Page 29 of Teach a Rogue New Tricks
“I cannot.”
She inhaled, a shivering breath, then exhaled, and her entire body seemed to shrink. “As you wish. But I do hope you leave the past sometime soon.” She turned and left, and the garden gate clicked closed behind her.
Well, damn. He’d thrown the woman away, scared her off, and she’d come marching right back. The terror must not have taken.
Reminded him of Bax. No matter how often Cass had insulted or hurt his brother, Bax had always been there if he needed him. Until, of course, Cass had gone too far.
Even now Cass saw the line of right and ran far beyond it, throwing away someone who wished to believe in his goodness.
Like Bax, she would not come back one day.
He scratched the back of his neck then exploded into a walk, pacing back and forth across the garden. She wanted him to leave the past, the man he used to be, behind. His father had asked him to do the same.
He wasn’t sure he could do that or even deserved to do it.
Butdamn, what a woman. She deserved more than he’d given her so far, certainly.
What if he didn’t run from right this time? What if he took it up like a knight takes up his lance? She’d wanted a bit of adventure. Gadding about London might expose him, might reveal his presence to the one man who could send him away from home and family for good, but he wanted to give her something, the very thing she desired—an adventure. Risks to himself be damned. For a while, at least, he’d put aside reforming, and help bring the type of excitement to a country beauty’s life only a rogue could manage.
The intention lightened his entire body, turned him from midnight shadows into sun-streaked morning air. He opened his notebook as he returned to the townhouse and wrote in shaky pencil as he walked.
Helping others may help yourself.
Chapter Nine
Ada’sneck prickled. Her shoulders wiggled. Somewhere, someone transgressed. She could not know what rule they broke or why, or exactly how mischievous their actions, but the prickling, the wiggling, they never lied. They always knew when mischief lurked. She swung her gaze left. There strolled Papa by the Tower of London’s white walls with the twins on either side of him. She swung her gaze right. There stood Sarah near a bear cage, holding Pansy’s hand.
No mischief. Unless you counted the miserable animals in cages, though Ada called that cruelty.
Then why the prickling? The wiggling? They were never wrong. Someone had to be misbehaving. Had Pansy shoved something questionable into her pocket? Had the twins fed something they shouldn’t to an animal?
She stopped walking and tapped her cheek. “Hmm.” Perhaps her senses were off, clouded by her disappointment. She’d made a final stand for Lord Albee yesterday and had been sent packing. For the second time in a row. Stung, it did. She consoled herself with this fact—it was not her job, no matter what the rogue thought, to fix him. Even Sarah had not been able to transform Ada’s father. In the end, he had been the one who had to take the final step, to come home and face his fears.
So it would be for Lord Albee.
She’d washed her hands of him.
“Psst.”
She jumped, swung around. “Ack!”
A man in a greatcoat, collar pulled high around his cheeks, hat brim pulled low to cover his eyes, stood just next to her. She scrambled to put distance between them, but his hand shot out, encircled her wrist. She yelped, tugged, but the man leaned forward, pushed the brim of his hat up a tiny bit with the hand not holding onto her, and winked. “It’s me.”
“Lord Albee?” She clutched her heart. “You terrified me!” She shook his hand away, and he let her. “What are you doing here?”
“You invited me.”
“But you said you would not come.”
“Is it rude to show up after announcing your intention not to do so?”
She nodded. Her pulse finally began to slow to its normal rate. “My. You gave me a fright.”
“Did you find it exciting?” A hint of a white-toothed grin peeked out at her from between what little of him she could see between coat and hat.
“Not in a good way.”
The grin disappeared. “Apologies. I should have considered—”
