‘It’s just that you seem annoyed.’
‘I was annoyed well before that.’ This woman had him behaving like an overprotective guard dog. ‘But for the record, you can do better than him.’
She watched him as they walked. ‘I barely know what to do with such an enormous compliment. How much better, exactly?’
He had stuck his foot in it now. ‘I simply meant that you should find someone local.’
‘Have you met the men in my borough?’
‘They’re not all bad.’
‘I guarantee you the man my uncle chooses will be unbearable.’
He glanced at her. ‘Surely you’ll have a say over the matter.’
‘I always have plenty to say over every matter. The problem is Lord Thomas always has thefinalsay.’
Harlan opened his mouth wide to relax his jaw. ‘Hope he’s patient and enjoys saying things twice.’
Blake laughed, and he almost tripped over his own feet at the sound. It was silvery and feminine, her cheeks filling with colour.
‘Unkind,’ she tutted.
Afraid of what his face might give away, he looked ahead. ‘Tell your sister to slow down. It’s not safe for her to be wandering off.’
Blake stepped in front of him, forcing him to pull up quickly to stop from running into her. She was so close he could smell whatever soap she had washed with that morning. It paired perfectly with the salty air in the port.
‘Can I show you something before we go back in?’ she asked, looking up at him.
She had grown far too comfortable in his presence, yet he did not put her in her place as he ought to have. ‘Depends what it is.’
Eda had turned to see what the hold-up was, and Blake gestured for her to wait.
‘If I tell you, you’ll say no.’
‘Then no.’
Blake looked slightly wounded.
‘Fine,’ he said, unable to see her disappointed. ‘You have two minutes.’
Light returned to her eyes. ‘Over here, away from everyone.’ She turned and signed something to Eda.
‘This way,’ Blake called to him, stepping off the path.
Harlan sighed before following her.
She came to a stop in the middle of the open space that separated the beach and the wall. Instead of the usual mud, the ground was covered in small rocks.
‘What am I looking at?’ Harlan asked.
Blake pointed at the lone tree in front of the wall forty yards away. ‘See that tree?’
He glanced tiredly in that direction. ‘You want to show me a tree?’
She reached inside her pocket and pulled out a knife.
‘What are you doing?’ He was not worried about his safety but that a defender might see and misread the situation.
