Seeing the masculine appreciation in his eyes, she was glad she’d taken special care in choosing the rose-colored taffeta embellished with ruffles and lace. She’d also worn her hair in a different, more sensual style: her dark tresses were combed smooth and secured at her nape, thick curls hanging over one shoulder. Her only accessories were the fresh peony in her hair and the golden crown necklace Ben had given her.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “You look very fine yourself.”
He always did. Tonight, his frock coat matched his eyes, his silver-grey waistcoat and charcoal trousers fitted superbly to his virile form. A diamond stick pin winked in the folds of his cravat. The lamplight kissed the chiseled contours of his face, the lines of experience adding to his masculine beauty.
He cocked his head. “Where has my little queen gone?”
She knitted her brows, not understanding. “I am right here.”
“But you are such a polite young lady. You are not arguing with or pestering me.”
“I don’t always argue,” she said primly. “And things are different now that we are lovers.”
At the word “lovers,” his eyes smoldered, and he took her in his arms. His passionate kiss robbed her of her senses. When he lifted his head, she was clutching his lapels, panting.
“Would you like to know where we are going?” he asked.
What I would really like is more kisses.
“Yes,” she managed.
“We are making a quick stop to meet with a friend. After that, I am taking you to supper.”
“What friend?” She was instantly intrigued. “Where are we going for supper?”
He smiled, kissing her on the nose. “There’s my little queen.”
Yesterday, Ben had met with Chen, showing him Longmere’s journal and telling him about the plan that had taken shape in Ben’s head. The stratagem would require that Ben stay away from Livy for a time—to protect her from the perilous world he would be entering. He knew he couldn’t absent himself from her life without an explanation and, as much as he wanted to shield her from the dark business, he knew her. She would not accept the separation without a rationale, and who knew what measures she might resort to in order to discover the truth?
She might inadvertently compromise her own safety and Ben’s. In the long run, it was safer for him to tell her about his scheme. To be upfront about his undertaking and his expectations for her during that time.
That had led to his decision to introduce her to Chen this eve. While Ben was on his mission, the healer could act as the go-between if Livy needed to get a hold of Ben. Ben also trusted Chen to protect Livy if he, himself, was unable to get to her. Finally, it felt right to Ben that the two most important people in his life should meet.
When he introduced the healer to Livy, her eyes shone with genuine pleasure.
“It is an honor, sir,” she said sincerely. “Hadleigh has told me what you’ve done for him, and I could not be more grateful.”
The healer was generally stoic and formal, yet his brown eyes gleamed as he said, “Hadleigh has mentioned you as well, Lady Olivia. And now I see why you have been a distraction to him during his meditation practice.”
Turning to Ben, she said with girlish glee, “You find me distracting?”
Ben rolled his eyes while Chen, the bastard, stifled a laugh.
The healer gave a brief tour of his clinic, beginning with the meditation room. Livy poked around the Spartan space, lowering herself gracefully onto one of the sitting cushions.
“How does sitting still help anything?” she asked.
Amusement flickered in Chen’s gaze. “Have you tried it, my lady?”
“Not willingly.” A sheepish smile tucked into her cheeks. “I have always preferred action to inaction.”
“Sometimes non-doing is the most powerful action of all,” Chen replied.
At Livy’s perplexed look, Ben felt his lips quirk. He helped her to her feet.
“Don’t mind Chen,” he said. “He is full of mind-boggling notions.”
Chen lifted his shoulders. “What is mind-boggling to some is obvious to others.”
