‘That will not be necessary,’ Henrietta answered. ‘I merely wanted to share something that happened this morning.’ In spite of her words, she took his arm and allowed him to walk her towards the main quay.
‘Is it something I can help with?’ he asked carefully. ‘I was heading towards the ship to speak with your father myself.’
Henrietta glanced sideways at him. She was finding it difficult to concentrate on anything other than the feel of his hard warmth. Finally, with a grimace, she described what she’d seen that morning.
‘It’s probably not important,’ she finished. ‘It’s just that when I saw a man wearingFortune’scolours, I thought it was strange he was waiting in the garden rather than coming into the house.’
‘Would you recognise the man if you saw him again?’ Rafe asked after a moment.
She pursed her lips for a second, then shrugged. ‘I doubt it – I only saw a side view of his face. Why? Do you think it important?’
He didn’t answer immediately, and when he finally spoke, his tone was carefully neutral. ‘In truth, I’m not sure, but those men you overheard at the hotel were getting their information from somewhere. I suspect there might well be a traitor aboard your father’s ship.’
Henri looked at him sharply. ‘Most of the crew have been with theFortunefor years,’ she protested.
‘Not all of them,’ he answered pointedly.
Henrietta gritted her teeth – the fact that she’d found the sailor’s presence in the garden unsettling was what had brought her to this point, so how could she disregard Raphael’s comment? Instead of dismissing the idea, she nodded thoughtfully, just as they reached the Poulton’s Hotel, standing imposingly on the other side of the road. ‘Would you permit me to walk you back to Redstone House?’ he asked, to her surprise.
As much as Henrietta wanted to tell him she was perfectly capable of taking herself home without an escort, somehow the words stuck in her throat. The truth was that the incident had shaken her badly.
‘Unless, of course, you would prefer me to have my carriage brought round from the hotel stables?’
Henrietta smiled and shook her head. ‘Thank you, but the walk will undoubtedly do me good, and I would be grateful for thecompany - providing you can spare the time, of course.’ She ignored the small voice in her head that told her the walk would also keep him with her for longer…
‘I’ll wait at the house to speak with your father. I doubt he’ll be long - we all have an early start tomorrow.’
They subsided into a surprisingly companionable silence as they crossed the road and turned back in the direction of the harbour. After a few minutes, Raphael looked down at her thoughtfully, but her face was in shadow. Full dark had descended during the confrontation on the quayside, and the number of people abroad had decreased significantly along with the temperature.
A couple of minutes later, they reached the bottom of the steep hill leading to Redstone House, and as they began their ascent, Rafe finally spoke. ‘Forgive me if I’m overstepping, Miss Carew,’ he murmured, ‘but I cannot not help noticing that you are unusually astute…’ He paused and left the words,for a foolish young woman,hanging in the air. Nevertheless, Henrietta didn’t miss the implication. Eyebrows raised in echo of his earlier expression; she couldn’t help it – she burst out laughing.
‘Have I said something amusing?’ he quizzed her, trying to keep the testiness from his voice.
‘If that is a compliment, Mr Augustin, I can only say that your technique most definitely needs work.’
‘It wasnota compliment,’ he growled in response, ‘it was simply an observation.’
‘Ah,’ she responded as they began walking again. ‘What can I say? High accolade indeed from a man whose very life might well depend onobservation.’
‘More often than not,’ he agreed, beginning to enjoy the conversation despite his initial irritation. ‘Observationis everything.’
‘So, since I am particularly astute – your words,’ Henrietta continued as they started up the hill, ‘I can only assume you wish me to refine my burgeoningobservationskills.’ She favoured him with a mischievous grin. ‘In other words, you wish me to cultivate my nosiness.’
His mouth quirked. ‘Perceptive too, I see. Is there no end to your accomplishments, Miss Carew?’
She looked up at him, another quip on her tongue, only to fall silent as a sudden light illuminated his face. She was vaguely aware of the lamplighter continuing up the hill after lighting the streetlamp ahead of them, but the look in the Frenchman’s eyes as he stared down at her stole her breath. She couldn’t have spoken if her life had depended on it.
Without thinking, she turned her body just enough to face him, leaning closer as she instinctively sought the heat of his body. For a second, he didn’t move, simply stared down at her, eyes almost glittering in the dancing light. Then, with an incoherent murmur, his hands slid upwards to grip her arms, and he crushed her to him, his lips coming down on hers.
A white-hot fear gripped her for the briefest moment, then, with a small moan, she surrendered, sinking into his heat as she’d wanted to do since he first walked into Redstone House.
Then all thought fled as his lips slanted across hers, his mouth setting fire to her nerve endings with every stroke of his tongue. Sensation shot through her, centred at the juncture of her thighs, where physical evidence of her need gathered evennow. Unconsciously, she sought to relieve the pressure, grinding herself against his hardness and rubbing her peaking nipples against the exquisite roughness of his jacket. She had no idea what she was reaching for, just that it wasthere, andthere…
Then, just as the sensations began to intensify, Rafe suddenly,shockingly, tore his mouth from hers, sliding his hands down to grip her hips, holding her still. With a muttered, ‘Merde,’ he continued to hold her hips captive, bending forward to rest his forehead on hers.
‘Pardonne-moi - forgive me,’ he whispered raggedly.
Henrietta squeezed her eyes shut, mortification flooding through her. A tightness gathered in her throat, and for one horrifying second, she thought she was going to cry.
