She nodded. “Yes, I am.”
Benson, her guard, who’d been with her for years, looked at her amused. She lifted a brow, and he grinned. “I’m pretty sure if your daughter ever saw you like this, you’d never be able to tell her she can’t wear trousers again.”
Her daughter Alice idolized Rose Calvert, including her love of wearing pants when at home. Lisbeth laughed. “These are Rose’s clothes.”
Benson snickered. “Of course they are.”
Thomas entered the lobby, and his gaze roamed over her before he seemed to realize what he was doing. He briskly asked, “Are you ready?”
Lisbeth nodded, and she, Benson, and Abbas followed him out. A striking man stood by a group of horses. Their eyes connected, and he smiled. Whoever he was, if he ever visited London, the city would be in love with him.
“The pretty face over there is my friend Tarek Al-Rafiq. Rafe, for short,” Thomas bit out.
“What an unfriendly introduction, Easton,” Rafe said, and then he turned to Lisbeth. “It may not seem like it based on his gruffness, but I happen to be a close friend of this famous explorer.”
Next, he introduced himself to Benson and Abbas, then turned back to Thomas. He pulled a stack of letters from a bag and shoved them playfully at Lisbeth’s ex-lover. “You can carry your worship mail.”
Lisbeth studied the missives. Several of them were floral and smelled like perfume. She leaned forward, curious. “Are those love letters?”
Rafe smirked. “Easton has many admirers from London. He is famous there. I wouldn’t believe him if I weren’t always delivering love notes.”
A flush covered Thomas’s face, and he scowled at his friend before shoving the missives into a bag on the side of his horse. “They aren’t love letters.”
Rafe snorted. “He is very famous. All the ladies speak about him in a grandiose fashion.”
Benson nodded. “I’ve heard the stories in London.”
Abbas looked at them all as if he were missing some joke. Rafe tapped Thomas jokingly on his cheek. “You are a handsome fool. Not as attractive as me, but still, the ladies love you.”
The amusement continued to course through her, but deep in her heart, Lisbeth felt a flare of jealousy. She pushed it away. Thomas was allowed to spend time with whomever he liked. She imagined he had plenty of lovers because Rafe was right; he was an attractive, strapping man. He wore ruggedness in a way that most men could never pull off.
He sighed and held out his hand to assist her onto a grey horse. She stepped towards him, and he lifted her up and made sure she was settled safely and comfortably on the animal’s back. Thomas handed her the reins. “This is Asta. She will be your horse for the trip.”
She nodded. “Thank you, Thomas.”
He grunted in response, and he and the rest of their group climbed onto their horses. “This is an all-day ride, but we will keep it nice and slow.”
Hours later, Rafe joined Lisbeth. He grinned. “I think I’ve upset Easton by flirting with you.”
Lisbeth suspected it didn’t matter if a lady was young or old; Rafe could easily charm them. She assumed he was well aware of the effect his handsome face had on others. Lisbeth wouldn’t encourage him. She lifted a brow. “Were you flirting? I hadn’t noticed.”
He laughed loudly, causing Thomas to glance their way before turning forward, his jaw clenched. Rafe smiled. “So you are Thomas’s lost love.”
She blushed. “No…I wouldn’t call it that…it is complicated.”
Another bark of laughter erupted from him, and the man smiled slyly at her. “It was just a guess, but now I suspect, based on your response and my friend’s fierce scowl, that there is a grand story there.”
She shook her head. “It was a long time ago. We were young, really just children.”
“Love happens at all ages.”
Lisbeth frowned at Rafe. “Why do I sense you are a troublemaker?”
He looked at her, his gaze turning serious. “I have the same question about you? I’ve seen Easton charm many ladies, but he’s never glowered at me over one. Don’t hurt him, Your Grace. He is a good man.”
Anger sparked in Lisbeth that he was lecturing her. “I’ve no intention of doing anything but obtaining the tablets.”
“Rafe, I need you up here,” Thomas barked.
