Page 43 of West End Earl
Icy dread settled in Phee’s belly. Of course Milton realized she was here. With the right ears listening on the right corners, he’d know Adam Hardwick to be a particular friend of Lord Calvin Carlyle, in addition to an employee of the house. The dirty paper on the desk with news of theWilhelminawas proof that several people in London knew where to reach Adam.
“Thank you for telling me.” The thud of her heartbeat pulsed in her ears, but remembering one thing calmed her: Calvin’s resources outmatched Milton’s, no matter how much her uncle had stolen from her inheritance. “Tonight, you say?”
Nelson nodded. “Midnight.”
“When Lord Carlyle gets home, let’s determine a plan. Thank you for warning me. You just saved my life.” She offered her hand. Nelson’s was warm and clammy. Phee smiled, trying to reassure him without words that he’d done the right thing. “We will talk soon. Until then, resume your duties.”
A half hour later, Cal strolled in from his ride with Ethan. When he entered the library, she looked up from her work in time to see his face light as he caught sight of her at her desk. Try as she might, the greeting she offered didn’t feel true. The smile slipped from his face, and those grooves around his mouth deepened. “What’s wrong?”
“Nelson was here. Milton ordered an attack for tonight. The orders are to bring them to my room. At least they’re planning to kill me themselves and don’t expect Nelson to do it.” She bit the sentences off, knowing with each statement she snatched away the fragile feeling of safety they’d been enjoying. It pained her to watch the happy glow seep out of him. As if she’d personally stolen his joy.
“You need to leave for Lakeview,” he said. “They can’t hurt you if you’re not here.”
“And abandon you to deal with them? What if you’re injured instead?” Milton was ruthless and proving to be more so with every piece of news they received.
Cal gently cupped her face. She liked it when he did that, when he showed her with his body that she was his sole focus in that moment—nothing else mattered but them. The chocolate depths of his eyes, rimmed by inky lashes, anchored her, replacing the twist of emotions hammering inside her chest with a calm that grew with every breath. “I could not live with myself if they hurt you again. Not when I knew the attack was coming. Please, Ophelia.” He placed a tender kiss at the corner of her eye, then her cheekbone, then the corner of her mouth. “Think of it as traveling ahead to finalize house-party details.”
“It’s two weeks early.”
“Then I’ll follow in a day or so, and we will have two blessed weeks alone. Just the two of us, endless acres of wood paths to wander, and so many rooms to steal kisses in, your head will spin. And if I’m lucky, a very large bed you’ll consider letting me into.”
Phee arched a brow but turned to kiss his palm. “Fine, I’ll go. You should talk to Nelson. I think he needs some reassurance. I’ll be upstairs packing. Oh, and this arrived.” She slid the slip of paper across the desk to him. “TheWilhelminaremains a mystery. No new information from Frankie. I can go poke around before I leave for Lakeview. One more trip to the waterfront won’t hurt. Frankie and the kids might not be talking to the right people, so who knows—”
Cal interrupted her with a hard kiss. “TheWilhelminaisn’t as important as your safety.”
Phee grumbled, “I’d rather feel useful than hide. But I suppose you’re right. I’ll go pack.”
“I’ll join you as soon as I’ve spoken with Nelson.”
In her room, she gathered her meager wardrobe, then folded everything neatly on the bed with her sewing kit atop the pile.
The maid arrived with a small traveling trunk for her things. “His lordship sent this up. Said you’re leaving us today, Mr. Hardwick?”
“Yes, for a little while. Thank you, Jenny.”
Phee sank to the edge of the mattress. Fretting over Milton was useless, so she’d worry about Lakeview instead. She was flexible like that. Phee chuckled to herself at the dark humor.
The picture Cal had painted of their next two weeks at his country house sounded idyllic. They’d have so much more privacy. Fewer interruptions. Less need to hide, with an entire estate to wander, far from prying eyes. While she was eager to take their kisses further, doubt slithered in, marring the anticipation.
Being Adam had become comfortable, and leaving that behind, even in private with only Cal, was a big step. She stood and tried to view herself with fresh eyes in the tall oval looking glass.
It had been years since she’d seen herself like this—all at once in a mirror, instead of the reflection of a shop window. Phee canted her head. Did she even look like Adam? He might have filled out. Men often did as they aged. Perhaps by now, they wouldn’t have been so alike.
In fact, she’d been terrified of getting older. The boys at school spoke of girls getting breasts, as if their chests had magically appeared one day. She’d checked each morning, in case a bosom had attached itself to her while she slept, thus destroying her disguise. Breasts never came, and eventually she stopped waiting for them. Her body was her body, and there was no changing it. The idea of sharing it, though, gave her mixed emotions. Sex with Cal? Yes, please. Cal seeing her naked? Nerve-racking.
With the practice of someone who’d moved far too many times in her adult life, Phee packed her few possessions into the trunk with efficient movements, securing her sewing kit inside a satin pocket in the lining, along with the miniature of her parents. Against the dark-brown leather of the luggage, her hands were pale, scarred, and calloused. Beneath her male clothing, her muscles had lines and dips, honed by hours of fencing and living a life of work instead of leisure. She’d used those muscles this morning in a match with Cal—which he’d nearly won, because she got distracted by the clear desire on his face while they fenced. How remarkable that crossing swords with her seemed to make him want her more.
No, she might not be a fainting violet, but her body served her well.
Violet. Phee scrunched her face. Jealousy did her no favors.
There were more important things to worry about. She snapped the latch of the trunk closed with more force than needed.
Cal had asked her to trust him to deal with Violet Cuthbert, and it certainly hadn’t beenViolet’sbed he’d slept in the other night, orViolet’sbed he’d share at Lakeview. Now that he’d brought that up, the thought wouldn’t leave her head. Not that she minded. Imagining them in bed was a pleasant thing to obsess over, especially given the other options.
But so much of it was beyond her control. Letting Cal swoop in and save the day felt odd, and hiding inside this house instead of earning her keep felt even odder. Her hands clenched and released at her sides, over and over, so she sat beside the window with her bird carving. The details were coming together now, and gouging out grooves of feathers gave her hands something to do.
“You really do have the strangest hobbies.” Cal’s voice came from the doorway. Phee glanced up with a smile.
