When she found nothing on the ground floor, Octavia made her way to the next one and turned down an aisle, perusing the titles, and finally chose one of interest. As she was reading the first pages on her way to the stairs, Octavia rounded the corner and right into the back of a gentleman. It was not well done of her, but Octavia had been reading the book she’d chosen and not looking to see where she was going.
“Excuse me,” she said and quickly backed up, quite embarrassed for being so inattentive.
The gentleman turned and she looked up into familiar brown eyes.
“Lady Kepple.” Lord Bolton smiled at her.
Must he be everywhere she was? How was she to remove him from her mind if he was nearly always underfoot.
“Are you following me?” he asked with a grin.
“I most certainly am not.” How dare he insinuate such, though his confidence probably would accept no less.
“You do happen to be where I am,” he said.
“I could also accuse you of the same.”
“Perhaps it is because we share the same interests and that is why we find ourselves in the same places.”
“That is a possibility,” she finally admitted.
Then she glanced around. Thankfully there was no one about to report on their meeting once again.
“If you will excuse me.” She started to pass him.
“Are you in a hurry to leave, Lady Kepple?”
“I have found a book to read and will now return home.” She needed to be away from Bolton because she couldn’t think straight in his presence, especially when they stood so closely together, and the citrus of his aftershave surrounded her as warmth radiated off his being.
He was a very dangerous man, in that she wanted him but she was still uncertain if it was wise to pursue the devil.
“You never did tell me what rule number four was.”
He was going to persist until he learned them all. “We really should not be speaking, Lord Bolton. I grow tired of seeing our initials in newssheet gossip.”
He stepped away, walking about, looking down the aisles, and then returned to her. He then took her arm and led her to the landing. “We are the only ones on this level and if anyone were to come up here we will see and hear them.”
“And they will see us.”
He nodded then escorted her away from the stairs, but where they could still see but not be seen.
“Are you not tired of seeing our initials?”
“Yes, but the desire to see you outweighs my displeasure.”
“That is only because I have rejected you.
He stepped close and ran a finger down her cheek. “There will come a time when you do not.”
Goodness! She wanted to demand that he return with her to Crispin’s now so that she could just give in, but that would never do.
“Until rule number two ceases to be a problem, which also threatens rule number one, nothing will come of our association.”
He pulled back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Unless it is believed we are nothing more than friends.”
“Friends!” she nearly snorted.
“It was considered in the last newssheet.”
