Arden shifted his weight, and she caught a whiff of his delicious cologne, then shook her head to dislodge the sudden, foolish desire to step forward and bury her face in his snowy white cravat.
No man had the right to smell so good. It wasn’t fair.
Or, rather, it was wonderful that a man smelled so delicious, but why did it have to beArden? A man so unattainable she might as well be a goat for all the chance she had of securing his interest. The one man who’d rejected her so unequivocally.
He cleared his throat, jerking her from her daydreaming.
“So, what’s the plan now?”
Lucy made a concerted effort to pull herself together and sound capable and businesslike. She reached into her reticule and withdrew a folded piece of paper.
He squinted at it in the gloom. “What’s that?”
“A letter. For the Phantom.”
She held it out for him to take.
“Dear Phantom,” he read aloud. “Please forgive my forwardness, but I desire to speak with you in private. To that end, I shall be sitting in your box this evening, and every evening henceforth, in the hope that you will grant me an audience. Be assured that I wish you no harm. Sincerely, Lucy Montgomery.”
Lucy gave a pleased nod. “Short, and to the point, I think.”
Arden shook his head. “It’s certainly direct. But you have to assume this Phantom won’t want to makeyouracquaintance. The man specifically asked for solitude. He might not take too kindly to someone thrusting themselves into his private domain.”
“Nobody’sthrustingthemselves anywhere,” Lucy said peevishly.
Arden’s lips twitched, but she continued before he could make some childish, ribald comment. “I am merely being upfront about my intentions. If the Phantom wishes for privacy, then he can simply stay away. It’s his choice.”
He gave a skeptical shrug. “You have no idea who this person is. What if they’re dangerous? What if your presence offends them so much, they decide to throw you off the balcony?”
She peered past him, over the edge, and her knees went a little weak. The rail was only waist high, and it was an extremely long way down.
“You said he’d never done anything threatening. But I shall bring my knife for protection. Father made sure all three of us girls could defend ourselves if necessary. And I learned some extra tricks from the King of Madagascar’s bodyguard.”
Arden made a derisive sound. “That may be true, but I still doubt you’d stand a chance against a fully grown man. He could be ex-military. What if he tries to hurt you? Or molest you?”
He took a step closer, deliberately crowding her with his body, looming over her to reinforce his point. “You’resmall, Montgomery. Delicate.” His eyes held hers, and his pupils seemed huge in the shadows. “I could overpower you in a heartbeat. I couldkissyou—right now—if I wanted to. And I could have you flat on your back on that sofa with your skirts up around your waist in less than thirty seconds.”
His voice was low, rough, and Lucy stilled, her heart hammering in sudden alarm as the image he described shimmered between them. She clearly imagined herself lying there on the chaise, Arden’s firm body pressing her down, and her pulse gave a terrible, betraying jolt. The thought of a stranger putting her in that position was frightening, but the thought ofArdendoing it was horribly enticing.
She’d dreamed of such shameful, wicked things before.
She was an idiot.
She sucked in a steadying lungful of air. “Stop trying to scare me off, Arden. I can handle myself perfectly well. Besides, the theater will be full. Help, if I need it, won’t be far away.” She plucked the letter from his hand and placed it neatly in the center of the velvet sofa. “What’s tonight’s performance? Do you know?”
He frowned at her apparent stubbornness. “It’s Shakespeare.Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. It starts at seven o’clock.”
“Excellent. I’ll come then, and hope the Phantom’s read my note. I don’t suppose you get free entrance as one of the shareholders?”
He sent her a sardonic glance. “I do. Butyoucan buy a ticket at the door, like everyone else. It’s three shillings and sixpence for a seat in the pit, two shillings for a seat in the lower gallery, one shilling for a seat in the upper gallery, and seven shillings for a box. Like this one.”
Lucy sent him a look of mock disappointment. She hadn’t really thought he’d let her in for nothing. “Seven Shillings! I can see why there were riots about the prices a few years ago. And besides, why should I pay when you said the Phantom already paidfive hundredpounds for the use of this box?”
“Exclusiveuse,” Arden reminded her. “And since you’ve not been invited as his guest, you’ll have to cough up the blunt.”
Lucy gave a dramatic sigh. “Fine. I suppose I’ll be getting that hundred pounds from Kit Hollingsworth soon enough. Seven shillings isn’t too terrible to advance.” She turned to leave. “I’d better get back to the carriage. Doyouhave plans for tonight, Arden?”
His sudden smile was so wolfish it made her pulse leap in her throat.
