However, when the door was opened upon her summons in short order and Mr. Steele stood in the opening, she found her knees wanting to go weak with relief. He appeared surprised at first, but his face quickly became a mask of fury as he took in her disheveled appearance. She hadn’t thought of it when she’d been running for her life, but now she realized that her cloak was gone and her dress was torn and her hair was tumbling about her shoulders.
“What happened?” he demanded.
“I will tell you, but the driver needs to be paid. I lost my coin purse during the struggle.”
“Allow me.” He headed down the steps and offered a brief exchange with the driver. When he returned, he grabbed her elbow in a gentle grip and steered her inside. “It’s freezing, and you don’t have a wrap.”
Until then, Aislynn had thought her shivers stemmed from the assault but she realized that he was right. She’d lost her cloak somewhere along the way. Likely during the tussle.
They entered a small front parlor, bare of much personal décor, and having only the most modest of furnishings. It was not what she’d been expecting from the impressive exterior, but she decided to file that information away for later. Right now, she was too eager for the warmth of the cheery fire burning in the hearth to care for much else. She knelt down on the floor in front of the grate and held out her hands. She might appear like a pitiful waif, but that was currently the least of her concerns.
She heard Mr. Steele walking around the room and soon there was a glass filled with amber liquid in the shimmering crystal tumbler. “This will help with the shock.”
She took it without complaint and downed it all in one scorching gulp. It momentarily robbed her of breath as it sent a path of fire down her gullet, but she was grateful for the smooth sensation it left behind.
“Do you want another?”
Aislynn considered her answer but then decided she would be well enough without it. She had never wanted to imbibe too much alcohol. She had witnessed how it had affected her mother and others of her ilk, and she wasn’t eager to join the same crowd. “I shall be fine. Thank you.”
He settled and waited in silence until she was ready to talk. She was grateful that he wasn’t urging her to speak before she had prepared herself for the recounting of the night’s events. Taking a bracing breath, she allowed herself a few moments longer on the floor before she got to her feet and sat on the settee situated across from her host. He was sitting casually, but his gaze was sharp, intent.
“I was set upon right after you left.”
She saw a muscle working in his jaw before he said evenly, “Who was it?”
“I cannot say. The assailant wore a mask and dark clothing. I did not see him until I turned to shut the door to my flat and he came flying at me out of the shadows.”
“Are you certain it was a male?”
She thought of her well-placed foot. “Quite certain.”
He didn’t pressure her with questions but let her continue on her own pace. She appreciated his patience. It made it easier to relay the unfortunate episode. “He held a knife and attempted to use it on me but since this was not the first time I have had to fend off unwanted attention, I was able to escape without injury.”
“I wouldn’t say it was completely without injury.” He reached toward her and she jumped slightly when he pointed out a tear in her clothing and the slight red line beneath the ruined fabric.
“Bloody hell,” she muttered. “I suppose I’ll have to mend that.”
He got to his feet. “I will return in a moment.”
Mr. Steele left the room and returned with a strip of fabric. He paused at the sideboard and tipped the brandy decanter to coat a section of the material before he returned to sit beside her. “This might sting,” he murmured and then set the makeshift bandage over the wound.
Aislynn gritted her teeth against the pain but did not move as he gently wrapped up her arm with expert care. “You act as though you have done this before.”
“On occasion.”
She was surprised by the somber tone of his voice.
“I have several guest rooms. You are welcome to use whichever one you like for the night. Tomorrow, I will return to your rooms with you so you can gather a few things while I do some looking around.”
Another shiver sped down Aislynn’s spine, but that one had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with the awareness that she would be sleeping under the same roof as Mr. Cordell Steele. She was not immune to his handsome charm, nor the attraction that flared between them. She was just grateful he hadn’t bothered to act on it yet. She hoped she could resist temptation with the same fortitude.
But stuck in such close proximity for an extended period of time…
“I cannot stay here. There would be talk.”
“What do you care of gossip?”
“Have you forgotten that I am an actress trying to rise to the heights of my career? If my aficionados thought of me as nothing but a loose woman, it could be detrimental.”
