“It appears to be some sort of code,” he repeated. He slowly closed the book and tucked the cipher between the pages. “I think I might know someone who can break it.”
He stood. She did the same. “Can I come with you?”
He hesitated. “It’s better that you stay here.”
He took a step toward the door. She followed him. “Will you tell me what your contact says?”
With a sigh, he turned to face her fully. With his free hand, he reached up and caressed her cheek. “I know what people say about me, that I’m not all-bright, but on this at least, can you trust me?”
She frowned. “I never believed those empty-headed gossips, and of course I trust you.” She lifted a brow. “The only thing I’ve ever questioned iswhyyou keep the rest of society under the opinion that you are some sort of ignorant nitwit.”
He smiled, causing that single, adorable dimple to appear in his cheek. “I have my reasons. But I intend to rectify their misconceptions very soon.” Drawing away from her, he turned somber once more. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“You won’t be back for dinner?”
His face was grim. “I have to leave London, but Mrs. Birdwell is here.”
She crossed her arms. “You’re not a very good warden if you leave your prisoner without a proper guard.”
He chuckled, before those brown eyes heated. “That’s where I trust you, Lyra.”
And with that parting remark, he walked away.
* * *
Alister hated lying to Lyra, but he had no choice, not until this entire investigation was complete. At least part of what he’d told her had been the truth. Hedidhave to leave London, but only to go to his estate, Thorn Hall, in Chatham, Kent. He kept most of his deciphering supplies in a secure safe in his study. He felt confident that it would only take him a matter of hours to decode the cipher and then he would be on his way back.
As his coach drew up in front of Weston House, he climbed in and tapped on the roof. On a sigh, he laid his head back against the cushioned, blue velvet squabs. He hadn’t given much thought of his interlude with Lyra before the excitement of the wardrobe had intruded. Granted, the discovery was a welcome diversion, but not nearly as satisfying as the cries of ecstasy that had poured from Lyra’s lips. Just that slight recollection had his cock straining against his trousers.
It was going to be torture to be away from her, but perhaps it was for the best. It had only been a few days, but already he could see their close affiliation starting to spiral out of control. He had hoped that the arrival of Mrs. Birdwell might help to keep his focus where it needed to be, but she seemed to be inconspicuous for the most part and he had the feeling she was trying her hand at a bit of matchmaking. Since Alister already had a weakness when it came to Lyra, it had only been a matter of time before he was drawn to her as a moth was to a flame.
Unfortunately, the outcome would undoubtedly be the same.
He was going to get burned.
But even though he knew he was playing with fire, he couldn’t stay away from her. Now that he had a mere sample of her delights, it would be even harder to keep his distance. So this separation was a good thing. It would give him the opportunity to concentrate on something other than getting Lyra beneath him.
Encouraged, he allowed the gentle motion of the coach to ease his mind, and he drifted off.
* * *
Lyra, on the other hand, wasn’t so fortunate.
She found herself pacing the library after dinner, a thousand thoughts tumbling about her head. Not only was she considering the ramifications of what Roger might have kept from her, but she also couldn’t seem to get over what had happened in that room before Alister had left so abruptly. Both were equally disturbing in completely different ways.
What if Roger had planted another way to punish her? If Alister’s contact uncovered that Roger was involved in something corrupt, what would that mean for her? She would like to think that Alister would do everything in his power to help her through anything that might be found, but what if she was wrong? Perhaps she’d misread his intentions and he had only pleasured her in a moment of masculine need. She preferred to think that Alister had been just as caught up in the moment as she had been, but again, what did she really know about him? It was obvious that he wasn’t the babbling fool he portrayed to society, so why hadn’t he displayed that intelligence to the ton before now?
“I have my reasons,”he’d said, which was almost more confusing than if he’d revealed nothing at all.
Unfortunately, for a man who was such a conundrum, she was afraid that her attachment to him was growing. She’d promised herself that she wouldn’t take Alister on as a lover, but after today, hadn’t she nearly done so?
With a groan, Lyra put her head in her hands. Everything was such a mess.
“Is this a bad time?”
Lyra lifted her head at the kind voice of Mrs. Birdwell. “Oh, no. Come in, please.”
Lyra realized then that she would miss this small, elderly woman when she left. In the short time she had known Mrs. Birdwell, she had almost become a second grandmother to her.
