“Trouble is not the same as nuisance. One man’s reasonable behavior may be another’s nuisance; that is a lesson I knowwell.” She bit her lip, but did not drop her gaze. “I have no wish to live my life second-guessing everything that I do, and wondering if this thing or that will be whatyouconsider an inconvenience.”
“Then let us remove the guesswork.” They were so close he could practically count each of her eyelashes.
He felt her breath brush his skin. His heart raced, pounding in his chest. The scent of lavender filled his nostrils. Her blue eyes reminded him of lakes in winter—frosty and alluring, yet dangerous if tested.
Focus.
“I will leave you to do as you wish. Redecorate the house. Hire your own staff. Take up hobbies. I do not care. If your activities require more of me than supplying funding, I will consider them a nuisance.” He could feel her eyes searching his face. “Is that clear enough for you?”
She nodded. “Perfectly.”
“Good.” Alaric stepped away, ran a hand through his hair, and turned his back on her. “Then I will take my leave of you.”
He left without another word, not trusting himself to remain a moment longer in such close proximity to her. He strode to the carriage, banged on the side, making the driver jump. The driver moved to open the door, but Alaric was too impatient to wait.He clambered in, and a moment later the carriage rumbled into motion.
“The sooner I am at Bath, the better.” Then he would be able to throw himself into work and forget those fiery eyes.
He leaned against the side of the carriage, running through lists of things he would need to do, using it to calm his racing thoughts.
When was the last time someone got under my skin like that?
He had come so close to losing control. “I have to keep my distance.”
A few hours later, his castle came into view on the horizon. He let out a sigh of relief.
Then, suddenly, the carriage jolted, and Alaric flung out his hands to catch himself. He frowned as the carriage jerked again, sending him sprawling.
“What the he– ” he growled as a crack rang out.
The carriage toppled to the side as the horses screamed. Alaric was slammed against the roof, the side, and then the floor. He was thrown around like a rag doll, finally ending up in a crumpled heap.
Each breath felt like a dagger in his chest. When he moved, lights flashed before his eyes, and the world swam, drifting in and out of focus. He felt something wet trickling down his face.
There was a metallic smell in the air as he tried to wipe the wetness from his face, but the motion made him cry out. The world around him was fading.
If I just close my eyes, just for a second.
The world went quiet as everything faded into darkness.
CHAPTER 3
“The next thing you know, they will be insisting that he is gallivanting naked around the Scottish Highlands.” Catherine shook her head as she sipped from her teacup.
It had been three months since she last saw her husband. Three months since he declared that her life was now hers to live and that they would have little to do with each other.
She was sitting in her freshly redecorated drawing room, across from her friends Lady Louisa Everly, Lady Harriet Montrose, and Lady Fiona Blackwood. The three of them had met at the first ball of their coming-out Season and had been inseparable ever since.
Louisa took a bite of a scone, her brown eyes narrowing in concentration as she shook her head. “As amusing an image as that is, that rumor is far less concerning than the one that he is dead.”
Typical Louisa, why mince her words when she can simply say what she thinks?
It was an honesty that Catherine found refreshing, even comforting. Before she could say anything, Fiona interjected. “Kitty would know if he was dead. The solicitors would have been in touch by now to let her know they were looking for the next heir.”
“As though details like that would stop the gossip mongers of theton!” Louisa made a disgusted noise. “They do not care for facts or logic. That is exactly why they are insisting she has something to do with his disappearance!”
“A completely ridiculous notion.” Harriet shook her head, her eyes wide with alarm.
“And yet a worrying number of people believe it.” Fiona grimaced.
