Page 55 of Temptress in Disguise
“Did he say what he wanted with my wife?”
“Your wife?” Mr Tuttle almost slipped off his rickety stool.
“Mr Chance is my husband.” She gestured to the intimidating figure of the man she had married. The dangerous man who’d cradled her in his arms last night and stroked her hair. The troubled man who’d woken twice before dawn, begging his father to take him to fight instead of his badly beaten brother. “Ours was a relatively quick engagement.”
So quick she was still catching her breath.
Mr Tuttle dabbed his forehead with his handkerchief and offered a beaming smile. “Then I wish you well, my dear. I trust you no longer need the apartment and have come to give notice.”
“No. I?—”
“Yes,” Aramis interjected. “I shall pay you two months’ notice, by which time we should know whether my wife’s sister wishes to continue renting the rooms or live with us.”
Naomi nudged his arm covertly. “Let us not be hasty.” What if they failed to prove fraud and secure her inheritance? It was almost impossible to find a decent place to stay in London. “My sister is extremely independent and will want to reside close to the Belldrake.”
Mr Tuttle scratched his head. “Forgive me, my dear. It doesn’t take much to confuse me these days, but your sister is upstairs packing her things. She said her betrothed wants her to live in a grand house in Mayfair, though she made no mention of your wedding.”
“Lydia is here?” Her pulse thumped in her throat.
“Yes. She said it was up to you to give notice.” He gestured to the door leading to the upper floors. “I’d go now, as she’s in somewhat of a hurry. Then let me know what you want to do about the rent.”
Naomi nodded, but the thought of seeing Lydia made her nervous. “What is Lydia doing here?” she whispered to Aramis as they climbed the first flight of stairs. “She is supposed to be hiding from our uncle. Do you think she’s really accepted a marriage proposal?”
He shrugged. “We’re about to find out.”
A sudden thought struck her when they reached the landing. Lydia might not speak openly in front of Aramis and would turn doe-eyed as soon as she glimpsed his handsome countenance. “You should wait in the hall. I shall enter the apartment and attempt to learn what she has planned. She may be too afraid to speak in front of a stranger.”
“I’m not leaving you alone with her.”
Surprised by his volatile reaction, she was quick to ease his fears. “Lydia can be officious and sometimes unkind, but she would never hurt me. I assure you, it will please her to know I’m safe.”
Aramis’ mouth twisted in unease. Most people would nod, but he insisted on expressing his opinion. “As your husband, I must protect you. I don’t trust her. She left you to the wolves. Don’t expect me to take tea with her and pass pleasantries.”
She brought him to a halt on the landing. “I’m glad she did, or I would never have enlisted your help.” She dared to cup his cheek. His dark eyes softened as they had last night when their gazes locked and he buried himself deep inside her. “Aramis, I’d spend ten years in Newgate if it meant sharing one more night with you. But I cannot abandon Lydia.”
He drew her hand to his lips and pressed a lingering kiss to her palm. “Your kindness and faith in others are amongst the things that make you beautiful to me. I’m at fault for trying to force you to think otherwise. God knows I’ve failed my brother many times over the years. I wouldn’t want you to live with the same guilt or regret.”
It seemed incredible to her that a man who had been hurt so cruelly could continue to punish himself. Self-flagellation didn’t solve the problem. It kept the wounds weeping and raw.
“You were a child, then a young man. I’m certain you did the best you could at the time. Talk to Aaron. Tell him how you feel. His reaction may surprise you.”
He snorted. “Aaron keeps painful memories locked in a crypt guarded by hellhounds. Only a fool would venture below ground and goad them to bite.”
“Then steal the key and slip past the beasts when they’re sleeping.” Miss Scrumptious managed to sneak through Aaron’s defences. Did that not prove the titan known as the King of Clubs was human?
A loud bang in her apartment brought the conversation to an abrupt end. The sound was akin to the lid of a trunk hitting the boards, not gunfire. Still, it was imperative she spoke to Lydia before she burst out onto the landing and caught her in a clinch with Aramis Chance.
“Wait by the door. I shall leave it ajar so you can listen to our conversation. I’ll get Lydia to tell me her plan before I call you inside.”
This time, he nodded. As she moved to walk away, he captured her wrist. “Be careful. Call me if you encounter any difficulty.”
The tense lines on his brow made her heart skip a beat. She hoped her smile would reassure him. Yet strange thoughts plagued her as she turned the iron doorknob and crossed the threshold.
There was a major flaw in her plan to gain her fortune.
She wasn’t supposed to care deeply for her husband.
“For goodness’ sake. It must be here somewhere.” Lydia’s distressed plea came from the bedchamber.
