Page 36 of A Masked Lady for Mr. Kenworthy
Faye timidly entered the room, opting to stand by the fireplace rather than take a seat on the sofa. Mr. Kenworthy was standing by the sofa and, though he did not make any move to get closer to her, he continued gazing at her intently.
“Have you come to see us off?” she asked, glad he was there but curious at the reason for his presence. She had been under the impression that he and Lord Daleshire would be tending to other business on the morning when she and the countess departed for the marquess’s country home.
Mr. Kenworthy blushed and shrugged.
“How is your mother faring?” he asked, avoiding her question.
Faye smiled brightly, momentarily forgetting the strange bashfulness of the gentleman.
“She is much better,” she said. “She was even well enough this morning to sit up on her own and assure me that she will take her medicine on her own while I am away.”
Mr. Kenworthy’s eyes brightened, and Faye thought she could see tears shimmering in them. But when he blinked, they were gone, and she could not be sure whether she had been correct.
“That is the best news I have heard in ages,” he said, his voice clearly sincere and pleased.
Faye nodded eagerly, taking a couple of steps toward the gentleman. Her face grew serious, and she looked at him as intently as he had at her when she first entered the room.
“I will be forever grateful to you for what you did for my mother,” she said. “You saved her life. That is a debt I do not yet know how to repay, but I assure you I will.”
She held her breath as Mr. Kenworthy moved toward her, closing the distance between them. She looked up at him, her heart pounding in her chest. She could not be sure whether it was because he was so incredibly handsome or because she saw him as her mother’s savior, but all at once, she had a flood of feelings for him that was almost overwhelming. And when he took her hand and squeezed it, she thought she might swoon.
“Lady Faye,” he said, his voice soft and tender. “It is I who is indebted to you. It was a pleasure to help your mother. You speak so highly of her, and it is clear how much you love her. I, too, know what it is to love someone so much. But what you are doing for Rupert and me is a far bigger thing. You are risking a great deal for us, and you tolerated being kidnapped. Lady Salisdene and I sending for the physician were us simply doing a dear friend a kindness. But it is I who shall need to repay you for the work you are doing for the Crown.”
Faye blushed deeply. She was hearing him praise her for taking on the task ahead of her strengthened her resolve to succeed. But being so close to him made her feel heady, and she struggled to concentrate on her words.
“It is a pleasure to serve my country, Mr. Kenworthy,” she said. “And, as you say, I am doing a kindness for dear friends of mine.”
The gentleman laughed, nodding in approval.
“Well played, my lady,” he said. “How about we consider our friendship a fair repayment for our respective good deeds done?”
Faye joined in his laugh and nodded.
“I like that arrangement, good sir,” she said.
Chapter Twenty-three
Thomas stared into Lady Faye’s mesmerizing blue eyes in complete silence for several moments. He felt as though they were communicating a world full of things without speaking a word. She was looking at him the way he knew full well he was looking at her, and all he wanted in the whole world was to get lost in the intensity of her lovely gaze.
He was completely unaware that he had closed the remaining distance between them until he felt his nose touch hers. Without another moment’s thought, he brushed his lips ever so lightly against hers. She did not attempt to pull away from him; in fact, she lifted her head so that her top lip grazed his bottom one for an entire second. He was acting purely on instinct and raw emotion in that moment, and he tilted his head further down, ready to kiss her with all the passion he felt.
The sound of approaching footsteps at first seemed to come from some other place far away from where they stood. But it did not take Thomas long to realize that was not the case. The footsteps were, in fact, not far away at all, and they were rapidly growing closer. Instinctively, to protect Lady Faye and her reputation, he pulled quickly away from her. Lady Faye turned her reddening face away just as Lady Salisdene entered the room. Thomas grinned cheerily at her, hoping to distract her from Faye’s flustered expression.
“Is everything ready, my lady?” he asked, casually stepping in front of Lady Faye to give her a moment to collect herself privately.
The countess raised an eyebrow at Thomas but briefly. She walked over to him and, taking his hands in both of hers, kissed him on the cheek.
“It is, indeed, and our carriage awaits,” she said. She glanced at Lady Faye, who was once more smiling innocently at the countess, to Thomas’s relief. Then, Lady Salisdene looked at him once more. “Do not fret, Thomas. Lady Faye will be perfectly safe with me.”
Thomas bowed, suddenly struggling to fight back the tears. He supposed he was still overcome with his previous emotions, but all at once, he did not want Lady Faye to leave his sight. He trusted the countess, certainly, but he could not bear the thought of Lady Faye being away from him, especially when she could potentially be in danger at any moment. Nevertheless, as he straightened himself up, he forced himself to smile as though he had not a care in the world.
“I know she is in good hands,” he said. “But please, be careful. Remember, Lady Faye’s and your own safety are of the utmost priority.”
The countess nodded and, this time, Thomas did not wince at the knowing glisten in her eyes. Instead, he bit his lip to hide a smile as he turned and bade Lady Faye farewell. He walked the two women to the door, standing in the open doorway as the carriage pulled away and began its long journey to Lord Turlington’s country estate. With a heavy sigh, Thomas went back inside. He truly hoped that he and Rupert were doing the right thing. If all went well, the mission would be one of the greatest successes of their entire careers. However, if the smallest problem arose with their plan, Lady Faye could be in grave danger before he or his partner could come to her rescue. It caused Thomas a great deal of distress, and he sent up a silent prayer to the heavens.Please, let her return to me safely…
He decided to spend the rest of the morning in the parlor of Daleshire Manor. It was plenty spacious enough, and the fireplace was constructed from shiny stone that was very soothing to his nerves. He felt both helpless and useless, and he wished he had found some pretext for accompanying Lady Salisdene and Lady Faye to keep an eye on them personally. But Rupert had been right. Even if he had posed as a footman, as he had when they traveled to Welborn Manor, he ran the risk of being recognized by Lord Turlington. Besides, Rupert would need his help there in London, especially when he returned from the most recent of the meetings he had been attending to learn everything he could about the marquess’s past and list of crimes.
But even as his thoughts flitted back to his work, images of Lady Faye rushed to his mind. He was certain that he would never forget the expression on her face as he leaned down to kiss her. It was as apparent to him as were his feelings for Lady Faye to the countess that Lady Faye had wanted the kiss as badly as himself. He had been so close to that kiss, he could smell her breath, a scent reminiscent of honeysuckle flowers and strawberries. He could still almost taste her lips, and a shiver traveled up his spine.
