was a deliberate order to
the chaos. There was a sense of
frustration that came with
considering it all, a sense that
you were being denied something
you desperately wanted and
needed. And at the same
time there was a thrill in that,
an anticipation of a grand,
thoroughly accidental discovery.
The Blue Elephant, Aiden decided,
was a study in contradictions.
Not that that conclusion told him much about Miss
Alexandra Radford. It was a
store, a public presentation of
herself and her wares. She didn't
strike him as the sort of
woman who would willingly lay
bare her soul for any stranger
coming in off the street.
No, Alex Radford didn’t readily
trust people . Not even
those with whom she was allied. Was she
wary because of
her concerns for Mohan's safety? Or was
it more deeply and
broadly rooted than that? Aiden
cocked a brow. Or was it
that she simply didn't trust him?
A wry smile lifted one cor ner
of his mouth . Judging by the way her eyes had bright ened
and her cheeks had flushed out
in the yard, it might be
that she didn't even trust herself.
His amusement evaporated. Whether
or not Alex Radford
was willing to be seduced was an
evaluation he didn't need
to make, much less ponder. What
was worth considering,
though, was her apparent
distrust. He had a job to do, and if
she didn't trust him, protecting
Mohan would be all that
much more difficult. He needed to
find a way to prove him self
worthy.
Aiden frowned, irritated by both
the burden being his to
shoulder and the certainty that
accomplishment wouldn't
come easily. And Lord knew that
his motivation to make the
effort wasn't helped any by the
fact that Mohan had given
every indication so far of being
a most unlikable child. He'd
be willing to bet the necklace in
Barrett's safe that Alex was
upstairs desperately wanting to
beat her head against a wall
in frustration.
The sound of someone tapping
against glass brought his
attention back to his immediate
surroundings. Sawyer stood
on the walkway, peering at him
through the front window.
Aiden pushed himself out of the
chair and went to the door
to let him in.
''Welcome to hell, Sawyer,"
he said as the Reeveses' butler
stepped inside.
"You seemed quite at home in
it, sir," Sawyer observed as
Aiden locked the door behind him. "Wouldn't Lady Lansdown
adore spending a day in this
establishment."
Aiden, standing shoulder to
shoulder with the man, looked
over the displays again and shook
his head. ''It doesn't look at
all the way Sera decorates:' .
"It is the breadth and
arrangement of color of which she
would most heartily approve, sir.
She would most definitely
appreciate the artistic spirit of
your present employer."
''Alexandra Radford with an
artistic spirit?" Aiden scoffed.
"Sawyer, you have no idea
how far off the mark you are on
that. She's nothing at all like
Seraphina. Miss Radford is very
rigid and committed to propriety
and maintaining distance."
"If I
might point out, sir," Sawyer countered, "those qualities
do not preclude her from
possessing an artistic nature."
''Then it's buried deep,"
Aiden grumbled.
''As still waters usually run,
sir." He lifted the valise he
clutched in his right hand.
"I have brought your belongings
as Mr. Stanbridge instructed.
Where are they to be placed?"
He could have offered to take care
of it himself, but he really
wanted Sawyer to see the
outrageously decorated quarters.
Shocking Sawyer was always the
best entertainment.
"Follow me," he said,
leading the way to the stairs and up.
Throwing the door wide, Aiden
stepped back to let
Sawyer have a full view. One gray
brow twitched slightly.
''Well? What do you think of
it?" Aiden prodded.
"It would
appear, sir, that when not formally engaged in
your duties, you are expected to
spend the hours ... "
Ah, the man was struck
speechless. Aiden grinned and
pressed, "Doing
the chaos. There was a sense of
frustration that came with
considering it all, a sense that
you were being denied something
you desperately wanted and
needed. And at the same
time there was a thrill in that,
an anticipation of a grand,
thoroughly accidental discovery.
The Blue Elephant, Aiden decided,
was a study in contradictions.
Not that that conclusion told him much about Miss
Alexandra Radford. It was a
store, a public presentation of
herself and her wares. She didn't
strike him as the sort of
woman who would willingly lay
bare her soul for any stranger
coming in off the street.
No, Alex Radford didn’t readily
trust people . Not even
those with whom she was allied. Was she
wary because of
her concerns for Mohan's safety? Or was
it more deeply and
broadly rooted than that? Aiden
cocked a brow. Or was it
that she simply didn't trust him?
A wry smile lifted one cor ner
of his mouth . Judging by the way her eyes had bright ened
and her cheeks had flushed out
in the yard, it might be
that she didn't even trust herself.
His amusement evaporated. Whether
or not Alex Radford
was willing to be seduced was an
evaluation he didn't need
to make, much less ponder. What
was worth considering,
though, was her apparent
distrust. He had a job to do, and if
she didn't trust him, protecting
Mohan would be all that
much more difficult. He needed to
find a way to prove him self
worthy.
Aiden frowned, irritated by both
the burden being his to
shoulder and the certainty that
accomplishment wouldn't
come easily. And Lord knew that
his motivation to make the
effort wasn't helped any by the
fact that Mohan had given
every indication so far of being
a most unlikable child. He'd
be willing to bet the necklace in
Barrett's safe that Alex was
upstairs desperately wanting to
beat her head against a wall
in frustration.
The sound of someone tapping
against glass brought his
attention back to his immediate
surroundings. Sawyer stood
on the walkway, peering at him
through the front window.
Aiden pushed himself out of the
chair and went to the door
to let him in.
''Welcome to hell, Sawyer,"
he said as the Reeveses' butler
stepped inside.
"You seemed quite at home in
it, sir," Sawyer observed as
Aiden locked the door behind him. "Wouldn't Lady Lansdown
adore spending a day in this
establishment."
Aiden, standing shoulder to
shoulder with the man, looked
over the displays again and shook
his head. ''It doesn't look at
all the way Sera decorates:' .
"It is the breadth and
arrangement of color of which she
would most heartily approve, sir.
She would most definitely
appreciate the artistic spirit of
your present employer."
''Alexandra Radford with an
artistic spirit?" Aiden scoffed.
"Sawyer, you have no idea
how far off the mark you are on
that. She's nothing at all like
Seraphina. Miss Radford is very
rigid and committed to propriety
and maintaining distance."
"If I
might point out, sir," Sawyer countered, "those qualities
do not preclude her from
possessing an artistic nature."
''Then it's buried deep,"
Aiden grumbled.
''As still waters usually run,
sir." He lifted the valise he
clutched in his right hand.
"I have brought your belongings
as Mr. Stanbridge instructed.
Where are they to be placed?"
He could have offered to take care
of it himself, but he really
wanted Sawyer to see the
outrageously decorated quarters.
Shocking Sawyer was always the
best entertainment.
"Follow me," he said,
leading the way to the stairs and up.
Throwing the door wide, Aiden
stepped back to let
Sawyer have a full view. One gray
brow twitched slightly.
''Well? What do you think of
it?" Aiden prodded.
"It would
appear, sir, that when not formally engaged in
your duties, you are expected to
spend the hours ... "
Ah, the man was struck
speechless. Aiden grinned and
pressed, "Doing
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