Page 19 of The Dove
Daphne read clearly what the butler did not say. He had not wanted to risk angering an earl by throwing him out, or angering her by doing it without consulting her first. While Rowney would have been firmly within his rights to eject him from the premises, she was glad he had not tried it. Lord knew what Adam might have done if he’d been slighted in such a way.
It was better for them to get this over with in private as opposed to an alley where anyone might happen upon them. Nodding resolutely, she smiled to reassure Rowney.
“You did the right thing,” she told him. “I will see him now. Please ensure we are not disturbed.”
The butler nodded, his expression melting into one of relief. “Very good.”
Turning toward the closed door of the drawing room, she clenched and opened her hands several times, and tried to school her face into a passive mask. It was for her own sake that she did so, as he knew very well how his arrival had thrown her life into chaos. There was not much she could hide from this man.
She pushed the door open and stepped inside, her gaze immediately drawn to the dark, hulking shape of him seated near the fire. Slouched in the chair, his elbows braced on the arms, he met her gaze with a slow, lazy grin. Her belly quivered at the sight of his teeth, her skin tingling as if recalling their bite.
“Welcome home, little dove,” he purred, speaking as if he hadn’t sat here waiting for her for hours, likely growing bored in the process.
“Yes,” she said, raising her chin. “This ismyhome. Which is why I cannot understand what you are doing in it.”
His smile softened into a smirk, the sort of expression he wore when she amused him. “I will admit, my presence here serves more than one purpose. The first of which is to assuage my curiosity over how you’ve spent my money.”
“It became mine the moment you delivered that bank draft,” she reminded him.
He chuckled, his gaze leaving her to observe their surroundings. “Aye, that it did. I must admit to being impressed. You’ve got quite a nest here. Far better than your previous cage, I assume.”
She would not give him what he wanted … she would not thank him for making it possible for her to escape said cage. To be free of her family. Not when she’d earned that money herself, paid for every pound out of her own flesh, and on one night, with blood.
“As well, this particular room turned up some very interesting reading material,” he added, reaching into his coat pocket and coming out with something white.
Something white, which revealed itself to be an envelope.
An envelope with a broken seal, which she had left upon a table in this room.
Robert’s letter.
“What are you doing with that?” she growled, her jaw aching from how hard she clenched her teeth, her fingernails biting into her palms.
“I had to find some way to amuse myself in your absence,” he replied, waving the envelope about before giving her a knowing smile. “Quite entertaining, this letter from our dear Robert.”
She took a step toward him, her entire body vibrating from the anger boiling in her veins. “Give it to me.”
“You know, the usual sentiments,” he continued as if she had not spoken. “My dearest Daphne … still love you as much as ever … your circumstances mean nothing to me … please call upon me at your earliest convenience, so we might talk in person …et cetera, et cetera.”
Her feet moved her another step, despite the small voice in the back of her mind reminding her how dangerous it was to be within arm’s length of him.
“You have no right reading that,” she spat.
He scoffed, tossing the letter aside and keeping his gaze on her as it fluttered to the floor. “Have you not learned by now that I do not need the right?”
That gave her pause, keeping her from coming any closer. As it was, she stood near enough to see the flecks of green in his eyes, the dark rim of brown edging the molten amber center of his pupils. His scent had grown stronger, that enticing, masculine aroma that never ceased to make her mouth go dry.
He dressed in the height of fashion now that he was in London, his hair pulled meticulously back from his face and tied at his nape.
“Your other purpose for coming here?” she insisted. “Please state it so that you may take your leave.”
That smirk of his was back, stoking her annoyance, reminding her that he actually preferred to be challenged. He liked nothing better than for her to fight so he could break her. That didn’t stop her from wanting to fight, fromneedingto fight.
“It is quite simple, little dove,” he declared, sitting up straight in the chair. “We have unfinished business, you and I.”
She frowned, genuinely baffled by his words, as well as his behavior. He had seemed to want nothing to do with her once their contracted time together had ended. Yet, here he sat, proving the exact opposite.
“We agreed to thirty days and nights,” she reminded him. “I fulfilled my end of the bargain, and you compensated me, as promised. There is no other business between us.”
