Page 39 of The Viscount's Code
While she had broken him into discussion yesterday, it seemed that now she had to start from the beginning once more. She sighed as she wondered whether she had it in her to do so again, but she hated this unspoken conflict between them and wished to find ease. She decided there was only one to go about it, and that was to be direct with him.
She took a deep breath for courage.
“Anthony, perhaps we should discuss what occurred this morning.”
“I sincerely apologize for that,” he said, his jaw tightening slightly. “It was a mistake. A mistake that began when I joined you on the bed. It will not happen again.” His eyes flickered over to her face. “I realize what this means and if you expect me to do right by you… I will.”
Hope’s eyes widened. “Anthony, I did not accompany you on this journey to trap you into marriage.”
“I know, but—”
“I am aware that this is my fault, and I will not hold you accountable. I was the one who stowed away in your carriage, even when you told me not to come on this trip. I was the one who brought no maid and therefore could not stay in my own room. And I was the one who told you to join me in the bed. You took… actions in your sleep that I cannot fault you for, although I do have to ask—”
No. She shouldn’t. She shouldn’t ask.
“Ask what?”
“Nothing.”
“Say it,” he said, his eyes trained on her, and she opened her mouth with some trepidation.
Her voice just above a whisper, she asked, “Did you want a woman, or did you want… me?”
He stared at her, his nostrils flaring slightly, his eyes narrowing. “What do you think?”
“Well,” she said slowly. “At first I thought you considered me just a woman in your bed, but then you said my name.”
He didn’t respond, and she did her best to be patient, to not fill the silence but allow him to speak.
“I had just spent the day with you, Hope, and you are a beautiful woman,” he finally said. “Make of that what you will.”
It appeared that was all she was going to get from him, as he lapsed back into silence and stared out the window.
It wasn’t his response that Hope couldn’t stop thinking about. It was the fact that, even though she knew he likely only wanted her for her availability, he did not appear to actually like anything about her. He was the one man her father – and Faith – had forbid she consider as anything more than an acquaintance.
Yet she couldn’t help but want him to kiss her again.
CHAPTER15
As the small country cottage came into view from the carriage window, Anthony breathed a sigh of relief. For not only was he glad that their journey was over – and his rocking stomach could be set at ease – but arriving at Tom Reeves’ residence also felt like a coming home for him. He had spent many days here, at the side of his father, and he figured it was the closest he would ever come to feeling like he was with him once more.
He stole a glance at Hope. Not that this was something he was going to share with her. She had learned far too much about him already.
Anthony exited the carriage quietly and stretched out his arm as an invitation for her to join him. She took it, and for a moment, a flash of emotion at how right it felt to be arriving together ran through him, but he quickly dismissed it. She had stowed away, he reminded himself. She had no business being here at all, and there was still a very real chance that they could be discovered and their fates become forever entwined.
Reeves’ tall figure filled the doorway of the cottage. His hair was greyer than the last time Anthony had seen him, and his reluctant smile faltered somewhat when he saw that Anthony wasn’t alone. He had never been a particularly social man, but since the accusations that had been thrown at Anthony’s father, he had practically turned into a recluse.
The cottage had aged like the man, the wood worn and the thatched roof showing its years, but the grey stone and cobbled walls were as solid as ever.
“Anthony. Good to see you, my boy,” Reeves said when they neared, his eyes darting over to Hope. “I see you have company. Are congratulations in order?”
“Mr. Reeves,” Hope greeted him softly, lowering her head.
“This is Lady Hope,” Anthony said. “She is a… friend of mine.”
“I see,” Reeves said, not asking the further questions that most people would. He stared at Hope for a long, solemn moment, and then gestured them forward.
“Come inside,” he said, and ducked back through the door and into the cottage, Hope and Anthony following.
