Knox had to admit that he was impressed, and he would have laughed if the situation hadn’t been so dire.Otherwise, he knew that danger was still at hand.“Was this the same man from the ball last night?”
“Yes.”She nodded.“He is the man you are looking for, not Midvale, nor I am certain, Lord Montrose either.I am sure of it.”
“But you do not recognize him?”
“No.But then, it is not as though I have generally rubbed elbows with society, except for the past twelve hours.”
He ignored her slight jab at sarcasm and glanced toward the copse of trees.He considered giving chase, wondering if he might be able to discover the man’s identity from the limp Astara indicated he would have.
“Do not bother,” she spoke up, as if reading the direction of his thoughts.“I heard a carriage speed away shortly before I ran into you.He must have been parked close by.”
Knox was not pleased by this news, but since there was nothing further he could do but escort the lady back to Midvale, he reluctantly steered her back toward the pond where he that man resembled a sodden pig.His clothes were stuck to him, his hair plastered to his forehead.
“Lady Astrid!”he exclaimed when he saw her.Knox decided that was his cue to exit, so he quickly ducked out of sight.
He saw Astara’s head whip around in confusion but she greeted the gentleman with aplomb.“My lord!What a dreadful occurrence!I am sure you must be eager to return home and change so you do not get a chill.I am certainly going to take to my bed.My poor nerves are quite overset.”
Knox had to snort at the performance she was portraying.If she did not make it as an undercover agent for the Crown, he had no doubt she could tread the boards with expertise.
He continued to follow behind the couple until they reached the safety of the carriage, into which they climbed then headed out of the park.All along the way, Knox watched every passerby, keeping every possibility open of another attack, but when nothing untoward occurred, he hailed a hackney and reached Astara’s townhouse, returning to his usual attire before she walked through the front door.
When she spied him in the parlor looking quite comfortable with a cup of tea and the morningTimes, she said evenly, “I am glad to see you back to your general self.Tell me, do you often accost young woman in the park in such a hideous disguise?”
He set the paper aside.“Only ones that have a particular interest for me.”When she blinked, he realized how intimate that sounded, so he smiled and added, “And especially for the Lion’s Watch.”
“Indeed,” she murmured.“That is the only thing that matters, is it not?”
He frowned, feeling as though there was some underlying tension in that statement.“You are currently a very important asset to the cause,” he noted.
“Hmm, yes.”She tilted her head.“Again, is that all that matters to you?The war with France?”She shook her head.“Do you know the man believesmeto be a spy?”
He kept his expression neutral.“Is that not what you are hoping to gain by the efforts you are doing to prove yourself?”
“Yes, but I find it rather crude of you to point out that if my life gets snuffed out in the process, it would be nothing but water off a duck’s back.I am expendable, am I not?A common woman whose existence does not actually matter?”
Knox’s mouth slackened.But surprise quickly gave way to annoyance, which was swiftly followed by anger.“If you truly believe that, then perhaps you are not as insightful as I imagined you were.”
He got up, prepared to leave her in a rush of frustrations for the second time that day, but she stepped into his path before he could make his retreat.“Are you are saying you do care if I die?”
His frown deepened.“What sort of nonsensical query is that?You should know that I do not wish for any true patriot of England to meet their end.”
She snorted.“Is it that difficult for you to admit that you have feelings?I know you were overset earlier because you dared to share some of yourself with me.”She set a hand on his chest, and he suddenly found it difficult to draw a full breath.“There is nothing wrong with allowing others to know you are not invincible, that you are human, a man of flesh and blood.”
“It is not good for the enemy to know that,” he ground out.“If you express any sort of weakness, it will be used against you.”
Her eyes were shining pools of emeralds.“Why did you really follow me today?Was it just because of honor and a sense of duty?Or were you wanting to keep me safe?”
“What does it matter?”
“It does,” she countered softly.“Just tell me.”
Something uncomfortable was rising within him, something he didn’t want to define.“I need to go.”
She shook her head.“Not until you tell me why you were at the park, therealreason.”
The dainty hand on his chest seemed as though it was burning a hole straight through him.Deciding he wasn’t going to rid himself of this personal torture until he confessed, he glared at her and said evenly, “I was there for you.”
* * *
