this morning,” he said more tautly than he intended. “Onedoes not skip that particular appointment without the courtesy of a note. My absence will also be remarked.”
“Then people will be looking for us.”
Then people will be talking about us
. He was more realistic, more versed in how society worked.
“I suspect they already are.” Though he was allowed to live his own life, whatever could be said of his personal activities, he didn’t shirk his responsibilities by disappearing whenever he wished. Maybe his family would wait tolerantly a day or two but they would soon realize something was wrong.
As for looking for them…where the hell were they?
He had the feeling their captor was too clever for an easy rescue, unless it was a deliberate attempt to have them discovered half-dressed in bed together.
Unfortunately, even in the gloom she seemed to sense the reserve in his tone. “But you have no faith that it will do any good, do you?” Elena’s mouth might have trembled. It was hard to tell.
At least she was intelligent as well as beautiful. Honestly, he stated, “As I have no idea where we are, I can’t answer that question.”
“So all we can do is wait?”
He rubbed the stubble on his jaw and then shook his head. “Rest assured I have been thinking about this and if a solution comes to me, you will be the first person I share it with, my lady.”
Her spirited reply surprised him. “And I vow the same, Lord Andrews. If
I
arrive at a viable plan first,
I
will share it with you.”
Elena leaned forward in concentration, brushing the curtain of her hair back when it obscured her view of thetable. The dappled light colored the faces of the upturned cards and she considered them, mentally counting, and then smiled triumphantly. “You should concede the game, my lord.”
The man lounging across from her lifted his ebony brows. With his glossy dark hair and the shadow of a beard, he looked rather like a romantic pirate, just slightly dissolute and a touch dangerous. This time, with the hot water delivered after breakfast, they each had been given a robe, much to her relief. His dressing gown was black silk and enhanced the rakish persona that was so well-known, his masculinity flagrant and distracting.
She was very much—to her dismay—coming to realize just what it meant to be locked in a room with him for any length of time. There had also been a pack of cards on the tray next to the scones, some writing paper, and an inkwell and pen. It didn’t bode well for an expeditious release. It seemed more a ploy to help them pass the time.
He told her, “You should never warn your opponent but instead raise the stakes. If he or she hasn’t been paying very careful attention, that challenge will be accepted and then your winnings are increased.”
“I see.” Elena laid down her cards so he could see them. “But in our case we are not wagering anything, but just keeping score of how many games we each win.”
“True.” His answering smile was wickedly attractive. “However, there is much more to the strategy of playing card games than the hand you receive by chance. It looks like we will have the time for me to teach you all I know.”
All I know
.
It was an unfortunate choice of words and she had the impression that even the sophisticated Lord Andrewsregretted putting it quite that way. It was made all the worse when Elena, who could feel her blush, murmured, “I am sure you are quite accomplished.”
Oh, dear
.
“I certainly hope so.” The uncharacteristic disconcerted look on his face was replaced with amusement almost at once. “I have practiced quite often.”
“I feel certain that’s true.” Elena glanced down self-consciously to make sure her own robe, a pale blue silk, was still decently covering all it should.
He simply laughed, his gaze touching on where she more firmly knotted the sash at her waist before it returned to her face. “Your name…it’s unusual for an
“Then people will be looking for us.”
Then people will be talking about us
. He was more realistic, more versed in how society worked.
“I suspect they already are.” Though he was allowed to live his own life, whatever could be said of his personal activities, he didn’t shirk his responsibilities by disappearing whenever he wished. Maybe his family would wait tolerantly a day or two but they would soon realize something was wrong.
As for looking for them…where the hell were they?
He had the feeling their captor was too clever for an easy rescue, unless it was a deliberate attempt to have them discovered half-dressed in bed together.
Unfortunately, even in the gloom she seemed to sense the reserve in his tone. “But you have no faith that it will do any good, do you?” Elena’s mouth might have trembled. It was hard to tell.
At least she was intelligent as well as beautiful. Honestly, he stated, “As I have no idea where we are, I can’t answer that question.”
“So all we can do is wait?”
He rubbed the stubble on his jaw and then shook his head. “Rest assured I have been thinking about this and if a solution comes to me, you will be the first person I share it with, my lady.”
Her spirited reply surprised him. “And I vow the same, Lord Andrews. If
I
arrive at a viable plan first,
I
will share it with you.”
Elena leaned forward in concentration, brushing the curtain of her hair back when it obscured her view of thetable. The dappled light colored the faces of the upturned cards and she considered them, mentally counting, and then smiled triumphantly. “You should concede the game, my lord.”
The man lounging across from her lifted his ebony brows. With his glossy dark hair and the shadow of a beard, he looked rather like a romantic pirate, just slightly dissolute and a touch dangerous. This time, with the hot water delivered after breakfast, they each had been given a robe, much to her relief. His dressing gown was black silk and enhanced the rakish persona that was so well-known, his masculinity flagrant and distracting.
She was very much—to her dismay—coming to realize just what it meant to be locked in a room with him for any length of time. There had also been a pack of cards on the tray next to the scones, some writing paper, and an inkwell and pen. It didn’t bode well for an expeditious release. It seemed more a ploy to help them pass the time.
He told her, “You should never warn your opponent but instead raise the stakes. If he or she hasn’t been paying very careful attention, that challenge will be accepted and then your winnings are increased.”
“I see.” Elena laid down her cards so he could see them. “But in our case we are not wagering anything, but just keeping score of how many games we each win.”
“True.” His answering smile was wickedly attractive. “However, there is much more to the strategy of playing card games than the hand you receive by chance. It looks like we will have the time for me to teach you all I know.”
All I know
.
It was an unfortunate choice of words and she had the impression that even the sophisticated Lord Andrewsregretted putting it quite that way. It was made all the worse when Elena, who could feel her blush, murmured, “I am sure you are quite accomplished.”
Oh, dear
.
“I certainly hope so.” The uncharacteristic disconcerted look on his face was replaced with amusement almost at once. “I have practiced quite often.”
“I feel certain that’s true.” Elena glanced down self-consciously to make sure her own robe, a pale blue silk, was still decently covering all it should.
He simply laughed, his gaze touching on where she more firmly knotted the sash at her waist before it returned to her face. “Your name…it’s unusual for an
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