Leo gestured wildly toward the door through which she’d just left before slumping in his seat. “Clearly shewasin need of rescuing. The woman was one night away from dying in that forest.”
The man watched him, his gaze unnervingly thorough and probing as it scanned Leo’s face. It made Leo want to turn away or shield himself with his hands, but he held firm.
“You desire her,” Percy noted bluntly.
Heat spread over Leo’s chest and up his neck, which was mercifully hidden by his clothing and thick beard. “Of course I bloody do!” he hissed. There was no sense in denying it. “She is a dramatically handsome woman that very literally embodies everything that I physically desire. If we even remotely got along, I would be a fool not to marry the woman.”But I can’t—and won’t—put anyone through that.“Under ordinary circumstances.”
Percy shrugged. “I don’t see why you couldn’t.”
“You don’t see—?” Leo’s shocked and bewildered and, damn it,angrygaze hardened on his friend. “To the devil with you, Percy.You know why.”
The man squared his shoulders and faced Leo directly. “I know why youthinkthat you cannot marry, Leo, but that was more than two years ago, and it was not your fau—”
“Even removing that from the situation, Percy, I have a sordid past. What woman in her right mind would marry a…a…”
“A reformed pirate?” Percy offered, striding closer.
“Reformed.” Leo spat the word, his face growing hotter. “Reformed or not, we were bloody pirates.”
Percy’s voice softened. “We were young, and—”
“Youth does not excuse piracy.” He shifted in his seat, and the leather creaked.
The man scoffed. “Leo, you were the leastpiratepirate of the lot. With the exception of the obvious looting, and murder in defence of our lives, you did little to even resemble the name. And now you have a title, which, according to society, wipes your history clean.”
Leo lifted an eyebrow at his friend. The man was doing his utmost to convince Leo of his innocence, when Percy himself suffered from constant guilt and refused to even consider settling with a woman. The hypocrisy was overwhelming.
“You are not altering my stance,” Leo said. “In the years after we returned to England, I did nothing to improve my reputation, particularly with women. It wasbecauseof my philandering that Walter—”
“That wasnotyour fault—”
“But it fucking happened!” Leo threw his hands up in exasperation. “In that moment, I made a vow to be celibate. If my desires can kill, then I will do my best to not sodding have them!”
Percy shook his head. “That’s irrational, Leo. And it oughtn’t prevent you from having relations. You’re attracted to the woman. What would be the harm—”
“For Christ’s sake, Percy!” Leo hissed. “She’s now under my protection as a member of my staff. It would be highly inappropriate for me to seek any sort of physical relationship with her—let alone marriage—even without my sordid past.”
Leo cursed at the man and strode determinedly toward the door, not wanting to hear more.
Percy called after him, “Fucking can sometimes just be fucking, Leonard.”
CHAPTER4
“Another drawing room?” Juliana asked, somewhat dazed by the labyrinth that was Woodhaven Hall. Her family’s ducal estate was rather grand, itself, but its design was practical and familiar, if opulent. Woodhaven Hall was a confusing composition of rooms and a maze of corridors that she would never become accustomed to.
Mr. Notley nodded once. “The one nearest to the dining room at the front of the home was originally for social occasions and for the ladies’ withdrawing after a meal, while this one was reserved for the family.”
She could certainly believe that. The other room was designed with image in mind: each piece of furniture perfectly aligned, no trinket out of place. Whereas this room felt warm and welcoming, with rich shades of burgundy and pink, thickly stuffed furniture meant for relaxing, and a fireplace on either side of the room. It was uniquely lavish and comfortable.
“And the others?” she asked. “I believe this is the fourth that you’ve shown me.”
“I haven’t the foggiest. Some ancestor designed the place, and while the rooms are routinely cleaned by my staff, I have little use for them.”
Juliana hummed and continued down the hall. The tapers and sconces were lit, and the warm air carried the scent of costly beeswax, teasing her senses. His hands clasped behind his back, Mr. Notley matched her pace.
Beyond the candles swirled a fragrance that was uniquelyhim, and Juliana attempted to breathe past it, wishing that it didn’t interest her so deeply. Cinnamon, coconut, and trees. It was bewildering to her how anyone could have such a warm Christmastide scent that was so appealing. Despite her efforts to remain unmoved, she found that it curled her toes in her threadbare slippers and quickened her pulse.
It was dangerous here for Juliana.Mr. Notleywas dangerous. There was some unnameable quality about the man that made her want to be near him, and the longer she remained in his company, the stronger that sensation became. They’d only been touring his estate for three quarters of an hour, surely, and yet she felt almost entirely at ease in his company. Enough that she had the absurd urge to lean closer to better inhale his scent. Would that the housekeeper had given her the tour in his stead. Whyhadhe chosen to take her?
