“Who says I am alone?” she answered without turning back.
He laughed at the comment, coming closer still. “You won’t be soon. Not if I have anything to say about it.”
She flashed her eyes, a sigh of relief because this was exactly what she needed. And then, ever so casually, she turned so she could see who it was that she had caught in her web.
Her smile was sincere, as was the relief felt, because the lord who approached her was dashing in all the ways that mattered. Tall, but not lithe or willowy. A confident stride with a pronounced chest. Blond hair and clear blue eyes that shone even in the dark. And his smile… it was cocksure and arrogant; there was the sense that he liked what he saw and wasn’t the type to be denied.
A good thing. Because neither was Thalia.
“How very bold,” Thalia said with a soft chuckle. “If not for the comment, thinking to follow a lady such as myself out here all on her own.”
“Done so for the right reasons, I assure you,” he said, his smile growing. “These are dangerous times, and a beauty as you are, should not be alone.”
“Oh, I am quite capable of looking after myself.”
“A risk we should not have to take.” He reached her and then, without waiting for her approval, took her hand and placed a kiss on the back. “In fact, I insist that you allow me to keep an eye on you until you choose to go back inside. For reasons of safety, of course,” he finished with a wink.
It was all very charming, and Thalia was sure that most women would find themselves swooning already. However, there was a falsity to his words, a sense that he was merely saying what he thought he must to seduce her. Not at all the type of thing that Thalia would ever fall for.
But desperate times called for… she really had no choice but to play into the lord’s game. While hoping that his approach was honest and not borne from wicked intentions.
“My hero,” she said, keeping her smile. “Might I have his name? Heroes do have names, don’t they?”
He chuckled deeply, still holding her hand. “Lord Farfield. But if you are kind to me, I might allow you to call me Reginald.”
“Oh…” She tried to peel her hand away, but he held it firm. “We shall see how kind I am feeling. As to my name? You may call me?—”
“I know who you are.” Something changed in Lord Farfield then. His eyes flashed wickedness and his other hand snatched out so that both were gripping Thalia’s right hand. “Miss. Carstone…”
Oh no…
Thalia’s eyes widened as she took note of the look in the lord’s eyes, paired with the way he was holding her hand. The charm that had previously dripped from him was gone, replaced with a sense of aggression and slimy excitement.
“I… I am not sure what you have heard…” She tried to pull her hand free, but he would not let go. “But I assure you?—”
“There is no need to be so shy or nervous,” he chuckled as he stepped closer to her. “Surely, we are beyond such things. From all I have heard of you, I would have thought you’d be used to the attention of young men.”
Anger boiled inside of her. A bad reputation was one thing. A reputation that was not true was another. But to be treated this way! It made her want to slap the lord across the face.
She did not, of course. Thalia was many things, but she wasn’t stupid. And somehow she guessed that to turn toward violencemight make things even worse for her. If such a thing was possible.
“Whatever you have heard, I assure you it is not true,” she said through gritted teeth. “And I ask that you unhand me at once.”
He laughed and the look in his eyes was evil. “How about a walk, instead? I see many a hedge that you and I might find ourselves lost behind.”
“I said unhand me.”
“You will have to ask me nicely.”
“I said?—”
“I suggest you listen to the lady.” A voice as deep as thunder rolling across a placid ocean washed over Thalia and Lord Farfield. It was not spoken loudly, but it was brimming with power, and it had the immediate effect of battering back the pesky lord’s advances.
His eyes widened with fear, and he spun about, at which point he immediately dropped Thalia’s hand. “Your—Your Grace,” he stammered pathetically. “I… I was just asking Miss Carstone if?—”
“You were justleaving.”
Thalia’s breath left her when she saw who it was that had come to her rescue. Her first instinct was fear, such was the level of intimidation that this lord wore as if it was a heavy cloak. But that left her quickly, replaced by… she could not say exactly. Her stomach flipped, her heart leapt through her chest, and her legs began to shake.
