With sudden clarity, the perfect block of creamy marble with the most delicate pink undertone that he had been saving for a worthy piece found its purpose. He now knew why he had impulsively bought the three-ton block of stone, then carried it from Tuscany to London, at great expense and inconvenience. He had carried it to sculpt her.
And for that, he needed to further his acquaintance with this unlikely muse.
“I need to see your brother, my lord,” she repeated into the awkward silence.
“I am unaware of his whereabouts myself.” A dark thought crossed his mind. Surely this could not be the chit who had ensnared his brother. The notion was disturbing for reasons he didn’t care to examine. “Has my brother injured you in some way, my lady?”
“Not me. I don’t even know him. But apparently, he compromised my sister and has now eloped with her.”
“The devil you say!”
His thunderous exclamation had her flinching, but she squared her shoulders and shoved a paper in front of his face.He took it and scanned the note. The good humor his muse had inspired evaporated as he read the few scribbled lines, presumably from his brother’s ‘betrothed’ addressed to her family. The note stated she was eloping with Lord Andrew and would return after the wedding. And urged them not to worry. Ha! The shameless jade.
Hell and damnation! Had he traveled all the way from Tuscany for nothing? Was he too late to help extricate his brother from this trap?
“When did they elope?” he snapped.
“This morning, my lord,” she replied, lifting her chin proudly. “It is fortunate I returned to Town when I did, as my family doesn’t even care enough to pursue them and attempt to stop this travesty.”
“Your aim is to stop them?” Well, that was surprising. Her family’s attitude was more in line with what he would have expected from scheming relatives.
“Absolutely! I find these goings on most suspicious, as my sister had no intention of marrying anyone. In fact, she was only waiting to reach her majority to receive her inheritance and move in with me. She was a month away from achieving that goal. And yet, during these last few weeks, while I was away in the country, my sister not only met but also got engaged and eloped with your brother. I suspect my stepmother had a hand in this. I won’t let her ruin my sister’s life as she did with m—”
Her impassioned speech came to a sudden halt as she perhaps realized she was about to reveal too much. Her earnestness was real. His tempting muse could be an ally, for she seemed as determined as he to prevent this disaster of a wedding.
“It seems you and I are of the same mind.”
She actually looked him up and down, as if judging and determining they could not possibly agree on anything.
“How so, my lord?”
“You and I both want to stop our siblings from contracting this misbegotten marriage; so I suggest we join forces.”
“How do you suggest we go about that?”
“Well, locating the runaway bride and groom would be a good beginning.”
CHAPTER 2
THE COURAGE THAT HADpropelled Thalia to storm the home of the Murderous Marquess had deserted her as soon as she encountered the imposing figure of said marquess. She had not expected him to be home. It was common knowledge he had left the country years ago following the scandal of his wife’s death.
Yet here he was. And he was even more imposing in person than the dangerous sobriquet led one to believe. Oh, yes. The man looked dangerous. But not in a murderous way. She could not imagine this man killing someone in the shadows. He was more like a conqueror that no one would dare stop.
He stood tall, his commanding presence hinting at undeniable strength. She was tall for a woman, but this man dwarfed her. Next to his muscular frame, she looked almost...dainty. An adjective no one, least of all her, would apply to herself.
Long, silvery hair framed his chiseled, masculine features, giving him an almost ethereal, yet formidable appearance. His sharp, silver eyes had impaled her from the moment she had dared to invade his domain. Piercing and keen, his gaze seemed to miss nothing. It made her feel like a lowly mouse spotted by a falcon.
He was a man who demanded attention and respect, his mere presence enough to dominate a room. And she had walked into his lair.
“I don’t know how to find them. I came here hoping to locate them,” she admitted.
“You came alone?”
“Yes.”
“Has no one told you that you shouldn’t visit the residence of a bachelor unchaperoned?” Now he seemed annoyed.
Thalia gulped. “I am a widow, my lord. I don’t need a chaperone. Coming here might have been a tad reckless, but I saw no other recourse.”
