She clapped her hands together in excitement.“Ah!I take this to mean they appreciated my performance yesterday.”
“Something like that,” he muttered, clearly unimpressed himself.He was sitting against the squabs with a look on his face as though he’d just bitten into something unpleasant.She had the feeling she was to blame, although she had no idea what she’d done to him.
Not today, at least.
She tilted her head to the side.“Wait.Do not say you are privy to this secret society.”
“I am here so it would prove otherwise, would it not?”
She laughed.“My luck is turning!I knew with just a bit of perseverance—” She cleared her throat when he didn’t immediately join in her merriment.“That is to say, what devious plot should I be tasked with?If I need to pack for France, I can do so at a moment’s notice.My belongings are few, but my determination is endless.”
His lips tightened slightly.“Yes, that much is obvious.”Then his gaze narrowed, as if he was trying to puzzle out a particular conundrum.“Since I am aware of some of your history, Miss Smith, might you now tell me the reason you are so set to join the Lion’s Watch?Other than your willingness to fling yourself into turmoil, that is.”
She rolled her eyes, refusing to be baited by his dry sarcasm.“If you know my history, then it should be obvious what drives me.”When she paused and he didn’t try to hazard a guess, she knew he was going to make her actually say the words aloud.“I am an orphan, sir.What does anyone want but to know where they came from?”
His expression remained the same.“That is all?”
She shrugged.“It is enough for me.Should I want another reason?Fame?Glory?I care not for such trivial things.Since I have limited means, I need the resources available to the Lion’s Watch to conduct my own personal investigation.”
“I see.”Again, he raised his thumb to his lower lip and slowly rubbed it back and forth.It was a distracting habit, and one she’d had trouble dismissing from her sleep the previous evening.It wanted to slide into her conscious with sensual intent.
“Since you know who I am, do I not get the courtesy of your name, sir?”
He slowly lowered his hand back to his side.“You may address me as Your Grace, as in the Duke of Hampton.”
“Truly?”She blinked.“I had no idea the city was overrun with so many great ducal men.”
“You act as though there is an influx of us,” he retorted.
“There is Lionston, of course.And now you.I shiver to think how many more might appear.Do they all congregate at the Lion’s Watch?Or do you just run amok about the city like cockroaches when the lights are extinguished?”
Astara had always considered herself with something of a sense of humor, but it did not take long for her to understand that the Duke of Hampton was not possessed of the same.Or if he was, he did not appreciate her brand of humor.
“I have been tasked with giving you your first assignment and ensuring that you do it properly.”
She was certain her eyes lit up like a child on Christmas morning as she eagerly waited for him to announce the dangerous plight ahead.
“Our first stop is Bond Street, where you are to be outfitted as an elegant lady of theton.After that, I will see that you are settled in at your new residence?—”
“Stop right there.”She leaned forward slightly.“I do not know if you realize this, but in case it missed your understanding, I am not a gently bred woman.”
“I am aware,” he returned in that same, unassuming tone.She wasn’t certain if she despised or adored that deep, husky tone as yet.
“This shall be a good test.It appears as though you were given a stellar education at the orphanage, and this will be the time to test your skills.You speak with a good enough inflection in your tone and your services are best suited within society at this time.”
She fell back against the squabs, intentionally contradicting his statement, though it was more that she was simply disappointed at the situation.“Yes, my education was quite thorough.”She winced at the recollection of the harsh treatment she had endured.She had never been one to suffer commands without a true understanding.But since she did not want to dwell on a past she would rather forget for the rest of time, she asked, “What is to be my role, and how might anyone believe my sudden appearance?”
He reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew a sealed missive, which he handed to her.“Everything you need to know is in here.I would study it to the best of your ability because it shall be destroyed once you feel confident you have properly entered into the role.”
She took the letter and opened it to find a list of attributes that Lady Astrid Ancell had.She read for a bit in silence and then shifted her focus back to him.“I am to be your distant cousin arrived from a boarding school in Switzerland and shall be staying with your twice removed aunt?”She shook the letter in her grasp.“Thisis the best you could come up with?”
“It does not have to be foolproof for society to believe, just convincing enough and with you on my arm, that shall give enough credence to the claim.”
She sighed and shook her head.“Thetonis an odd sort, but very well.I will become Lady Astrid.”
“Good.”Strange, but he looked more annoyed than before.“The townhouse is already prepared for your arrival.We just need to gather everything that you might need for this evening’s entertainment.”
She widened her eyes again.“We are starting tonight?”
