Page 28 of The Viscount's Code
“You didn’t come for breakfast,” she said, though her voice wasn’t accusatory but rather questioning.
“I’m not hungry,” he muttered, hoping to be rid of her quickly. “I have other things to attend to.”
“I see,” she said. “Have you decided what you are going to do?”
“Yes,” he said. “I will depart tomorrow to see Reeves. I will take the books with me.”
Hope bit her lip, and he could tell she was wondering whether or not she should trust him. He wished she would, but his hopes were soon dashed.
“I am coming with you,” she said with confidence, to which he looked up at her and scoffed.
“You most certainly are not.”
“I do not believe that is up to you.”
“I believe it is,” he countered. “I do not want an entire audience for this. If you come, then your mother comes. Part of the reason I am leaving is to get away from her incessant nattering.”
“Lord Whitehall!”
“You know it is true,” he said, which she couldn’t deny.
“If your mother comes, then my mother comes. And everyone will want to know why we are going and what we are doing there. And then we return to the beginning of this conundrum, in which your father does not want the books to be removed from his residence. Besides, Reeves lives alone, outside the town, to escape people.”
Her face remained impassive, and Anthony’s cheeks heated as he realized he had said more than usual.
“I am not suggesting that I bring a chaperone.”
He raised his brows. “You can hardly come alone.”
“I have a plan so that no one will be the wiser.”
“Lady Hope,” he said slowly. “If you and I were to travel together alone, we would be required to marry.”
“Am I really so bad?” she asked, obviously trying not to let him see how much his answer meant to her.
“It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me,” he said quietly. “Besides, your father told me to stay away from you while here in your residence. If he were ever to discover that you accompanied me on a journey away from the manor, I can hardly imagine how he might react.”
“He would never know.”
“I said no, Lady Hope. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some preparations to make.”
“I shall tell him what you are doing,” she said, straightening her shoulders.
He snorted. “No, you won’t. Good day, Lady Hope.”
Clearly annoyed that he had seen through her ruse, Hope turned and left. Somehow Anthony had a feeling that this wasn’t the last of this conversation. It was only the beginning.
CHAPTER11
After all of Hope’s insistence that she was secretly accompanying him on his journey, Anthony was surprised when, the next morning, he saw her standing at the door of the house, a valise in hand.
“What are you doing?” he asked, and she smiled sweetly.
“What I am doing has nothing to do with you,” she said. “I am going with Faith to visit Lady Persephone.”
“I see,” he said, instantly dubious of her unsuspecting smile, but he wasn’t sure what he had to be suspicious of. For there was Lady Faith, coming down the stairs, dressed in travelling clothes as well.
“Are you ready, Hope?” Lady Faith asked, and she nodded as Lord and Lady Embury, as well as Anthony’s mother, entered the hall.
