She’d completely forgotten that he was coming to her tonight. But seeing him filled her with instant relief and gratitude and somehow fortified that inner source of strength she’d only recently discovered.
“Phin,” she sighed as a smile curved her mouth, quivering a bit at the corners.
Chapter Thirty-One
“What happened, sweetheart,”Phin repeated, concern tightening his muscles, as he dropped to a knee in front of her and took her shaking hands in his.
Despite the tremor in her body, her gaze was steady and focused.
“I know who the British gentleman is,” she murmured.
His eyes widened. “What? How?”
She gave a little shake of her head, and her expression firmed. “I cannot beabsolutelycertain, but I feel I’m right. What he said tonight…” Her brows furrowed and her voice lowered thoughtfully. “It was very similar to what was written in the threats you received…referencing karma and fate. It’s got to be him. But I don’t understand. Why?”
“Who?” Phin’s hands tightened on hers. “Did he threaten you?”
She blinked. “No. Well, not exactly. I was more that heclaimedme. By right and by destiny.” Her expression grew frustrated and she gave another shake of her head. “It was rather strange, actually.”
“Tell me everything.”
Phin remained on one knee before her as she recounted her evening from the moment Lord Ackerly, a gentleman of previously casual acquaintance, approached her for a dance to the moment she walked away from him. She explained how his typically pleasant attitude had changed recently, as he’d started making offhand comments about her association with Phin.
Trepidation filtered heavily through his body as he listened, staring down at her slim, elegant hands resting quietly now in his.
He wished he’d been free to attend the ball tonight. He may not have been able to do much with the entire ton watching, but at least, he could’ve been nearby. He could’ve watched out for her.
“Phin,” she said now, bringing his attention back to her face. He noted right away that her prior distress had been quelled. That quiet strength and focus he so admired was evident in her steady gaze.
“Yes, love,” he murmured thoughtlessly, only realizing the endearment he’d used when her cheeks pinkened.
Gratefully, she ignored it. “What possible connection could Lord Ackerly have to the necklace?”
He released her hands to slip his arms around her hips as he leaned toward her. His chest pressed to her knees and her hands came up to rest on his shoulders.
“I’m more worried about what the man thinks he has to do withyou.”
“It was odd…” she replied thoughtfully. “He’d implied that I always should have been his. Yet, from the moment we met last year, he’d never made any attempt at courting me.”
“Perhaps he was waiting to have the necklace,” he mused, enjoying the way her fingers had slid up to twist in the hair at his nape.
Her dark eyes grew shadowed. “How would he even know about it? It was but an obscure family legend until you received it.”
“An excellent question,” Phin answered. But there was something in her words that pricked at the back of his mind. The sensation was there then gone again as her innocent caress sent tingling streaks of fire through his blood. “And one that can wait until morning,” he suggested roughly.
Without awaiting her reply, he gripped her hips in his hands and rose to his feet. Just enough to lift her further onto the bed as he came down atop her.
“There’s been enough intrigue and drama for one day, don’t you think,” he teased warmly.
She smiled and sighed. Looping her arms around his neck, she parted her legs to accommodate his weight between them and looked up at him with a softened gaze. “I never would’ve guessed it about myself, but I think I might enjoy the intrigue and drama,” she admitted.
“Of course you do,” she replied with a grin. “You likeme, after all.”
“Do I?” She asked with raised brows before laughing softly. Then she whispered, “I’m glad you’re here.”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” he replied in a thick murmur.
As he said the words, he acknowledged how true they were. It was an astounding realization—to actually feel content in where he was and what he was doing. At the moment, there was no yearning inside him for some new adventure or distant shore. For the first time in a long time, he had everything he wanted right in his hands.
