“Then you will have to do far more than just miss a few meals.”
“Is that a challenge?”
His hazel eyes darkened with something she couldn’t name. “Careful, my dear. I, too, have a tendency to lose control when pushed too far.”
There was something hidden in his words. Amelia swallowed past the lump in her throat, the humor that had been mounting in her fizzling away as she was instantly brought back to their time together a few days ago. She watched, entranced, as he slightly tilted his head—as if he was well aware of the direction her thoughts had taken—because his were in the exact same place. The fleeting glance he gave to her lips didn’t go unnoticed, nor did the gentle caress of her chin before he finally let his hand drop to his side.
Suddenly, there was nothing Amelia wanted more than for him to kiss her again. She was terrified of this longing, as if it was a voracious entity devouring her sanity. Her fingers itched with the urge to graze his stubble, to trace her fingertips across his lips, to feel his tongue against her skin. She could almost imagine him drawing her fingers into his mouth, sucking gently, before pulling her into his embrace. Amelia saw him lower his head into the crook of her neck, gently trailing his tongue upward, lingering just beneath her earlobe…
“Actually, there is another reason I have come to see you,” he stated suddenly, jolting her from her lewd reveries. Amelia flushed in embarrassment and quickly put a few feet of distance between them. She couldn’t think straight when he was near, she realized.
“What…” Amelia cleared her throat, gathering herself. “What is it?”
Gideon didn’t move from where he stood. “I came to inform you that I will be away from the castle for a few days.”
“A few days? Why?”
“Business matters. Nothing you need to concern yourself with.”
“Business matters or matters concerning the Masked Rogue?” she asked boldly without thinking.
Frustration flashed in his eyes. “God, you’re persistent. Whether it is or not, it is still none of your concern.”
“Then why did you bother to come all the way here to tell me? You could have disappeared and I would have been none the wiser.”
Gideon opened his mouth to respond, but then shut it again as if he hadn’t thought of anything quickly enough. Shaking his head, he finally said, “I don’t know why I came here. I just… thought you should know. But I suppose you’re right. You have seemed perfectly content distancing yourself from me these past three days, after all.”
Was she mistaken or did he sound… sulky?
“I shall leave you be then,” Gideon said, turning back to the door. “If you prefer your own company, then I won’t intrude any longer.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Amelia tried to explain, though she couldn’t fathom why she felt such guilt.
“Perhaps I shall see you when I return,” he stated, his tone now formal. Without looking back, he left the room, and it took everything in her not to go after him.
CHAPTER 17
“Are you certain about this, Your Grace?” Thomas asked again for the umpteenth time.
Gideon let out an irritated groan. He shrugged on the heavy black evening coat he’d often don during these nights, then made for the neatly packed trunk beside him. “Thomas, I assure you, if I changed my mind, you will be the first to know,” he told his butler, who was hovering like a fussy mother behind him. “Besides, I have been waiting for this moment for a long time. It will be over soon.”
Thomas looked as if he was about to disagree but then thought better of it. Instead, he asked, “Will Lord Janesbury be accompanying you at least?”
“I’m afraidLewishas more pressing matters to attend to,” Gideon responded, his tone betraying his frustration. “Or so he claims. It doesn’t matter, however. His presence is not needed tonight.”
Thomas held his silence. Gideon, meanwhile, reached for the pristine white mask positioned on a nearby console table, then tucked it into his inside coat pocket. He planned to be away for three days, staying in his accommodations at Mayfair where he could come and go more discreetly. Should any prying eyes from the gambling den trace his path, he had no intention of leading them back to Castle Stanhope.
The mask settled perfectly in his coat pocket. It felt as if a missing appendage had been reattached, as if he was whole again.
Yes, this is nothing to be ashamed of, he reminded himself, casting a final glance at the reflection in the mirror at the end of the foyer.This is who I am.
His wife’s disapproving scowl flashed in his mind and he shook his head to banish the thought. Even now, he couldn’t understand why he’d informed her that he would be away for a while. There was no reason for her to know. Now she would bother him with more of her questions and Gideon didn’t know how much patience he had left for them.
Pushing thoughts of Amelia aside, he refocused on the task at hand. Lewis had done so much beating around the bush that Gideon resolved to simply visit the Serpent’s Den himself and verify Lord Appleby’s presence. It was said he frequented the place on Thursdays in the Winter seasons, so it was his best bet. If he wasn’t there, Gideon intended to spend the following days canvassing the city’s most prominent gaming hells until he found the Earl.
He didn’t have much more time to waste. Night had fallen hours ago. Right now, lords from all corners of London would be flocking to the gambling tables at the Serpent’s Den. And many more would leave early in the night with their tails between their legs—some never to return. Such was the fate inflicted on his father once upon a time long ago. With a decisive nod to Thomas, Gideon strode towards the door.
At the last moment, he paused and threw a look over his shoulder, “Ensure the Duchess is well-cared for in my absence. Make sure she eats regularly.”
