Page 6 of Teach a Rogue New Tricks
Then he melted, shoulders twitching, face screwing up, jaw jutting toward her, and hands fidgeting at his sides. From predator to perplexed in a single breath. The self-proclaimed villain waved a hand at the odiferous baby on her shoulder. “He’s fallen asleep.”
Villain put aside for the moment, Ada tilted her head to peek at the child. “Oh no. Howcould you, Daniel,” she whispered. “You have, um, unmentionable substances in your nappy. Now is no time for slumber.”
Cass chuckled. “How could he, indeed. I have a serious question, Miss Cavendish.”
She raised a wary gaze to him. A baby-befuddled villain remained a villain. “Ye-es?”
“What do you do now? He needs a change. But he’s asleep. And in my limited experience, that bundle of joy screams when he wakes up. Nice and loud. But he’s nice and quiet at the moment. And I’m sure we would all like to keep it so. Yet, he does currently also, ahem, stink.” He reached out and ran a finger down the side of the sleeping child’s head. “Sorry, old chap. Just the truth.”
“I see what you mean.” The children were not this young when she had taken the care of them upon herself. “I’m not quite sure. But his nurse will know. I’ll… I’ll just be…” She backed toward the door. She would not call this running away. A sleeping child with a nasty nappy equaled an emergency that must be dealt with posthaste. “Right back.” She turned and ran. Not quite. More of a quick walk. But no one would blame her if she ran. He named himself a villain, after all.
“Hell,” she breathed when she reached the end of the hallway. Where was the nursery? She ran back down the hall and popped her head into the library containing the villain. “Could you perhaps point me in the direction of the nursery? Please?”
He’d pulled a chair in front of the door and sat, watching. Waiting? For her to return?
His lips quirked into that half smile again. “Up one more flight of stairs and at the end of the hall on the right. I’d show you myself, but we should not be seen together.”
“Ah. Yes. Of course. Thank you.” She followed his directions and found the nursery and the nurse.
The nurse frowned at Ada as if she’d dropped the baby in mud. “He’s in need of a good nap. Leave him with me. I’ll take care of thissituation.” She said the word as if the situation had been of Ada’s devising.
But Ada kept her smile and left Daniel in much more competent hands than her own. She paused at the top of the stairs. She’d said she’d return to her villain.Hervillain? Well, she had discovered him. But did she want to return to him as she’d said she would? He’d appeared to have set up to wait for her to do so.
She looked down the stairs. Bouncing down them all would take her outdoors to the sunshine and her family, to the comfort of the known and expected.
If she stopped with one flight and sought out her villain, she walked down a dark path. She had no idea what lay at the path’s end or what perils would meet her along the way. With a deep breath, she took the first step.
Chapter Three
Cassmade damn sure he’d angled the chair perfectly toward the door. If she returned again, he’d see her immediately, and she’d see him. Unlikely she’d return, but damn he wanted her to.
He’d saiddamntwice. No good. He’d devolved in the space of half an hour, losing ground in his already-difficult reformation. He should not have shocked Miss Cavendish on purpose. Not something a good man would do.
But it had been worth it. Miss Cavendish’s delicate little jaw had dropped when he’d proclaimed himself a villain, and he’d wanted to reach out, put a finger right under her chin, and close it for her.
That would have proved his villainy. In the end, he hadn’t had to scare her off. She’d run on her own, taking temptation, sunshine, bright eyes, and the stinky, sleeping Daniel, with her. She wouldn’t return.
Good. She not only made him fail to keep his silence, disturbed his tranquility, and abandon his sincerity, she made him wish he’d not resolved to keep his chastity. She wasquitepretty, all green eyes and thick dark hair, not too tall or too short. The perfect height actually, and the perfect build. Just curvy enough in all the right places. But she looked strong, too. A country girl, no doubt, all innocence and goodness and rosy-pink sweetness.
She appeared in the doorframe, and when she saw him, her head tilted. “Did you look at the door the entire time?”
She’d returned. Seemed a miracle. “I was waiting for you.” He leaned back and crossed one booted ankle over his other knee, resting his arms along the spindly arms of the chair.
Her lips tipped down, a frown more enchanting than it had a right to be. “You look as if you’re about to pounce. I see the rake in you now.”
“And you did not before.”
She swallowed and looked away. “A bit, I admit.”
He’d wager more than a bit, but she seemed a brave chit. Admirable. Ha. Not admirable—silly. Foolish. He stood and stalked her way, lifting her gaze back to his with a single index finger pressed to the underside of her chin. Soft and warm, just as he’d imagined.
Her eyes, when they met his, were all fire. “Can you please, sir, remove your finger from my person?”
He pulled his hand back to his side, a tendril of reluctance snaking about his heart, squeezing.
She raked her gaze over him from hair to boots and back again. “A villain, you say? You look like a gentleman to me. My aunt and uncle would not associate with fiends.”
“Hm. Fiend. I’ve not used that one before, but it fits, too.”
