“Kate.”
She startled at the deep voice. James’s arm was now lying at his side, and he was fully awake.
The steadiness of his gaze unnerved her. She cleared her throat. “Lord Brenton, I believed you were sleeping, or I would not have presumed to disturb you.”
He dismissed her apology. “I have no complaints about your nearness, though I was resting until Hadley woke me with the news that there was a lady at the door insisting on an audience.”
“I did not insist,” she countered. “I merely . . . inquired.”
James let out a low chuckle. “And to what do I owe the honor of your inquiry, Kate? I am afraid I cannot take you on our ride in Hyde Park this afternoon.”
She examined the bandage around his head, but all she could see was his body collapsing to the ground. Her easy reply died on her tongue.
His teasing expression faded, his voice now tense. “Tell me you attended one of the card parties last night. Or a musicale. I would dearly love to hear of it.”
Silence was the only answer she could give. He searched her face, questions tightening his features.
“You do not appear surprised to find me injured,” James said as he gestured toward the bandage. When she still gave no response, his voice became little more than a whisper. “I had a dreadful certainty that you were there last night, Kate.”
Kate opened her mouth to answer, but the words she needed stuck in her throat, her emotions too tangled to let anything past. It appeared James was more observant than she had supposed.
“Then it was you,” he said, the words low and rough.
Perhaps the only way to get honesty from him was to offer some of her own.
“How did you know?”
“Kate, it’s impossible for me not to notice when you are near.”
His tone was light, but his answer was not.
He smiled. “Besides, I can still smell the scent of orange blossom.”
“Aunt Edith gave me a vial of orange flower water last year. I forgot I was wearing it when I left home last night.”
“I suppose I should not be surprised to find you were in that alley. When we were children, wherever there was chaos, you were not far behind.”
Her smile broke free, and the air between them turned into something lighter. Easier. “I seem to remember following you into trouble many times.”
He answered with an easy smile and their old friendship returned. She much preferred this camaraderie to the unsettling awareness he stirred in her too often, but it was also frustrating. It made it easy to forget the unanswered questions that had brought her here.
“Then you were there because of me?” he asked.
His assumption provided a convenient cover for her secrets. There was no need to tell him about the paper or the symbol. It wounded her pride to let him believe that she had simply trailed after him, but it was preferable to him discovering the truth.
No answer came readily. She sat on the upholstered rosewood chair closest to the sofa, giving herself a moment togather her thoughts. Perhaps visiting today had not been wise. She had come for answers, but James was the only one asking questions. She had already told him more than she meant to.
“Kate, please, I need to know. I have lived a thousand lifetimes since I thought I saw you standing in that alley.” He braced an arm to push himself to a sitting position. The blanket covering James slipped, revealing a white linen shirt open at the neck, offering Kate a shocking glimpse of his bare chest.
Kate entirely forgot what James had said. A faint, betraying warmth bloomed in her cheeks. She averted her gaze only to meet his eyes, dark and dancing. He smirked. “If I knew I simply had to take off my shirt to get you to stop asking questions, Kate, I would have done so long ago.”
She scoffed, unwilling to admit her attraction out loud even if the vexing man had seen it. “Are you certain you did not hit your head harder than you believed?”
He burst into laughter, followed by a grimace. Her concern rose. “You are seriously injured, then?”
“Nothing that won’t mend. A bruise on my torso and a considerable knot on my head. The physician assured me I will be back to my charming self in a few days.”
The tightness in her chest eased. “I am relieved to hear it. When that man hit you . . .” She could not finish as tears pricked at her eyes.
