“I’d rather play chess if you don’t mind.”
Simon didn’t care which game they chose just as long as it helped change the subject and pass the time. Having spoken to Kirksdale, he still hoped Elmwood might show. And once he’d learned if the earl also had an investment he might want to safeguard by getting Napoleon back on the battlefield, he’d go have a word with his uncle so he could return to Miss Strong with results.
Chapter Six
Awareness crept into Ida’s limbs, stirring her from slumber. Tap, tap, tap. With a disgruntled groan she tried to ignore the sound by burying her face in the pillow and pulling the blanket up past her shoulders. It offered a blissfully warm barrier between the cool room and her body. Tap, tap, tap.
What was that infernal noise?
Yawning, she stretched her arms and back, which effectively undid the lovely cocoon she’d made for herself. She puffed out a breath, opened one eye to the light of day, and sat bolt upright the moment she spotted him.
“What are you doing here?” How long had Fielding been watching her sleep?
He was sitting in the only chair the room offered, diagonally across from the foot of her bed, the very image of an obstinate aristocrat. His eyes were hard, piercing, and gleaming fiercely.
“Where were you last night?” he asked, ignoring her question.
Ida’s brain tried to focus. “Here, obviously, or I wouldn’t be where I am right now.”
Fielding shot to his feet and stalked to the side of the bed. “Don’t try to be clever.” He leaned forward, narrowing the distance between them. “It rained last night and you left marks all over the entryway floor.”
She swallowed. His cutting tone suggested a dangerous streak lurked within him. It was far more evident now than it had been the day before when he’d learned of her walk. That had been no more than slight concern compared with the anger he now conveyed. To the average observer, Fielding might look like the perfect gentleman – a fop even, some might say – but it was becoming increasingly clear to Ida that he was not a man to be trifled with.
To her astonishment, she realized she liked that. There was something so elemental about it, so attractive in its display of masculine authority, it caused every nerve in her body to hum with excitement. It also made her realize she’d better start being honest.
“All right.” She stared into his darkened eyes with her own degree of stubbornness. He stared right back with unflinching determination and…an almost predatory degree of pleasure lurking somewhere in those shimmering depths. Ida’s pulse raced. Everything within her grew tight with the sudden awareness of how close he actually was, of where they were, and her state of undress.
And then, when the air between them had grown so thick she was sure the next step in their battle of wills would involve a demanding kiss, he straightened, took a step back, and raised an eyebrow. “Well, then?”
Shaken due to the visceral response he’d managed to secure, Ida took a couple of breaths and pulled the blanket up to her chin. “If you must know, I went to the docks.”
She hadn’t thought it possible for his gaze to harden any more, and yet it did. His fingers twitched. “Are you mad or just insufferably stupid?”
Ida flinched. Coming on the heels of the friendly atmosphere they’d shared the day before, his words cut deep – deeper than she’d have expected. Her eyes narrowed and without even thinking, she was suddenly on her feet, the fact she was dressed only in her chemise be damned.
“Neither, you conceited model of arrogant aloofness.” Heedless of the cold floorboards beneath her bare feet, Ida glared up into the face of condemnation. “I might be many things, but I’m not mad or stupid. Clearing my father’s name is first and foremost my obligation. I’ll not just sit here like some bland shell of a woman, waiting for you to solve everything.”
His breaths came heavily, with what appeared to be great agitation. “I explicitly told you to stay here.”
“Did you honestly think I would?”
“You disobeyed me.” The comment, low and dangerous, was spoken with both surprise and annoyance and even, she was surprised to hear, a hint of admiration.
Ida raised her chin and pulled back her shoulders. “We have an arrangement, my lord. Nothing more.”
He held her gaze with the sharp precision of a lion tracking a tasty gazelle. “Perhaps not, but the moment you agreed to stay here beneath my roof, you became my responsibility. So if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate a bit more caution on your part. Aside from the risk you took to your safety by venturing out on your own, you—”
“I can assure you I was never in any danger,” Ida told him tightly.
His hands were suddenly on her upper arms, gripping her so hard the action forced a gasp from her throat. “For Christ’s sake, woman, you went to the docks. Alone. After almost getting murdered the other day.” Wide eyes, tormented by something she couldn’t define, stared down at her. “However capable you may believe yourself to be, you’d never stand a chance against a group of sailors looking to have some sport. Unless of course…” He seemed to search her face for a moment before releasing his hold. Stepping back, he raked his hair with his fingers. “Was that the reason you went? To make some more blunt?”
The heated emotions he’d stirred in her during their argument withered and died. Ida shrank back and hugged herself against the cool air creeping under her skin. She’d never thought less of the women at Amourette’s. Over the years they’d become her family. She loved them, but in that moment she hated the idea of Fielding thinking she was like them – a whore who’d gone out looking for men she could service in exchange for coin. It pained her to think his opinion of her was so low, this was what he imagined of her. Yet she had no one to blame for his misconception besides herself.
“It’s not like that,” she whispered.
“I might believe you if you made an effort to prove yourself trustworthy.”
He wasn’t wrong. While Ida was tempted to rail at him for insulting her, she knew she had no leg to stand on. She’d lied and deceived him, thwarted his advice when all he wanted to do was protect her. If their roles had been reversed, she’d have been furious too, but after finally breaking free from her trapped existence, she was eager to act.
