get in.”
Tess felt her mouth fall open. “You ... rude . . .” She was obviously not at her best because she couldn’t come up with a single truly cutting thing to call him. “You’re bossy.”
He blinked, then smiled so quickly she would have thought she’d imagined it if the very sight of that knee-weakening smile hadn’t been burned onto her retinas.
“Please, Miss Alexander, do me the courtesy of getting into my humble carriage before you catch your death either from the inclement weather we’re experiencing or from the fool who will no doubt eventually come along behind us and plow first into my boot and then into your very fetching self and cause us all a great deal of unnecessary trauma.”
“Well,” she said, feeling a very uncomfortable heat in her cheeks, “that’s a little better.” She sat with as much dignity as possible on a seat that was better suited to a luxury mansion than a stupid car. When John leaned over her and pulled the door shut, she realized she was in deep trouble. “I have places to go,” she said quickly, because it made her feel more in charge to say it.
“Anywhere in particular?” he asked.
“The train station.”
“Going to London?”
“Yes, actually, I was.”
She made the grave mistake of looking at him. He had gray eyes. She supposed she should have known that given that his brother did as well, but she realized that she hadn’t really done all that much looking into Montgomery de Piaget’s eyes.
She wished she could call Pippa, just once. Just to tell her that she wasn’t the only one Karma had been gunning for. To ask her how she was, if she was happy, if Montgomery had turned to fat and turned his swordsman’s duties over to her.
She supposed Pippa would have only laughed at the last.
“Are you unwell, Miss Alexander?”
The kindness in John’s voice, damn him, almost undid her right there on the spot.
“I’m fine,” she said, more hoarsely than she’d intended. “Just late.” She had to pause and dig for something nice to say. “I appreciate the rescue.”
“I’m for London as well,” he began slowly, “if you’d rather not take the train.”
Heaven help her, that was the very last thing she needed. It was going to be bad enough to be in the same car with him for the five minutes it would take to get to the station. “No,” she managed, “I’ll be fine. Thanks just the same.”
He shrugged and pulled out his mobile. A very brief conversation with Bobby resulted in a promise that her car would be waiting for her at her castle, good as new, when she was finished with her business.
“But you locked my car key in the trunk,” Tess reminded him.
“Bobby won’t need it, but he’ll fetch it out for you and leave it at the keep.”
“I’m not sure I want to know the details.”
John almost smiled again, she was sure of it. She was
“Wait—” she blurted out as he shut the trunk lid. She looked at him in surprise. “I needed that.”
He handed her the remaining keys, took her by the elbow and led her over to the passenger side of his car. He opened the door and got in.
“Are you going to leave me here?” she asked in surprise. “Without my car key?”
He looked up from where he was sitting in the passenger seat. “I hadn’t intended to, no.”
“You can’t mean to take me with you,” she said, realizing as the words were out there that she’d attached a look of horror to them.
He lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “It seemed polite.”
“But I don’t want to go with you,” she said, feeling slightly alarmed at the thought of being in an enclosed space with him.
He shot her a look. “I don’t think you have much choice, unless you want to stand out in the rain all morning.” He slid over the gearshift into the driver’s seat, then leaned back over and looked up at her. “Get in.”
Tess felt her mouth fall open. “You ... rude . . .” She was obviously not at her best because she couldn’t come up with a single truly cutting thing to call him. “You’re bossy.”
He blinked, then smiled so quickly she would have thought she’d imagined it if the very sight of that knee-weakening smile hadn’t been burned onto her retinas.
“Please, Miss Alexander, do me the courtesy of getting into my humble carriage before you catch your death either from the inclement weather we’re experiencing or from the fool who will no doubt eventually come along behind us and plow first into my boot and then into your very fetching self and cause us all a great deal of unnecessary trauma.”
“Well,” she said, feeling a very uncomfortable heat in her cheeks, “that’s a little better.” She sat with as much dignity as possible on a seat that was better suited to a luxury mansion than a stupid car. When John leaned over her and pulled the door shut, she realized she was in deep trouble. “I have places to go,” she said quickly, because it made her feel more in charge to say it.
“Anywhere in particular?” he asked.
“The train station.”
“Going to London?”
“Yes, actually, I was.”
She made the grave mistake of looking at him. He had gray eyes. She supposed she should have known that given that his brother did as well, but she realized that she hadn’t really done all that much looking into Montgomery de Piaget’s eyes.
She wished she could call Pippa, just once. Just to tell her that she wasn’t the only one Karma had been gunning for. To ask her how she was, if she was happy, if Montgomery had turned to fat and turned his swordsman’s duties over to her.
She supposed Pippa would have only laughed at the last.
“Are you unwell, Miss Alexander?”
The kindness in John’s voice, damn him, almost undid her right there on the spot.
“I’m fine,” she said, more hoarsely than she’d intended. “Just late.” She had to pause and dig for something nice to say. “I appreciate the rescue.”
“I’m for London as well,” he began slowly, “if you’d rather not take the train.”
Heaven help her, that was the very last thing she needed. It was going to be bad enough to be in the same car with him for the five minutes it would take to get to the station. “No,” she managed, “I’ll be fine. Thanks just the same.”
He shrugged and pulled out his mobile. A very brief conversation with Bobby resulted in a promise that her car would be waiting for her at her castle, good as new, when she was finished with her business.
“But you locked my car key in the trunk,” Tess reminded him.
“Bobby won’t need it, but he’ll fetch it out for you and leave it at the keep.”
“I’m not sure I want to know the details.”
John almost smiled again, she was sure of it. She was
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