Blinking, she said hoarsely, “You are right.”
“I will help you achieve your desires.” Mrs. Swann rose.
Her head spinning, Fi followed suit. “You will, um, help me find Lillian?”
“Come with me.”
Mrs. Swann was already exiting the room, and Fi scrambled after her.
“Where are you taking me?” Fi asked.
“You will see.”
At the end of the hallway, Mrs. Swann led Fi down a flight of steps. The lower corridor was decorated with thick carpeting and scented with an exotic potpourri of roses, cinnamon, and patchouli. The doors along the corridor were tightly sealed. Fi’s pulse beat a mad staccato as Mrs. Swann stopped at the first door.
“The truth you seek is inside.” Mrs. Swann inclined her head. “If you are ready to look.”
Before Fi could ask questions, the proprietress was gone.
Fi stared at the closed door.What is inside? Does it have to do with Lillian?
Stiffening her resolve, she reached for the knob, the metal turning in her clammy hand. Inside, the room was dim and cavernous. Cabinets along the walls were filled with an assortment of objects that teased goose pimples over her skin.
Blindfolds, birches, and beads…oh my.
She passed three closed doors before turning the corner. A blazing hearth limned the figure of a tall, broad-shouldered man, bringing her to a breathless halt. He turned, and she saw her own shock reflected in her husband’s face.
Twenty-Five
“Fiona?” Hawk said stupidly. “What the devil are you doing here?”
He was a man known for his intellect, yet he couldn’t get his brain to function. To comprehend the sudden and inexplicable collision of two separate spheres of his life.
What in blazes is my wife doing at a bawdy house?
Shock gave way to a burst of disquieting clarity. The fact was that he knew little of how Fiona spent her time outside their home. Of what she did when they were not together. While he knew she devoted considerable energy to her charity, she was vague on the details of the actual activities. Mostly she talked about meeting the needs of underserved women and children.
He’d been so enchanted by her passion and dedication that he hadn’t pushed her on the specifics. Come to think of it, when he did ask questions, Fiona had a way of diverting him…with a charming story or even more charming kisses. The result was that he’d assumed she and her friends spent their days at Lady Fayne’s, writing pamphlets or organizing benefits to raise funds for the less fortunate.
Certainly, she has never mentioned visiting a club catering to carnal fantasies.He clenched his jaw.I would have remembered that.
Fiona narrowed her eyes at him. “I could ask you the same thing.”
Too late, he remembered the glass panels of the house he was presently standing in. He had sworn an oath of secrecy to the Quorum; he could not betray his Crown and country. Especially to a woman whose trustworthiness he now had cause to doubt.
The thought plowed into him like a fist.
You always knew this was too good to be true,a voice inside his head said.Did you actually believe that a stunning young woman like Fiona would want you? Did you buy her asinine excuse that she wanted a marriage of convenience so that she could docharity work? What kind of a fool are you?
His hands balled. When the rug had been ripped from beneath him during his first marriage, he’d been young and inexperienced; no one could have predicted Caroline’s illness. This time around, he had no excuses. He’d known from the start that Fiona was a flirt and a handful, that their temperaments were night and day…and he had married her anyway.
He should have known better than to be seduced by her and the dream of happiness. Logic dictated that the best predictor of the future was the past. He’d never had success with females; why should things go his way now?
“You will answer me first,” he said in peremptory tones.
She crossed her arms. “Fine. I am here on business.”
“What sort of business?” The words escaped through his teeth.
