She didn’t argue, but when they reached the door that would lead her back out into the hallway and toward her bedchamber, she couldn’t help but ask, “How do we proceed from here?”
“With difficulty, I suspect.”
She would not be so easily deterred. “If I tell my aunt about you—if I confide in her your identity—then I am sure she will allow us to see each other again, just as long as the meetings are chaperoned.”
“And how exactly do you plan to explain your knowledge about me? I doubt it will take her long to figure out that you have been sneaking off for secret rendezvous, and what then? If I were the sort of gentleman she would approve of, I would never have encouraged you to spend time with me against her will.”
“You are not the only one to blame for that,” she told him hotly. When he said nothing in response, she expelled a deep breath, feeling suddenly deflated. “You are right though. It will not be easy for me to convince her that I did the right thing after having defied her wishes.”
His voice was heavy when he spoke again. “Since there is no place for us to meet in complete secrecy, besides the cave, and with the possibility of Rotridge planning an attack against you, I believe that the best course of action right now would be for us to stop seeing each other completely. At least until this situation is resolved.”
Why did it feel as though her heart was being torn right out of her chest? “There has to be a way for us to continue—”
“Can you not see that it is too risky? We have been lucky so far, but until we know who it was that happened to overhear our conversation, then we have to avoid being seen together at all cost. Your reputation—”
“Hang my reputation!”
A lengthy pause followed. “You do not mean that,” he eventually said, his voice barely more than a whisper. “Especially not until you are absolutely certain that you will consider marrying me.”
“I—”
He held up a hand, effectively silencing her. “That was not a proposal, Mary, but a suggestion that you take some time to consider what you want. A lot has changed for you tonight. You have confided in me your secret identity, you have seen what I truly look like beneath the mask, and you are now faced with the very real possibility of being revealed for who you are.” Crossing his arms, he studied her a moment before adding, “If it was Rotridge in the cave, he will undoubtedly use the information against you, and when that happens, the last thing you need is for things to be further complicated by an association with me. That said, if the need arises and you require my help, I will stand by you.”
Expelling a quivering breath, she nodded. “Thank you.” She made no attempt to touch him again, afraid that she’d end up back in his arms, relishing the comfort of his embrace while knowing that she would not be able to stay there forever. Not yet, at least. So she made an attempt at a smile instead, afraid that it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “What if I need to reach you?”
“I shall not be far, but if there is something urgent, come back here and leave a note for me above the door. I will check for a message from you as often as I can.” Placing his hand against her arm, he nudged her toward the door, saying with greater insistence, “Now go.”
And so she did, even though the pain in her chest suggested that her heart was breaking.
Chapter11
When Mary left her bedchamber the following morning, it was almost as if she’d been disconnected from her body. Returning from her meeting with Richard the previous evening, sleep had been an impossible goal for her to achieve, her thoughts consumed by every conversation they’d had with each other since the moment they’d met, until one incredible fact had become startlingly clear to her. She loved him.
Making her way to the dining room, she pondered this new revelation, asking herself if she was sure and, more importantly, how she could possibly tell? She’d known him for... blinking, she realized that she wasn’t exactly certain. Logic told her it had only been eight days, but that couldn’t possibly be right, could it? Not when it felt like so much longer.
Mentally, she began ticking off the reasons forwhyshe loved him. His acceptance of her was definitely at the top of the list, but even before she’d revealed that she was also Lucia Cavalani, Mary had become increasingly fond of him.
“I cannot tell you how pleased I am to see you again,” a silky voice spoke at Mary’s right shoulder, scattering her thoughts.
“Lord Rotridge,” she said, her head turning instinctively toward him. He was wearing an arrogant smirk that made her insides squirm. Looking away from him, she surveyed the dining room, relief flooding her from head to toe when she spotted her aunt. “If you will forgive me, Lady Foxworth is expecting me and I would prefer not to keep her waiting.”
“Of course,” he said, inclining his head.
She started forward, eager to increase the distance between them, but froze at the sound of a whispered, “I know your secret.”
It took every bit of self-restraint she possessed to remain calm, her expression completely inscrutable as she turned back to face him. Allowing her eyebrows to rise and her spine to straighten, she gave him the most condescending stare she could manage before saying, “I cannot imagine what you might be referring to.”
It clearly wasn’t the response that he’d been expecting or hoping for, because although he did open his mouth as if to speak, not a single word followed. Mary decided to use his silence as an excuse to quit his company and walked brusquely toward the end of the table where her aunt was sitting.
But as the day wore on, Mary became increasingly aware of Rotridge’s gaze following her wherever she went. By the time she joined her aunt for afternoon tea, she was certain that he’d not only overheard her conversation with Richard the previous evening, but that he was plotting a means by which to use what he’d learned against her. To what avail though? Because she’d turned down his sudden proposal? It seemed absurd.
“Mary?”
Her aunt’s voice drew her attention away from her worries and back to the present. “Hmm?” They were seated in a private corner of the Greek salon, a space decorated exclusively with white marble and furnishings upholstered in creamy silks. A collection of statues had been placed throughout, some in corners and others as a means by which to divide the room into smaller, more intimate, areas.
“What on earth is on your mind? You seem completely distracted.”
“Forgive me, I was just woolgathering. That is all.”
