“What do you think?” His tone effectively put an end to her queries, and she was surprised when he turned and asked her a question of his own.
“Is Northwoods courting your sister?”
“Yes,” she answered slowly.
“For how long?”
Something in his voice had Melanie wishing her conversation with Josie hadn’t been interrupted—that she’d taken the time to learn more about her baby sister’s prospective suitor.
“Not long. A week, maybe longer. But…” Josie had asked Melanie about love. “It might be serious.” She’d thought he’d drive her home in silence. She certainly hadn’t expected to have a conversation about her sister…
“Lady Josephine ought not to trust him, and neither should you.”
“Why not?” Melanie watched Malum, while he watched the road ahead. She wasn’t challenging his advice, just wanting to know the reason for it.
His gaze hardened, and he looked as though he were weighing his words before answering. “Northwoods caused trouble at theDomus.” He fell silent for a moment, jaw tight. “He could be—well, he’s pockets to let, so much so that he is… compromised.”
Melanie hadn’t ever heard that word associated with a male.
“Compromised?”
“Deeply in debt. And there is no telling to what lengths a broken man will go.”
“You think he’s only interested because of her dowry?”
The look Malum shot her said that he did.
It wasn’t unheard of—a title in exchange for a sizeable dowry. But it wasn’t something Melanie wanted for her little sister, not if the only love between them was one-sided. “So he is using her.”
“Without question. And Crossings is using him. Neither are to be trusted, by your sister or anyone.” Malum glanced away from the road, pinning his silver gaze on hers again, but this time, looking all too serious. “Shemustbreak it off, Melanie.”
Melanie’s brow furrowed. What could Malum know about Northwoods that her brother wouldn’t have sniffed out? All this uncertainty was beginning to churn in her stomach. The entire encounter with Crossings and Northwoods had left her feeling wary.
Afraid for her sister.
And why would Crossings think Malum would want to follow in his father’s footsteps? Everyone in thetonknew he hated the man who’d sired him—they didn’t know why, of course, but there had been articles that mentioned the extent of his disdain…
Melanie glanced sideways, studying his profile. Had she imagined their embrace by the lake? She shook her head. No. That had been beyond her wildest imaginations.
Wanting more answers, but knowing he wouldn’t provide them, she kept the questions to herself.
By all appearances, their ride through the park had done exactly what it needed to do, a triumph after weeks of setbacks and confusion. Or had it created even more?
How had the day ended like this?
Part of her almost wished she and Malum had not detoured into the woods. Then, perhaps, he wouldn’t be acting so cold, and she could continue to live her life never having met the Duke of Crossings or the Earl of Northwoods.
Although, she would have to meet him, formally, that was, eventually. Hadn’t Reed mentioned something about Melanie’s suitor coming to dinner tomorrow night?
She stole another glance at Malum, the wind teasing a stray lock of his dark hair, softening his sharp edges for just a moment. The unexpected contrast—boyish one second, forbidding the next—sent a flicker of something she didn’t dare name through her chest. Her breath hitched before she could stop it.
When had she started noticing these things—the subtle cracks in the mask he wore—intriguing glimpses of the man beneath his guarded exterior? Despite the warmth of the sun, she shivered.
This… pull. It wasn’t casual curiosity, it was deeper—something that unsettled her in ways she hadn’t anticipated. It had struck a yearning in her heart, but also the core of her being.
It made her blood feel hot. It made her skin yearn. It made her center ache.
And those moments spent together by the lake—those few minutes when he’d drawn her into something… more—it hadn’t been feigned. No, it had been very real. And it had been potent.
