Page 86 of From Rakes to Riches

“Shouldn’tyoube with the others?” She threw his question back at him and her slender shoulders eased.

“Not necessarily,” he replied, taking in the way she’d tilted her chin higher after she’d spoken.

“Are you a Runner?” She asked, her dark brows raised slightly.

“I am an earl.”

“Of course, you are.” Her tone was all disapproval.

“Does that bother you?” He stood only a few strides from her now. He hadn’t been mistaken inside the tent. She possessed uncommon features, a delicate nose and fair skin, though her full, heart-shaped lips couldn’t be labelled anything other than sensual. What could life possibly offer her here at Vauxhall?

“Should it, my lord?” She asked in that same tart tone.

“Not at all,” he said, his eyes never leaving her face. Was she a singer? An acrobat? She moved with an elegant grace that belied her situation. She seemed out of place here, and yet, here she was.

“If you’re not a Runner, why are you questioning me?”

He didn’t answer at first, taking her in and noting her evasive answers. She was as clever as she was beautiful.And bold.He’d give her that. “I’m interested in what happened last night.”

She seemed dissatisfied with his explanation, evidenced as one slender brow arched upward.

“The man who was killed was like a brother to me. Possibly the closest I’ll get to family. He deserved better than what happened here.” He accomplished the words without undue emotion thought his chest tightened reflexively. He moved his eyes to the same spot the woman had examined when he’d interrupted her. The place where Fremont was killed. Did he struggle? Was it over quickly? He clenched his jaw, impatient and angry, while in his periphery he saw her take a few silent steps toward the exit.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Her voice gained a softer quality. Gone was the defiance he’d heard earlier.

Intelligence showed in her eyes and another more elusive emotion he couldn’t decipher. It was his own shortcoming he’d misjudged her earlier. Better he came to this awareness before he delved deeper into the cause of Fremont’s death.

“What do you know?” He paced slowly to the right, intercepting her path were she to try to leave.

“Only what Fredrickson said.” A bird crossed the sky and she followed its path with her eyes as she spoke. “You were standing there.”

“Why are you here?”

“I was curious,” she answered quickly. “Sad, but also curious.”

“Curious about what you saw?” He asked pointedly, pressing for answers.

“I never said I saw something.”

“But you did, didn’t you?”

“I don’t know what you want from me. I told you why I came here.” She glared at him and folded her arms across her chest, the action momentarily distracting.

“Is this a game to you? Because I assure you it is anything but a game for me. I will discover the truth and when I hunt down whomever is responsible, they will pay for what they’ve done.”

“Because you are above the law.”

“In this, my title has no bearing.”

She didn’t answer him though her eyes rolled heavenward in a flash of disgusted tolerance. Her blatant disregard of his title defused his anger. They lived in two entirely different worlds. “What is your name?”

“What does it matter?” She replied in a petulant tone, her gauzy dress floating after her as she paced a step to the side. “Although I suppose, with all your privilege and opportunity, you’ll learn it anyway. I’m Lola.”

“Thank you.” He crossed the clearing until he stood within reach of her. She was petite, the top of her head barely met the bottom of his chin. Was she completely on her own? Without someone to protect her? It was an absurd thought and he blamed it on the recent events. “Will you help me, Lola?”

She startled. Whether from his question or the use of her name he couldn’t know.

“In what way?” She said, suspicion and curiosity alive in her eyes.

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