Iris thought about what he’d said that day, when she asked him if he’d ever raced as a child, and her throat closed.
I was never a child.
For a moment she couldn’t speak, or catch her breath, because of the fist squeezing her heart.
Because hehadbeen a child, just a child, left alone—
“It’s remarkable, really, he became the man he is.” Lady Annabel’s voice was quiet.
“Yes. It is.”
Lady Annabel patted her hand, then rose and walked to the door. “You have a decision to make. I saw Lord Huntington ride off with Captain West and Lord Derrick before I left the breakfast room, and Lady Honora and your sister went for a walk. I’ll tell Charlotte you need a bit of quiet in here, shall I?”
“Yes, thank you. You’re very kind, Lady Annabel.”
Lady Annabel made an impatient noise in her throat. “No, I’m not kind. I do this only for my own amusement, Iris.”
Iris smiled at that, but once the room was still, she wondered if all the quiet in the world would be enough, and her smile faded.
* * * *
It was dark by the time Finn made it back to Hadley House. Captain West and Derrick had returned hours ago, but he’d followed Wrexley all the way to Alton before he turned his horse’s head back toward Winchester.
He couldn’t rest easy until he was certain Wrexley was gone for good.
His steps were weary and his heart sank as he made his way into the house and stopped in the silent entryway. He could think of nothing but Iris, but she’d have gone to bed long ago, and all the things he wanted to say to her—all the words he’d rehearsed on his solitary ride back to Hadley House—would have to wait until tomorrow.
“She’s in Lady Hadley’s sitting room.”
The hair on Finn’s neck rose in warning, but when he turned he saw it was only Lady Tallant. She appeared to be waiting for him.
“I’ve done all I can to help you, Lord Huntington.” Her slender figure detached itself from the deep shadows surrounding the stairwell. “I do hope I haven’t wasted my efforts.”
Finn was unable to account for her sudden appearance, and too exhausted to make sense of her words. “I don’t understand you, Lady Tallant. Help me with what?”
“With Miss Somerset, of course. I consider myself indebted to you on Lady Farrington’s account, you see—she was a dear friend of mine, and I always settle my debts.” She cocked her head, her eyes narrowing as she studied him. “But despite my best efforts you’ve managed to make quite a mess of things, haven’t you?”
Finn stared at her, still not sure what to make of this strange conversation. “You knew Lady Farrington?”
“Lady Farrington, her daughter, and the part you played in saving Miss Hughes from ruin. I’ve related the story to Miss Somerset.” She pointed down the hallway, in the direction of the library. “You’ll find her behind that closed door, and I believe she’s ready to listen to whatever you choose to say. A word of advice, Lord Huntington? Make the most of this opportunity. I can’t do everything for you, after all.”
She began to mount the stairs, but turned back to face him again before she reached the landing. “Miss Somerset is a remarkable young lady, but I suppose you know that already. It’s why you’re in love with her, isn’t it?”
It didn’t occur to Finn to deny it, or refuse to answer, or to tell Lady Annabel it was none of her concern how he felt about Miss Somerset. He simply told the truth, without hesitation. “Yes. She’s…extraordinary.”
His quiet voice was nearly swallowed into the silence of the still, empty space, but Lady Tallant heard him. “Ah. Perhaps there is hope for you after all, Lord Huntington.” With that, she resumed her climb until she disappeared into the darkness at the top of the stairs.
Finn didn’t waste any more time, but hastened down the hallway and eased open the door to Lady Hadley’s sitting room. He half-expected to find Iris asleep, but when he entered the tiny room she was curled into a corner of a large sofa, her legs tucked beneath her, eyes wide open. A book lay in her lap, but she wasn’t reading. She was staring into the fire.
He stood for a moment to admire the way the dying embers cast a glow around her and turned her hair a deep gold before he came the rest of the way into the room and closed the door behind him.
The soft click made her turn, and when she saw him her breath caught in her throat, and Finn closed his eyes for a moment to savor that tiny gasp. It was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard, and his heart leapt with hope.
“It’s late.” He settled onto the other end of the sofa, leaving plenty of space between them. He already ached to touch her, and he was determined not to tempt himself further by sitting too close to her. “I didn’t expect you to be awake.”
She kept her eyes on her lap as she fiddled with the pages of her book. “I was worried about—that is, I couldn’t sleep.”
Finn hesitated. He needed to tell her Wrexley was gone and wouldn’t return to Hadley House, but if Iris really did love the villain, as Wrexley claimed she did, she wouldn’t thank Finn for his interference, and he didn’t think he could bear to see any coldness in her blue eyes when she looked at him.
