“It does have demands,” he said on a deep rumble.
“I believe investigation will be necessary.” One could hear the shiver in her voice as her hand tightened on the bulge—which somehow had grownbigger.
Deverill sucked in a breath.
Another gasp flew from Beatrix—but her hand smothered it too late.
Deverill went stone still, and his gaze shifted.
Toward the screen.
Beatrix froze.
Likely, he was staring at the lovely painted landscape on the silk screen. Serene lake scenes might be a favorite of his.
She didn’t know him—not truly, anyway.
His gaze narrowed…
On hers.
Or had it?
She couldn’t be sure, but just in case it had, she didn’t move, breathe, and or even blink.
For her part, Lady Standish didn’t seem to have noticed anything different about Deverill beyond his use for the night. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his mouth, applying a kiss to the back, like a gentleman—as if that very hand hadn’t just been caressing the rather substantial bulge in his trousers.
“I’ve just remembered I have an early meeting tomorrow morning,” he said, apology in every word.
“Early meeting?” asked Lady Standish, as if the concept were entirely foreign to her.
In all fairness, it likely was.
“And I must prepare beforehand.”
“Prepare beforehand?” scoffed the lady. Another foreign concept aired.
He lifted his hands in the universal gesture of helplessness. “The vulgar ways of business, I’m afraid.”
“You would…” The lady huffed. “You would rather…” The lady puffed. “Than…” In her fit of pique, complete sentences eluded her. “Withme?”
He gave another lift of helpless hands, which proved too much for Lady Standish, who whirled in a great flurry of skirts and angrily jerked the door open, only to slam it shut behind her.
The room went silent.
Until this moment, Beatrix hadn’t known silence could, in fact, bethissilent.
Deverill lifted his tumbler of whiskey off the dining table and took a long pull.
She squeezed her eyes shut and waited.
Muted footsteps crossed the room.
She squeezed harder, and still, she waited.
Any second now rough hands would wrap around her arms and haul her to her feet, then toss her from this room like so much rubbish.
Except… What her ears caught was undefined movement on the opposite side of the room.
