Page 64 of A Lady's Handbook of Espionage
He caught her wrist, careful not to grip too tightly. “Easy.Easy now. It’s just me. You’re safe.”
Her chest heaved with panicked breaths, then awareness crept into her gaze.
“Ronan?” she whispered, uncertain.
“The one and only.” He slid his hand in soothing circles over her back.
Isabel sagged against him. “Merde.” She rubbed at her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“No harm done. Might requisition some armour, though. For next time.”
A small sound escaped her – not quite a laugh, but close enough.
They stayed like that for a long moment, Isabel’s breathing gradually slowing.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“What are fake husbands for, if not to rescue their fake wives from nightmares?”
A small smile was her only response, but the haunted look still hadn’t left her eyes. Her fingers curled against his skin like she feared he’d disappear if she let go. Vulnerable in a way he’d rarely seen her.
He pressed a kiss to her temple. “Want to talk about it?”
“Not particularly.”
“Distract you, then?”
She nodded.
“Did I ever tell you why I was in Athens?” he asked.
Isabel blinked. “I . . . what?”
“Athens. 1870.”
“When you were running through the market?”
“I’d been sent to intercept a rogue agent planning to sell secrets to the highest bidder. We had intelligence suggesting he was meeting his contact in one of the markets in the old city.”
“Clever,” she murmured. “Easy to blend in, lots of potential escape routes.”
“Precisely. It took me a week to pinpoint the location of the rendezvous. I spent days strategising my approach and memorising their routines. I failed to account for the possibility that our intelligence might have been compromised.”
Isabel leaned forward. “What happened?”
“At least half a dozen armed men came at me from nowhere. One second, I’m watching the exchange; the next, I’m fighting for my damn life. I managed to escape, but not before catching a dagger to the ribs. I was outnumbered, bleeding, and rapidly running out of options. That’s when I ran into you.”
“You looked like death warmed up,” she said, expression softening. “All wild-eyed and covered in blood.”
“And you helped me. Why?”
Her gaze dropped to her hands, to the tiny scar across her knuckles. “I liked you.”
“You liked me, hm?” He smiled.
“Don’t sound so smug. You have a certain charm.”
“And?”
