Was he afraid of the desire he felt for her? She’d never known him to be afraid of anything, yet he seemed uncomfortable with this new attraction. She didn’t mind it in the least. Though Etienne had been her only lover, the book she found in the library at Silver Meadows with the inside title ofThe Illustrated Pleasures of Seductionhad taught her there was even more toexperience. Who better to enjoy such pleasure with than an old friend?
It must be that Anthony still insisted on looking at her as a lady, even though he knew her to be “ruined,” in English terms. Maybe if she took him into her confidence and told him she was thinking about not marrying after all, he would not be so averse to their mutual desire. It was something to contemplate.
As the coach slowed upon entering a village, he finally turned back to her. “We’ll be stopping at the inn here for refreshments. We are halfway there, and I thought you may wish to walk about a bit.”
She smiled at his gentlemanly ways. “That sounds lovely, Baron Bellamore.”
He blinked for a moment at her address, but finally nodded. “Yes, we should definitely practice our roles.”
The coach came to a halt in the yard of the Bell and Pheasant Inn. The place was a bustle of people coming and going, horses being changed out for those traveling far, and a few dogs hoping for a chance morsel to fall from the clothing of a patron.
Anthony helped her down and walked her inside. In short order they were led to a private room. She walked into the small area that sported a table and a cushioned seat much like the one she’d just left in the coach. Unclasping her cloak, she looked over her shoulder to find Anthony whispering to the waiter before turning toward her.
“Would you help me with my pelisse? It is far too warm in here to keep it on.” Already the fur-lined garment that had kept her warm in the coach felt stifling inside the inn.
“Indeed it is.” He stepped behind her and lifted the woolen fabric from her shoulders.
She turned to thank him, but his back was to her as he set the cloak on a hook.
He then doffed his hat and added it to their outwear. When he turned back, he stilled, his gaze raking over her as if he touched her.
She could feel her body heat with anticipation. “Do I look the role of a mistress?”
His gaze flew up to meet hers and he swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple moving not once but twice. He opened his mouth, closed it, then appeared to find his words. “You look ready to be ravished. Are you quite certain this attire is what is expected?”
The appreciation in his gaze had her belly tightening. “Oui, the seamstress I used said she makes clothing for the mistresses of three lords, and one of them is a duke.”
When she’d donned the carriage dress that morning and looked in her mirror, she almost didn’t recognize herself. The bright-blue color, one she never wore, made her skin look lighter and contrasted greatly with her black hair. But it wasn’t that as much as the high collar in the back which disappeared as the neckline plunged in a wide V that actually showed much of her modest bosom, since she wore stays but no shift. The seamstress had told her to leave off the shift if she wished to capture her benefactor’s heart, and had lined the stays with satin for comfort. However, instead of covering half her breasts, the stays fell beneath them, pushing them upward. Her nipples were barely held in by the muslin material and the ribbon that decorated the very edge of the neckline.
“I see.” He remained exactly where he was, but his gaze returned to her chest.
The thrill his focus sent through her had her anticipating the weekend for a completely different reason. “Do you think you’ll be able to keep your eyes upon me when faced with a room full of women similarly dressed?”
He didn’t immediately respond, but as if drawn against his will, he took a step closer. As the room was small, there werebarely two steps between them. Eventually, he raised his gaze to study her face. “You are far more beautiful than even I knew. I will be hard pressed to remember our purpose. No other woman could possibly compare.”
His words, as unexpected as they were, made her heart race. “Your words are kind and do me great honor.”
As if her choice of words recalled him to their purpose, he backed up and held his arm out toward the table. “Shall we sit?”
Though she would prefer they did something else, they were in a public place and they couldn’t lose sight of their goals. However, she added another goal to her list, that of enjoying her very handsome friend to the fullest. She gave a ladylike nod, though she felt more wanton then lady, and slid behind the table.
Anthony did not immediately join her. “I almost forgot to tell you what else I discovered last week.” He didn’t look at her, but instead faced the wall to her left, which was a bit odd.
“You mean our quarry did more than tup?”
He grimaced as his gaze moved toward her. “Yes. He obtained another weapon.”
Not a little put out that he hadn’t conferred with her on it, she gave him what she hoped was a proper mistress pout. “And only now you tell me?” She crossed her arms, effectively hiding her bosom.
At her movement, he walked to the side of the table where he would sit. “I did not seek you out earlier because I recognized this particular weapon. It’s a chakram, an ancient weapon of India in existence at the time of Alexander the Great.”
“Yes, I know of it. It is a disc-like shape that is very sharp, and when thrown can be deadly.”
“Yes.” He slid in beside her. “It’s not valuable for its brass and has no use today.”
That Leighhall had obtained another obscure weapon did not surprise her. Many people were predictable, participating in the same activities, buying the same items, enjoying the company of the same type of people. “How did he obtain this one?”
“He dug it up.”
