“How did you steal Ellie?” Benedict asked.
His lips tightened at the overly casual manner Rothwell spoke about Evelina. To be fair, they had known each other for a long while and had certainly formed a rapport in that time, but it still felt disrespectful to him.
“Her relatives were about to trade Evelina in for a social elevation,” he said vaguely. “I was not going to let that egregious act happen.”
“But—” Benedict looked troubled. “How did you know about that in the first place?”
“I was—” he sighed, “—ama colleague of Carrington. We have mutual interests and shares in each other’s businesses, but recently I have been pulling away. He is not taking to that kindly.”
“But what can Harriet do for him?” Benedict huffed. “Be Ellie’s replacement?”
“With how hell-bent her aunt and uncle are in elevating their social station, I do not doubt they would second-think selling their own flesh and blood away like a sacrificial lamb,” Dorian shook his head in disgust. “They are bleeding money like a dead carcass and require a windfall immediately.”
“Mayhaps we contact the relatives then,” Benedict offered. “Harriet is staying with my sister today. I do not know how long I can keep her there, though.”
Rubbing his forehead, Dorian murmured, “Carrington is the key, but I cannot—Ido not knowhow to attack this yet.”
“And I am afraid if I send Harriet back to her people, she will be in danger as well,” Benedict exhaled. He hunched forward andrested his forearms on his thighs. He drew in a long breath. “I never did betray you, you know.”
Dorian shook his head. “It doesn’t matter right now. We need to figure out how to keep both of them safe—” He slid an eye to Benedict. “Is Harriet as stubborn as her cousin?”
“I’ve only known her for a little time, but she is a tad headstrong, yes,” Benedict nodded. “Do you know where your uncle is?”
“No,” Dorian said, aggravated. “I have been looking for years, butnothing.
“As for now, keep Harriet confined in your home. I will confront Sterling in the interim. He will not give up anything, but at least it will make him know we are not playing in the shadows,” Dorian said. “It will give him pause before we plan our next move.”
“I’d be more secure if I had a plan myself,” Benedict replied. “I would not forgive myself if I failed to keep her out of harm's way.”
While sending for a pot of coffee, Dorian shrugged. “You could do what I did and marry her.”
Cocking his head to the left, Benedict asked, “See, I do not know if you are jesting or not.”
“That’s simple,” Dorian leaned back in his chair. “I never jest.”
By the time Elliediddrag herself out of bed—the cocoon of Dorian’s lingering scent and warmth had coaxed her back into blissful sleep—she made for the washroom, filled the tub, and made to wash her face in the interim.
After a splash, her lashes fluttered open, and an odd sight met her peripherals. There were some curious dots of…ink…. around the washing basin. Pressing the fingers into the liquid, they came away pale reddish on her fingers.
“What is this?” She sniffed it. “Oil? That's curious.”
Dismissing it, she washed her face to wake herself up as the tub filled. When it did, she took a long, soothing bath and thought back to last evening.
For once,shewas the one who had seduced Dorian and taken what she’d wanted. She had not yet had the chance to tell Dorian why she’d needed him so dearly, but hopefully he would return early enough for her to do so.
“How do I tell a man who is so averse to the very notion of love, that I have fallen in love with him…” she wondered aloud, while trailing her fingers through the water. “How do I tell him that seeing him in mortal danger made me so afraid that I could lose him forever, that all I wished to do after was give myself to him?”
Gently rising from the tub, she dried and dressed, then went in search of something to eat. Dorian had stored the food from last night well enough that she could make a plate and eat at a window seat.
The turn of the lock had her jolting up, the twinge of fear soon fading as Dorian stepped through the door. He didn’t remove his coat. “We’re heading home. Are you—” he paused. “—feeling well?”
She stood and brushed her hands off. “If you’re asking if I regret it, the answer isno, I do not.”
“Evelina, the contract we made did not cover this,” he cautioned. “And I was careless last night. I did not use any measures to make sure you did not start increasing.”
Licking her lips, Ellie considered what to tell him. And how to tell him. “Dorian, I do not want an annulment or some other dignified separation. I realize this must be very inconvenient for you, but I… have fallen in love with you.
“Yes, you are surly, yes, you are stubborn, and yes, you have more secrets than the Sphinx, but somehow, I find that those very negligible and irritating traits are precisely what I love about you.”
