Rachel agreed. Anthony could fight. That savage masculine face, all angles and cleverness and startling blue eyes. Handsome except for the black and blue bruises that swelled, both repugnant and compelling. The odds set against him, outgunned and outmanned, and how he had dispatched themthis Anthony was not the man she had met before. A thrill of danger brushed her spine, and at the same time, she squelched the urge to sit next to him and comfort him. He nudged a crystal dish of butterscotch pudding toward her.
She stared at his beautiful face and beautiful lips. Magic and wonder all rolled into one.What would you do Lord Anthony if I kissed you?
“The guards caught a man in the trees bordering the castle, but he was here to see one of the housemaids,” Sebastian added.
“I’ll alert the tenants to keep their eyes and ears open, post more guards. With this situation, none of us are safe,” growled the Duke.
Rachel took her first bite of the buttery sweet pudding that melted in a mélange of spices on her tongue. She couldn’t help but savor the confectionary taste of what had looked like an unassuming dish. “We arrive at the same deduction then.”
“Meaning?” Anthony cocked his head, and Rachel could sense the wheels turning. He shifted his gaze to her lips, and then back to her, his eyes wide. “You think”
“Meaning that it confirms our conclusions of someone with influence and a lot of money is involved.”
He dropped three cream puffs on her plate.
Rachel stared at him like he’d lost his mind. She picked up a cream puff and took a bite. An errant pearl of white cream escaped and she chased it back into her mouth with the tip of her finger. Anthony caught her breach in etiquette. The lighting in his eyes went from grey to deep blue. Her stomach erupted in a flurry of moths, raining memories of the way he’d reached for her in the carriage and kissed her and then again right after they had been held-up by the highwaymen. Like a man in the desert who reaches for water. She liked that thirst.
“The dog has been given a bath, fed and resides in the stable. She is happy in her new home.” Rachel melted. Anthony had given her a little bit of sunshine and hope in a world of shadow and pain. She breathed easier since she had confessed to Anthony of her past and felt better because of the declaration. This interlude in time she would always remember and wanted to savor.
He shrugged. “It seemed appropriate.”
Aunt Margaret sat up and blinked. “I must have fallen asleep. You two look so tired. You should retire.”
Rachel needed no prodding, swaying as she stood.
Anthony rose to steady her, “I believe we have exhausted everything there is to say. I will escort, Miss Thorne upstairs.”
* * *
Sebastian peeked through the doors, and then closed them. “They are upstairs, Your Grace.”
The Duke raised his brandy snifter, rolled the amber liquid around in the crystal. “Do you think the romance is advancing?”
Aunt Margaret tilted her grey head. “Of course it is. Didn’t you see how Miss Thorne darted glances at Anthony like she wanted to get up and fuss over his bruises? Didn’t you see how Anthony insisted on escorting her upstairs as if she were the most precious thing in the world?”
The Duke reared, thunderstruck. “I missed that.”
She looked down her nose. “Most men would, so don’t feel left out.”
Sebastian coughed.
“Have you worked out a deal with Miss Thorne to build her invention?” Margaret demanded.
Wasn’t he the Duke? How Aunt Margaret loved to command. She still thought of him in his nappies, yet he had to admit, her battle instincts were inspiring andremarkable. “I engaged her to do the job as a quid pro-quo for the wardrobe, but keeping them apart, how can we keep the attraction going?”
“Thought blackmail beneath you, Richard. You have surprised me with your resourcefulness.” With all the benevolence in the world, she gave him a firm nod.
Should he genuflect?
“To answer your question, the mysteries of attraction cannot be explained through logic.”
The Duke flicked his gaze upward. “Abby said they were meant for each other, and I concur with her thoughts. Anthony has come out of his shell, and I would buy Miss Thorne a thousand wardrobes. I can’t thank her enough.”
“She is magic,” said Sebastian. “A delight to have around, if I may say so, Your Grace.”
The Duke sipped his brandy. “I will do anything to get her in the family. They are the same, yet uniquely different.”
Aunt Margaret tapped her fingertips together. “Sometimes the fractures in two separate souls become the hinges that hold them together.”
