At his question, my heart leapt in fear.
I should have known better.
"My friend spoke the truth," Leighton started. "The lovely Lisa here was set to wed me at the end of the month; however, she was to belong to both of us."
Silence thickened the air. Even the noise from the tavern floor seemed to die away.
Bess blinked once, then leaned against the counter with her arms crossed. "Well then," she said finally, her tone more practical than scandalized.
My heart raced and my palms felt sweaty. "Bess..."
She waved me off. "Hush, girl. Do you think you're the first woman we've seen shared between two men? You'd be shocked what passes behind closed doors in this town."
Tom grunted his agreement. "I don't care what arrangements folk make, long as everyone's safe and willing. That's the only law I keep under my roof." He shot a stern glance at Magnus and Leighton. "You hear, now? Safe andwilling."
Leighton inclined his head. "Agreed."
Magnus's gaze never left mine, dark and unyielding. But he nodded in agreement.
Me? I couldn't breathe. My chest ached, torn between disbelief, shame, and the smallest amount of hope.
Bess pushed off the counter and reached for my hand. "The only question that matters, lovely, is what you want. Don't let them buggers bully you into something you don't choose for yourself."
Her words burned hot.
"Now, how about you take the rest of the night off, so you can figure out what you want to do, hey?"
Well, wasn't that the conundrum.
What did I want to do?
I didn't think I was ready to answer.
Chapter Twenty-One
The cool night air bit at my cheeks as I followed them out of the tavern, the world feeling strangely suspended. Tom and Bess's voices still echoed in my ears, but it was the silence of the two men at my side that gnawed at me. I don't know if I was walking to safety... or to my own undoing.
We didn't speak as we moved through the streets. The carriage rattled against the cobblestone road, and after the loud tavern, the quiet city night was a shocking contrast. I could even hear the distant sounds coming from the harbor drifting by. It would be so tempting to let myself sink into the calmness, and pretend nothing was happening then.
But I couldn't.
There was an itch under my skin... an unnamed ache in my chest.
Why were they here? What were they doing in the city? Did they happen upon me by accident, or seek me out?
Most importantly... what was I planning on doing with the information once I had it? No matter why they were there, it didn't change the reasonIwas there.
When the carriage stopped in front of a gracious white-walled home with shuttered windows and ivy curling up itssides, I faltered. It wasn't some inn or rented flat. This was a home.
Just another reminder of the wealth and pedigree hidden from me since the beginning.
Leighton seemed to sense my turmoiled thoughts. He offered the faintest smile, weary at the edges. "One of mine," he said softly. "For when we're required to spend any amount of time in the city."
My throat tightened. I wasn't surprised by the confirmation, but it still cut deep.
The front door opened before either man could lift a hand, a liveried footman stepping into the light of the lantern. He bowed his head, expression carefully neutral, though I caught the flicker of curiosity in his eyes when they landed on me. "My lords," he murmured, and stood aside to let us pass.
Inside, the hush was absolute. No clatter of servants, no echo of voices down the halls. The only sound was the muffled thuds of our footsteps over the stunning floors and the faint ticking of a clock somewhere deeper in the house.
