“Send them running?” the man echoed. He maneuvered his cudgel so he could pick up the whistle tied to a cord around his neck.
“Yes, that way. Go.” Mr. Steele gave the watch a helpful push and the man left.
Gwendolyn had been so caught up in the nonsense in front of her, she had almost forgotten that she needed the watch to protect her from Mr. Steele. And then she realized Mr. Steele had let go of her arm.
She turned abruptly and practically tripped on her veil, catching it under her shoe. The action jerked her head forward. Meanwhile, her skirts, heavy with coin, threatened to throw her off balance. She pulled at the veil and ribbons holding her mourning bonnet in place. The pins she had used to secure it yanked at her hair. For one tangled second, she felt as if trapped in a spider’s web.
“Let me help,” Mr. Steele’s very masculine voice offered.
“I don’t need—”
Her words were too late. He lifted the veil from her bonnet and folded it back from her face, his height allowing him to do so easily, and she was free. It felt good to be able to breathe fresh air.
“This thing is—” he started, and then his tone changed, warmed. “You are lovely.”
His surprise startled her, almost as much as his words.
Gwendolyn knew she wasn’t unattractive, but this was not her best moment. Her velvet bonnet was askew, loose locks of her hair were tumbling around her face and down her back, and her face felt flushed and angry.
“Truly amazing,” he continued, and that’s when she realized he wasn’t enamored.
No, he wasevaluatingher. And to what purpose?
Fear vanished. “What are you saying?”
He recovered himself. “I mean, I knew you were young and, well, I suspected attractive. It was in your poise, the length of your back.”
“My back?”
“You have an elegant back. Perfect posture. You had on the veil, but I could see you were Quality—” He stopped abruptly as if catching himself. “I’m a clod. Telling a woman she is far more attractive than I anticipated is not exactly a compliment.”
“You are right,” she snapped. She straightened her hat, making her feel a bit less ridiculous.
Gwendolyn didn’t trust anything about this man, especially his assumption she was obligated to him. She was not. Standing under this streetlamp, she also felt far too exposed to his gaze. “I paid back what I borrowedwith interest. I appreciate your confidence in me and that you made the Weasel stop cheating. However, we are acquitted of each other, sir. Thank you and good night.”
She would have marched away crisply, except, with surprising swiftness, he took the few steps to place himself in her path. She stopped, annoyed. Then began in a new direction, only to discover that he blocked her there as well.
“Not so quick, Mrs. Bunsaway. The terms of my loan were not interest but that you would grant me a favor.”
“I changed my mind. And you may stop hounding me.” Gwendolyn again tried to move around him. She didn’t care what direction she took as long as it was away from him. She certainly didn’t dare approach the inn. She didn’t want him to know her real name or learn about her sisters.
What was it Mr. Steele had said when they’d first met? He hunted people.
“I’m not hounding you,” he answered in a perfectly reasonable tone, falling into step alongside her. “Perhaps, if I’d known you were so deliciously attractive, I might have. However, we have a bargain. You owe me a favor.”
“I paid interest,” she reminded him.
“I don’t want interest. I didn’t even wish my money returned.”
“I thought you promised not to pull my skirts over my head.”
He surprised her by tilting back his head and laughing with genuine amusement. “Irish women are refreshingly blunt.” He shook his head, then added soberly, “I also wish you would stop being fidgety, because the truth is, Mrs. Bunsaway, I’m not certainwhatI will request. Or even if I will. It certainly won’t happen now, if that is what you fear. Still, I do need to know your name and how to reach you.”
Oh, she was not going to give him that information. Not ever.
Gwendolyn stopped, looked him straight in the eye, and said, “Mrs. Bunsaway from County Cork.” There, that should send him off on a fool’s chase. She would have marched right past him, but he held his arm out as if exacting a toll.
“You shouldn’t lie, Mrs. Bunsaway. It is an unattractive quality.”
