And he might have, if not for her question.
“What—” she breathed. “What is happening?”
It was straightforward enough.
Only, he wasn’t sure how to answer it.
Then, floating across the lake, the sound of not-so-distant voices pierced the fragile intimacy around them.
She’d heard them too.
Now, staring into eyes that had been haunting his dreams, Malum realized that succumbing to this moment hadn’t happened by accident.
Lady Melanie Rutherford, it seemed, had become his weakness.
He touched a fingertip to her lips. “I need to take you home.”
Her gaze dropped to his mouth, and then back to his eyes.
And then she nodded.
After a few deep breaths, he adjusted himself.
She climbed onto the curricle without waiting for his assistance, and once he’d taken his seat, while turning the horses in a circle, he couldn’t help but wonder…
What the devil was he doing?
CROSSING PATHS
Sitting high atop Malum’s vehicle, which had seemed so extraordinary to Melanie minutes before, now felt precarious. Whereas earlier that day, she’d felt perfectly at ease holding his arm for stability, now she felt awkward, as though that closeness had been some sort of mirage.
It was as though she was riding beside a stranger.
Which was odd, given what had just passed between them.
He’d told her he’d once thought himself in love, and then lost the woman to his own father!
No wonder, she thought.
No wonder.
And now, it was as though he needed to retreat, to rebuild that wall between them. The shift was subtle, yet unmistakable. In all her life, she wondered if she’d ever met anyone lonelier.
Not that he wasalone—alone. He had the people who worked for him—the staff at theDomus, the servants at Preston Hall—but no family. His parents were long gone, and it was common knowledge that his brother had disappeared on a ship somewhere, years ago.
Aside from his peculiar friendship with Lord Helton and a select few other gentlemen, did Malum allow himself to be close to anyone? Was he even capable of it?
And yet, she couldn’t ignore the memory of how he’d held Ernest with such care…
With each turn of the wheels, questions churned in her mind. Why had he held her like that? What had it meant?
Why had he drawn her close, only to push her away?
Had it meant anything at all?
And still, he hadn’t kissed her. She’d initially thought he’d stopped because of the voices from across the lake, but now she realized the truth—he’d already pulled back the moment she’d asked what they were doing.
The second she’d broken the spell.
