Alister had to laugh. He knew that moniker well, for Drayven had complained about it on numerous occasions. The marquess was cousins with Mr. Lyridon, and their family estates bordered the East and West counties of Sussex. While similar in appearance and mannerisms, they were originally called“The Twin Cousins of Sussex”until their confirmed bachelor ways had afforded them their current alias.
“Indeed, my lady, you are quite right on that score.” His eyes were still full of mirth when they returned to her and suddenly, as if caught in the middle of a lightning storm, the air current between them changed and shifted.
His groin instantly tightened, and she gripped her cup until her knuckles turned white. Her breathing was shallow, her breasts rising and falling rapidly beneath her dress, the tantalizing hint of their fullness pressing upward before slipping back beneath their protective covering. This could easily fall into dangerous territory. And fast.
He cleared his throat and stood. “I suppose we should be heading to bed.”
As her eyes widened slightly, he realized what he’d said. He cursed his blasted tongue, but when her eyes darkened, he froze. Surely he hadn’t just seen an answering spark of…desire?
Every muscle in his body tensed as he waged a war within himself. He warned his baser impulses that to want her was wrong, but with such a dazzling temptation as Lyra Coventry yielding before him…
Suddenly, the delicate china in her hand shattered.
At first, Lyra didn’t even realize what had happened—until a stinging sensation caused her to glance down at the gash in her hand, where crimson blood was steadily oozing. All she could do was stare as Alister uttered a curse and instantly grabbed a nearby towel to wrap around her injury. She knew he was asking her something, but she couldn’t seem to speak. She was in shock, but not because of the wound.
It had been years since she’d felt such a surge of wanton desire. In one enchanted moment, the Duke of Albright had opened up a sensual floodgate, making all of that suppressed feminine yearning come crashing back.
As Alister took her over to the sink and began to pump cold water from the indoor cistern, she finally snapped back to the present. “Ow!”
He winced. “I know it hurts like the devil, but I need to clean it properly so infection doesn’t set in.” As he wrapped the other side of the towel around her hand to pat it dry, he began to tear the white linen from another towel into strips to use as a bandage to bind her injury.
She watched as he worked intently and with obvious skill. “How do you know so much about this?”
He shrugged. “I always liked to learn. I read a lot in my youth and one summer I spent most of my free time with the village doctor. You might even say I was his apprentice, of a sort.”
Her brows lifted in surprise. “Your father didn’t mind you learning atrade?”
Alister tied the last of the makeshift bandage before he lifted his eyes to her. “He never knew.”
And just like that, the air about them sparked and sizzled once more.
Lyra felt her lips part in anticipation of a kiss. But just as he started to draw closer…
“Good night, Lady Weston. I hope your hand feels better in the morning.”
With that, he was gone.
CHAPTER FOUR
Weston Manor
East Sussex
“As you are well aware, my brother is dead,” Richard Coventry announced calmly to the other three occupants in the room as he set aside the letter from his solicitor. “In such, I am the new Earl of Weston, and with the title and combined wealth I shall soon inherit, this should greatly help our future endeavors.”
“That’s all well and good,” one of the men spoke up boldly. “But what of his widow, Lady Coventry?”
Richard’s mouth compressed into a tight line. “What about her?” he snapped. “Roger was a careless fool, and I don’t expect his wife to be any different.” When the other man would have been interrupted, he held up a hand and gave a cold, calculating smile. “However, I’m not leaving anything to chance. Arrangements have already been made to take care of my dear sister-in-law.”
There was a snort. “And how do you imagine that might profit anything that we’ve been working toward? The way we understood it, there was no foolproof evidence that suggested the earl’s death was anything but accidental. It sounds as if you’re pursuing a personal resentment—”
Richard slammed a fist on his desk and stood, his patience having reached its limit. “Yourfirst priority is to‘The Cause!’Rumors are already running rampant that our ‘Mad Monarch’ won’t be gracing this earth much longer, and that idiot son of his will soon take his place on the throne.” His eyes narrowed to mere slits. “As far as Lyra Coventry is concerned, I don’t appreciate being taken into question. We don’t know how much she knows.”
Another bushy brow was raised. “You said it yourself, times are extremely critical. We just want to make sure there isn’t some other vendetta at hand that might overshadowyourloyalties.”
In a flash, Richard had the man pinned in his chair by a hand about his throat. “Howdareyou question my fealty! I have given everything but my very life to‘The Cause!’What have any ofyoudone but follow in my stead?” The moment he released his grip, the man started coughing and sputtering. Richard addressed the remaining two occupants with a snarl. “All of you, get out of my sight! Now!”
They quickly scattered like leaves in the wind as Richard went back to his desk. He clutched the edge of the mahogany wood, and it groaned in protest before cracking beneath the pressure of his rage. He couldn’t have cared less, his vision laced with a red haze.
