Page 75 of The Confessions of a Lady
The cook’s cheeks darkened to deep cherry. ‘Stop with you. You’ll have me crying in the soup and making it over-salty. Off you go with that. And don’t forget to find Coggins afterwards. Just mind he isn’t alone. I wouldn’t put it past the bastard to lash out if he thinks he can get away with it.’
Penny winked at Mrs O’Brian. ‘Don’t you worry. I can handle Coggins.’
It was Liam she wasn’t sure about. She needed to speak with him about her mother. If she wasn’t going to earn the reward money for evidence against him, then she needed to find a new way to rescue her mother. And Liam was still the path. She hoped.
Penny walked carefully up the main stairs, down the hall leading to the family wing, padding over the thick rug past the portraits of ancient Renquist lords and ladies until she reached Liam’s door. She tapped twice with her foot and waited for the gruff command from Liam to come in. Instead, the door swung open.
He wore a loosely belted robe and nothing else. Penny let her gaze trace over the lines and ridges of his chest. The eight defined segments of his flat belly disappearing behind the belted black silk. His knees, somehow sweet and vulnerable, poked from beneath the hem. Beautifully carved calves covered in dark-golden hair shone in the spring sunlight.
Dear God. He’s beautiful.
She wobbled the tray. Before the food spilled over the floor, Liam leaped forward, steadying her hands beneath the silver platter.
‘Please. Let me.’ He took it from her, strode barefoot to the low table next to the fireplace, and bent over to place it on the wooden surface. She absolutely watched the muscles inhis buttocks as they flexed beneath the silk robe. Prickles of sensation sparked to life in the skin behind her ear, the tips of her fingers, and the hollows of her knees.
Without the tray to carry, Penny folded her hands in front of her and looked everywhere but his face. She needed to ask about her mother. Now. Before she lost her nerve.
‘I need to speak with you.’ Her voice wavered and she cleared her throat.
He took a step closer.
‘No. Stay there.’ Penny put her hand out to halt his progress. ‘I can’t have this conversation if you’re touching me.’
Liam’s brow rose. ‘I think any conversation we have would be improved by touching.’
‘It’s about my mother.’
‘Ah.’ He stepped back. ‘Except, perhaps, that.’ He leaned a narrow hip against the settee sitting in front of the table and crossed his arms over his chest. ‘Would it ease your mind to know she has been released?’
Penny’s gaze flew to his and she opened her mouth, but no sound escaped.
Liam’s lips curled and his amber eyes flashed like jewels in the morning sunlight. ‘Commissioner Worthington handled the entire affair last night after the ball. I wanted her to come here, but she refused a guest room in the house where her daughter worked as a maid. Said she wasn’t going to lay about like a fine lady while her daughter scrubbed the floors.’
She wouldn’t have believed him, but what he said was so exactly her mother. Stubborn, proud, perfect. ‘Where is she?’
‘A townhouse in Mayfair. She is staying with one of Commissioner Worthington’s contacts. A widowed woman who sometimes provides lodging for people. Your mother’s been seen by a physician, and I’d wager she’s catching up on some much-needed rest right now. You are welcome to go and visither whenever you’d like. This moment even, but I think she’s probably still sleeping.’ His eyes crinkled as he smiled.
A sob crawled up from her chest and she pressed her hand against her mouth to hold it in.
Liam’s body strained forward but he stayed where he was, respecting her wish for distance. Except she didn’t want distance any more.
Rushing across the room, she threw herself into his arms and for a precious moment, she fell apart. He held her steady and let her.
‘I’m so sorry, Penny. I should never have put my signature on that bloody law. I’ve been such an idiot.’ He pressed a soft kiss against her temple, his hand rubbing up and down her back in comforting strokes.
She pulled away, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand and shaking her head. ‘No. You made a mistake, but then you fixed it.’
His laugh was harsh. ‘I got your mother out, but that doesn’t erase what she has had to endure. What you had to endure as a child. What others are still enduring. How can I possibly fix the harm I’ve done to so many? Innocent people hurt because of what? A stupid boy’s desperate need to please a father he hated.’
Penny sniffed. ‘You aren’t that boy any more.’
Liam held her gaze. Their breaths aligned. He nodded his head, his eyes hardening with a decision made. ‘You’re right. I’m not. I can change my path, and that’s exactly what I plan to do. Starting now. I meant what I said last night. I love you, Penny. I want to be with you.’ He stroked his thumb down her cheek. ‘I don’t want you to work for me any more. I don’t want you to eat and sleep three storeys beneath me. I want you here. Right here beside me. Always. Will you marry me, Penny?’
Oh dear.
19
The Marquess of Stoneway was proposing marriage to Penny Smith. In his robe with the breakfast tray steaming behind him. Impossible.
