Page 103 of His Wicked Charm

Con ignored him. “She knows it now. Even accepts it. But she doesn’t like it. You heard her last night, saying she couldn’t believe she was talking about these matters as if they were real.”

“I wasn’t fond of getting smacked with a vision whenever I touched something either, but one adjusts. She seems to have done so.”

“Because she wants this matter resolved.” Con shrugged. “And she’s drawn to the adventure in the same way that she’s drawn to me. But she doesn’t want to be. It’s not the life she’s always dreamed of. When this is over, she’ll return to the life she wants—the peace, the order and simplicity. I don’t fit there.”

“But she loves you. Sabrina told me last night Lilah was in love with you.”

“She did?” Con glanced over, his heart suddenly lighter in his chest. “How did Sabrina know? Did Lilah tell her?”

“I don’t think they talked about it. You know how women are. Sabrina just knew.”

“I’m pathetic, aren’t I? Sometimes I wish Lilah was pregnant because I know she’d marry me then. That’s an awful way to think, isn’t it? Wanting to force her into marriage. Mother would be appalled.”

“You are no worse than every other man in love. I suspect at some point we’ve all wished to tie a woman to us any way possible.” Alex clapped his brother on the shoulder. “You said you intended to marry her, and I’ve never known you not to get what you went after. How do you plan to win her over?”

“I have to prove that I can give her the life she’s dreamed of. That I can be the kind of man she wants. I must be patient. Steady. Show her that I’m not rash, that I won’t be running off to Cornwall or Scotland to follow an investigation. That I won’t cause a scandal. Proving that takes time. I can’t just say, ‘I’m going to be different,’ and expect her to believe me.”

“You sound like a knight on a quest.”

Con laughed. “Maybe I am. I have to slay a dragon. Only the dragon I need to slay is me.”

“Con...” Alex frowned. “You shouldn’t have to change yourself to win her love. If she truly loves you...”

“One does have to change. It’s inevitable. Are you the same man you were before you met Sabrina? You needn’t answer because I can assure you that you are not. You’re stronger, more mature. You’ve accepted your ability, even come to value it. But you also have a new vulnerability—you have worry and fear for someone else, the desire to make Sabrina happy, the need to protect her. Love always changes a person. The only question is whether it’s for good or ill.”

His twin stared at him, stricken. “How can Lilah not realize that you already are serious and thoughtful? Con...talk to Lilah. Tell her all this. What you feel for her, what you think. Ask her to marry you. A traditional proposal might go a long way toward making her believe you know what’s proper.”

“I can’t. Not yet.” Con’s chest tightened. “What if she says no? It would be over. We couldn’t go on as if nothing had happened. I can’t risk that. I have to wait until I’m sure.”

“Since when have you ever been afraid of a risk? You’re the boy who went after that thug with your cricket bat. I’m the one who lost my lunch when we found a dead body. You went for help. You’re the lad who took on a dray driver even though he was twice your size and had a whip in his hand.”

“He was beating his horse!” Fire flared in Con’s eyes at the memory. “What else could I do? As I remember, you ran to join me. Anyway, that was different.” Con sighed. “All I risked then was a beating. This is a different matter altogether. If I lose Lilah, I’ll lose everything.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

LILAH LOITERED IN the entryway, waiting for Con. They had planned to go to the village to track down her father’s lawyer, but after Alex and Sabrina left, Con had disappeared into the garden. After a moment, she wandered down the hall. Her aunt was in the sitting room, her hands in her lap, staring off into nothing. Her face was wan, and her eyes suspiciously puffy. Had she been crying?

Vesta looked up and smiled. “Hello, dear. Come and sit with me.” She patted the sofa beside her. “I’m quite lazy this morning. I had trouble sleeping last night.” As Lilah sat down, Vesta went on, “It’s because the Sanctuary is calling to me. We must find that key. If we could release the Goddess...”

“Well, freeing it is what we don’t want to do,” Lilah pointed out.

“Yes, of course, dear. What I mean is binding the Sanctuary to us.” Vesta fell silent, absently running her finger over the arm of her chair. Not looking up, she said quietly, “The power went to you, didn’t it? I felt it. It was much more powerful when you joined me.”

“I’m not sure,” Lilah demurred. She told herself it was silly to feel guilty for being the recipient of the Sanctuary’s power. She would gladly have given it over to Aunt Vesta if she could. Still, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for her aunt.

“I always believed it favored me. Fed me. I thought if I came back, my power would return.” Vesta’s face was sad, something Lilah had rarely seen on her aunt.

“Give it time, Aunt Vesta.”

“That’s sweet of you to say. You were always such a good little girl.” Vesta straightened her shoulders and pushed a smile onto her face. “It was much stronger, wasn’t it, when we were together?”

“Yes, it was.”

“That’s good. You’re right, I should give it more time.” Vesta’s smile turned more natural. “Now, what are you and that young man of yours doing today? Are you any further along in finding the key?”

Lilah was glad to change the subject. She launched into a description of their visit yesterday to her father’s valet, ending with his revelation that Sir Virgil had left her a letter with his lawyer.

“You think that Mr. Cunningham took the letter? Oh, my. He always seemed such a nice man.”