The waitress handed him another round just as two women entered the tavern. Even from across the room, he could tell they were quality, their attire and bearing out of place in a dive like this. These women were the sort who belonged in one of theton’sballrooms.
He should know. In another life, he’d belonged there too.
The crowded tavern fell suddenly silent as all eyes turned to look at the women, sizing them up and sensing easy prey. What the hell were ladies like that doing in a place like this?
Not my business.
But something about the taller one, a flash of auburn hair in the gaslight, made him slowly set down his drink. Suddenly, the tavern seemed too small, too close, his breath caged up tight in his chest. Max surged to his feet, nearly upsetting the table and his fresh pint with it. Her green eyes locked with his, quick and sharp.
Eden.
Had he finally lost his mind? Because her appearance here, like a mirage in the desert, made no sense whatsoever.
Relief flitted across her face, but not surprise. No. She’d obviously expected to find him here. She hesitated, whispered something to her friend, and then started toward him. This was real, he realized. She was actually walking toward him in The Smuggler’s Lantern. Fifteen years without a single glimpse ofher, and now she’d ventured down to the docks to what? Find him?
Max sat back down, every part of him trembling. Stupid, like the lovestruck boy he’d once been. What was he supposed to say to her?Hello, I’ve missed you for what feels like an eternity. I’ve thought about you every day, wondering if you even remembered me.
She wound her way through the crowd with fierce determination. The lady with Eden, a dark-haired beauty, trailed behind her like a bodyguard. He wondered once again what the hell they’d been thinking. Venturing to a place like this in their finery fairly invited assault. What would they have done if he weren’t here? But then he saw the two men following in their wake, large strapping fellows wearing Eden’s family’s livery.
Ah. Not so defenseless after all.
She reached the table, and time seemed to stand still.
“Hello, Max.”
The sound of her voice made him remember how it had once been between them. He drank in the sight of her, committing every detail to memory. Faint lines creased her eyes and the corners of her lips, but other than that, she was still as striking as ever. Her auburn hair was tightly contained in a chignon, but he’d dreamed about those wild curls. Her emerald eyes and willowy frame still had the power to bring him to his knees. He knew she’d always been self-conscious of her vivid coloring, but he loved it.
She didn’t say anything else, and the silence between them grew unbearable.
“What in the bloody hell are you doing here?” he finally asked, harsher than he’d intended. “Have you gone mad, coming to a place like this?”
“How very good to see you, too,” she said, hurt flashing in those brilliant green eyes. She gestured to her friend. “This isLady Daphne Fitzroy, the Countess of Wyndham. May we sit down?”
Lady Eden Pemberley had brought a bloody countess with her to The Smuggler’s Lantern. To find him. Once again, he began to doubt that any of this was real. He glanced at his mug, wondering if he’d drunk more than he’d thought. He’d never been given to hallucinations while in his cups, but perhaps his ale had been poisoned with something...
Eden cleared her throat, and he realized he hadn’t answered her. He nodded to the bench opposite him. “Suit yourself.”
Eden exchanged a glance with her friend, then turned her lovely emerald eyes toward him once again. She had a way of looking at people the way she did books, like she might find something interesting if she studied them hard enough. He’d always loved that about her. No one else in his entire life had ever looked at him that way. No one else had actuallyseenhim.
God, how he’d missed her.
The two women sat down, looking uncomfortable.
Eden perched on the very edge of the bench, ready to spring back up. “I’m here in a professional capacity,” she said stiffly. “I’d like to hire you.”
“Hire me?” he asked, her statement doing nothing to dispel the strangeness of the situation. “To do what?” He really couldn’t imagine what this was about. What could she possibly want with him after all this time?
Eden shook her head. “Don’t be difficult, Max.”
“I’m not trying to be difficult.” Max frowned, his confusion growing. “I truly have no idea what you’re talking about. And how the hell did you find me?”
“Someone told me where you were likely to be,” she said. “It wasn’t hard.”
“I should be insulted,” Max said. Had he really sunk so low that it was widely known that the best place to find him was TheSmuggler’s Lantern? Amusement rose within him, something he hadn’t felt in ages. He bit it back. “You still haven’t answered the question.”
Eden leaned forward. Her scent, a faint hint of jasmine, reached him over the stench of the tavern. Memories of making love to her crashed over him, and the urge to touch her nearly overwhelmed him. Somehow, he restrained himself.
“I need a guide for an Egyptian expedition,” she said, as though that were a completely reasonable thing for a woman of her station to request.
