“You.” He caught her hand and didn’t let go, though he told himself he should. “I’m happy to top any list but that one. And since you’ve confessed to being a hopeless romantic, it would be rude to leave you unsatisfied.”
Amusement lit her eyes. “I thought you were in the habit of breaking hearts.”
He shrugged. “Not yours, it seems.”
“I suppose there’s no longer any need to hurt me.”
“Perhaps I convinced myself I was saving you.”
“In some strange way you did.”
He pulled her close, one hand settling at her waist, the other capturing hers with an ease that should concern him. Her warmth seeped through her silk glove into his skin, a silent sort of brand.
This wasn’t revenge.
Not anymore.
It felt like atonement. And something far more dangerous.
“Is this the dance that wasn’t quite over?” she asked as he swept her into the first turn. “What is it about us that seems unfinished?”
He laughed. Trust her to go straight to the heart of it.
“You tell me. You’re the one who lured me out here alone. Do you want another taste of me? Is that it? I should warn you. One more won’t be enough.”
Her fingers curled tighter in his. “I wished to berate you.”
“For not buying you the ruby?”
“I don’t care about the ruby. It’s the gesture, not the gem.”
“So you’re not annoyed it’s on loan?”
“No. I’m afraid. For a clever man, you’ve done a foolish thing.” She held his gaze, her tone serious now. “You hold the key to a vault of secrets. Once the parties cease, your guests will demand your silence.”
He couldn’t see the problem. “And?”
“We both know there’s only one way to truly silence someone. Hit them with a blunt object and toss them into the Thames.”
He might have answered with a quip, but no one had ever looked at him like she did now. As though losing him would leave a mark. As though she might mourn him in her dotage.
He didn’t deserve her consideration.
“You don’t need to worry about me.” He pulled her closer. “You’re right. I’m no fool. There are plans in place. Every guest who signs the contract knows exactly what’s at stake if they betray my trust. It’s in their interests to keep me alive.”
She searched his face, and he thought he glimpsed pity there. “There are other ways to hurt a man. You target those close to him. You take away everything he holds dear.”
His step faltered, his mother’s lifeless body still vivid in his mind. But he recovered. The villain hadn’t meant to destroy an eighteen-year-old boy. It had merely been the consequence.
“Why do you think I live like a monk? Keep only a few close friends?” Why the Brethren met in secret and plotted vengeance from the shadows?
Something he said struck a nerve. She drew a sharp breath, eyes shining with sudden tears. She stopped dancing, slipped from his hold, and stared as though he were the devil himself.
“Of course. It all makes perfect sense now.” Her voice cracked. She touched the ruby at her throat, then recoiled as if it had burned her. “My father always said I was a naive fool.”
Confused, he shook his head.
She stepped back, the space between them a chasm.
