“No need to look suspicious. Open it.”
She peeled open the bag and squealed, “You brought tarts!”
Not caring she had yet to eat luncheon with the girls, she bit into flaky crust and moaned as the tangy lemon curd sparked the nerves on her back teeth.
Renard chuckled. “Good?”
She took a second bite, not waiting to finish chewing before replying, “Better than any play ever written.”
“They taste all right?”
Camille popped the last piece of crust into her mouth and frowned at his expectant expression. “Did they fall on the ground before you got here?”
“No!” His conviction was honest, but he shifted from foot to foot, quite a display for a composed gentleman.
Camille’s eyes widened. “Didyoubake that?”
His ears turned pink. “Not entirely. My cook instructed me on everything.”
Camille didn’t think the fluttering in her chest was normal. “You baked me tarts.” She could kiss him for his thoughtfulness.
So she did.
He responded with enthusiasm, neatly plucking the bag from her hands and threading their now-empty fingers together as his tongue mimicked the action inside her mouth.
He pulled back after a thorough taste and said, “I should have brought more. Nine others, was it?”
His light teasing chased away the shadows and apprehension of last night. “Good sir, are you attempting to seduce me?”
“Is it working?”
She twined her arms around his neck. “The baking was exceptionally done.”
He laughed. “Famished, are you? There’s no way my cooking could reach exceptional. Tolerable at best. But I will do better next time.”
“Next time.”
Camille’s heart soared. There was no reason to fear. He’d all but said he’d stay with her. There’d been no promise of marriage or comfort, but she didn’t need those. She had everything she truly needed here, in this precise moment. She wouldn’t repeat her own history because things were different.Hewas different. And things had changed.
She smiled up at him and gave up all pretenses to place a hand on her belly. “Cravings are normal, the physician said.”
The lighthearted and easy camaraderie between them vanished at his sudden intake of air.
When he did respond, it was not the warm joy she’d expected.
“You’re with child?”
She nodded, waiting for his shock to pass. “It’s early still, but the signs are present. The physician confirmed this morning.” Syd had stayed outside on the roof, but a knowing look had crossed her young face before they’d parted ways outside the club.
Renard’s expression grew darker. He ran a hand through his hair and began pacing with growing agitation. His hand snaked into his coat pocket as if reminding himself of something.
“Renard—”
“Not now.”
The tone he used was sharp. Her hand fell away from her belly and a sinking feeling started from her chest to her abdomen.
He muttered to himself something that sounded dreadfully like, “Conniving, manipulative wench.”
