Her attention moved to what he offered as a smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Lord Hawthorne, you do not have to escort me. I assure you, I can walk to the room just fine on my own.”
He opened the door and motioned his hand. “Then lead the way, my lovely.”
As he followed her into the other room, he enjoyed watching the way her gray gown molded to her womanly curves. He admired the lift of her stubborn chin, and took pleasure in studying the way her brown hair swept up into a coil, leaving him ample view of her slender neck. A neck he wouldn’t mind kissing.
Stop this!He silently scolded his thoughts as he searched the room for a decanter of spirits. Once she closed the door, she turned toward him but didn’t say a word. As before, familiarity nudged in the back of his mind. He knew her from somewhere, and until he remembered, it would drive him mad.
“My lord, would you like a drink?”
Thought you’d never ask!“Indeed, I would, Miss Tabitha.”
She moved over to the liquor tray and poured him a drink. “All Lady Hollingsworth has is port. I hope that will do.”
“It will, thank you.” He took the glass from her then nodded to the decanter. “Are you not going to have a glass?”
“Servants don’t drink with their masters.”
“Well, since I’m not your master and you did very little to conform with propriety, I think it’s appropriate. Besides, this evening we shall be equals.”
She chuckled and poured herself a drink. “Equals, my lord? I’m surprised at your behavior this evening. I’m most certain if your fellow comrades were here witnessing this, you would not be acting in such a way.”
“True, I would not. But it’s just you and I here now, so why can we not pretend to be civil to each other?”
Shrugging, she carried her glass over to the sofa and sat. He followed and sat beside her, drinking his port. Daintily, she sipped her glass as she looked at him from over the rim. In one word, she wasadorable,and he wished he didn’t think that way of her.
“Tell me, Miss Tabitha. Where did you grow up? Have I ever met you before?”
“Believe it or not, most of my younger years were spent right here in this cottage.” Her gaze moved slowly around the room. “Lady Hollingsworth’s grandmother lived here and my mother was her personal maid.” She returned her attention back to him. “So unless you came here to visit, we would have never met.”
“You said you were here in youryoungeryears. What age were you when you left?”
“I was sixteen, my lord.”
“So where have you been since then?”
She lifted the glass to her mouth again, taking her time in drinking the port. Nic wondered why she hesitated, unless she was trying to think up a lie.
“I was a laundry maid for a man who was cruel to me. After he died, Lady Hollingsworth took me in.”
Tilting his head, he studied her. Up this close, he could get lost staring into her lovely eyes. “You are not going to tell me the lord’s name?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Lord Hawthorne, I can assure you we have never met before. I don’t believe it’s any of your business who I used to work for, and the only reason you ask is because you think you know me from somewhere. I can promise you, we havenevermet before. Because I was a laundry maid, I was never allowed to be around my master’s guests.”
Nic grumbled under his breath. Tabitha was more intelligent than he gave her credit for. But of course she was smart. Who else could have killed two lords without leaving a trace of evidence?
“Forgive me for upsetting you, my lovely. I fear I’ve been doing that quite a lot lately, and it’s not my intention.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Then tell me, Lord Hawthorne, what exactly is your intention?”
“Just to get to know you better.” He set his empty glass on the table next to him.
“Why?”
“Because you intrigue me. Is that not enough reason?”
