Page 6 of Worth Any Price
Nick grinned, appreciating the fearlessness of her manner, despite the fact that her heart was pounding wildly against the inside of his wrist. Carefully he loosened his arm and helped her to turn by slow degrees. She wobbled a little and dug her fingers into his coat sleeves in a spasm of anxiety. “I’ve got you,” he said steadily.
She faced him, and they both froze as their gazes locked. Nick forgot the wall beneath his feet. It seemed as if they were poised in midair, in a blue wash of moonlight that made everything look unreal. Recognition shot through him like a bolt of lightning. Incredibly, he found himself staring into the features that had almost become more familiar to him than his own.
Charlotte.
“I’ve got you,” he repeated with a faint smile.
Chapter Three
“Sit,” the stranger told Lottie, his huge hands closing around her shoulders and pushing her down. She obeyed carefully, lowering herself to the wall with her legs dangling. The man swung to the ground, landing lightly from the six-foot drop. He held up his arms for her. Lottie hesitated as a cold fist seemed to squeeze around her heart. Every instinct warned her not to jump into his arms. He looked like a predator waiting to snatch her.
“Come,” he murmured. The moon struck glints of jolting blue in his eyes.
Reluctantly Lottie leaned forward with her arms outstretched. As she repelled from the stone surface, her hands settled on his shoulders, and he took hold of her waist. He tempered her descent with an ease that betrayed immense physical strength. His hands lingered at her waist, assuring her balance before he released her.
Standing with him on the ground, Lottie was struck by his size. The stranger was unusually tall, with broad shoulders, and big feet and hands. Although he was well dressed, wearing the new cut of coat with long lapels, and loose-tailored trousers, his dark hair had been cut unfashionably short, and his face was clean shaven. That was unusual among the elegant crowd at Stony Cross Park. Stylish gentlemen let their hair grow over their collars, and sported side-whiskers and moustaches. This man didn’t even have a wisp of a goatee to soften the obdurate line of his jaw.
He indicated the wall with a jerk of his head. “Why were you standing up there?”
For a moment Lottie couldn’t speak as she stared up into his handsome face. Nature had been spendthrift with this man, bestowing him with bold, princely features and eyes as blue and intense as the heart of midnight. The cynicism in those eyes was a fascinating contrast to the touch of humor that lurked at the corners of his wide mouth. He looked to be about thirty—the time in a man’s life when he surrendered the last vestiges of callowness and came fully into his maturity. No doubt women of all ages were instantly enthralled by him.
Gathering her wits, she managed to answer him. “I enjoy the view.”
“You could obtain the same view from the safety of a window.”
A faint smile touched her lips. “The view is far more rewarding when there is some risk involved.”
He grinned suddenly, as if he understood exactly what she meant. His roguish smile was dazzling, nearly causing her heart to stop. Lottie couldn’t stop staring at him. It seemed that there was something important and unspoken in the air, as if they had once met but she had forgotten the occasion.
“Who are you, sir?” she asked. “I haven’t seen you here before.”
“Perhaps I’m your guardian angel.”
“You don’t look very angelic to me,” she replied skeptically, making him laugh.
He bowed and introduced himself. “Lord Sydney, at your service.”
Lottie responded with a curtsy. “Miss Miller. I am employed as a companion to the dowager countess.” She gave him an openly speculative glance. “The guest list for Lord Westcliff’s house parties is quite exclusive. How did you manage to get an invitation?”
“The earl was kind enough to offer his hospitality on the recommendation of a mutual friend.”
“Have you come to hunt?” she asked. “Is that why you are here?”
“Yes,” he said with a puzzling, ironic edge to his tone. “I hunt.”
A burst of music came from the direction of the al fresco party, and they both glanced toward the back gardens. “I came to have a look at thehorses,” Sydney said. “Forgive me for intruding on your privacy.”
“Do you intend to return to the party now?”
His dark brows lifted in teasing challenge. “Are you going to climb back onto that wall if I do?”
Good Lord, it was preposterous for one man to possess so much charm! Her lips quirked with an irrepressible smile. “Not tonight, my lord.”
“Allow me to accompany you back to the house, then.”
Lottie made no protest as he fell into step beside her.
It was hardly unusual to encounter his sort at Stony Cross Park. Most days, one couldn’t throw a coin without hitting some brawny male in search of sport. In the past two years Lottie had been approached by many of them. But there was something different about this one. He did not have the sense of ease, the aimlessness of the other aristocrats who frequented this place. She sensed the ruthlessness that lurked just beneath his facade. She did not feel quite safe around him. And yet at the same time, she felt oddly compelled to lure him closer, to make him smile again.
