Petrov entered first, his gaze sweeping the room swiftly, followed by Mr. Chase.
Tension knotted in Sam’s gut. Petrov wasn’t fooled, which meant Chase wasn’t either. But what would the spy do about it?
Mr. Chase said inspected the room like it might hide assassins.
“Mr. Chase, to what do we owe the pleasure?” Sam said dryly.
Mr. Chase’s blue eyes landed on him like sharp blades. “I see you’re changing rooms?”
“I needed a change of scenery.”
“Miss Blakewood. How do you do?”
“I am very well, Mr. Chase. And you?”
“Splendid,” he said, his tone just as sarcastic as Sam’s. “I do need a private word with his lordship if you don’t mind.”
She hopped to her feet. “Of course. I’ll return once you’re settled.”
“At dinner,” Sam said.
She pressed her lips together and nodded. “Good day, Mr. Chase.”
“Good day, Miss Blakewood.”
Petrov carried a trunk into the dressing room and exited again.
“Well?” Sam asked.
Mr. Chase’s face hardened, his eyes narrowing on Sam as he took the chair Daisy vacated. “I had my suspicions, but I didn’t take you for a fool, Lord Alston.”
Sam raised a brow. “Suspicions? About what?”
Chase crossed his ankles. He pulled a cigar from his coat pocket and lit it. “She’s stunning. A man would have to be dead not to notice.”
“Get on with it, Chase.”
“If you renege on the contract, the price will be steep.”
Sam ground his teeth. “I didn’t agree to it. Why should I be held to it?”
“For your sister’s sake.”
“What sort of matchmaker takes advantage of men on their deathbeds? What if I’d died? Then what?”
“Mrs. Dove-Lyon knew it was a risk.”
“If you’re here to make threats, get on with it.”
“Mrs. Dove-Lyon is not a woman to be toyed with. Normally I’d say have your fun, but not with a genteel lady like Miss Blakewood. And I’m assuming her brother doesn’t yet know you’re preying upon his innocent sister. I feel a bit protective myself, since I too have a sister, and I’m certain you would feel the same, Lord Alston, if Mr. Blakewood behaved as you have. We have more in common than you think.”
Sam’s hackles rose. She wasn’t Chase’s to protect. She was Sam’s. “She doesn’t need anything from you. We’re both capable of knowing what we want.”
“And what is she going to get from you? Not a marriage, that’s for certain. Does she know you’re betrothed? Does she know this can never be anything more than an affair of the heart? Is your heart involved or just your cock?”
Sam leaned forward in the chair. “If I were half as strong as I used to be, you’d be unconscious by now. What happens between Daisy and me is none of your concern.” His heart was more than involved, but he’d never admit it to Chase. His heart wanted, it craved, it would only keep beating as long as Daisy was his. This longing coursing through him, this fever of desire—it wasn’t mere lust. He loved her. Even if his cock never worked properly again, he loved her, and he’d dedicate his life to her pleasure and happiness.
“That’s where you are wrong,” Chase said sternly. “It’s messy, and I clean up messes professionally. You’ll put an end to it now, if you have any sense. And do it graciously, or I’ll have Mrs. Dove-Lyon do it for you. There’s no telling what her brother would do to you if he found out. Have you no fear after facing death?”
