Page 44 of An Unbending Lady for the Desperate Earl
“I will meet you in the entrance hall in an hour.” With that, she fled the room, too afraid of hearing any truth that may stray from Christian’s lips.
* * *
Almost two hours later, Christian and Victoria arrived at Hyde Park, strolling together through the autumnal flurries of bronzed leaves that had drifted down onto the paths below. Other members of high society were indulging in a similar stroll, with the ladies chattering excitedly at the sight of the famed ‘Lady Laura,’ and the gentlemen tipping their hats to her.
She has certainly made her mark.Christian exhaled, a puff of condensation billowing out into the frosty air.
All morning, he had been unusually quiet, as he had been unable to think of anything but their parting words in the dining room. He had almost said it. He had almost told Victoria everything, but she had scampered away before he had mustered the nerve, and another opportunity had not presented itself.
Does she not feel the same?He had felt certain that she did, after their week together. They had been one another’s constant companions, even sipping brandy together in the evening, long after their duties toward the scheme had come to an end. They had talked, and warmed themselves with fire and liquor, content to simply be with one another.
And then there was the way she had pressed her palms to his chest and peered up into his eyes, as they had swayed together in her bedchamber. Wholly improper in the eyes of anyone who might have seen, but it had felt, to Christian, as though they had entered a private realm which existed solely for the two of them. He couldn’t remove the memory from his mind, no matter how hard he tried to distract himself.
I am falling in love with you. He gazed at her, as though he could somehow transfer the words into her mind, avoiding the pressure of having to speak it aloud… and risk rejection.
“Do you see the parakeets?” Victoria pointed up to one of the branches, where a small, vivid green bird perched.
He smiled. “I have always enjoyed seeing them here, especially in the colder months. They add some color to an otherwise drab London. A hint of the exotic, among the ordinary.”
Christian was about to say more, when he spied two figures standing in the shadow of one of the denser parts of woodland. They were a good distance away, but something about them had caught his eye—their stature. One shorter and broader, and one remarkably tall and thin… like a heron, the way the Duchess of Sopworth had described.
“It’s them,” Christian hissed. “Don’t make any move to suggest they have been seen. They are standing by the woodland, at the crossroads up ahead. And they are watching.”
Victoria froze. “Are you certain?”
“I believe so.” He pretended to speak with Victoria, averting his gaze until he could only see them in his periphery. “They are conversing with one another.”
“Can you see their faces?” Victoria asked.
“No… they are wearing hats, and the lower halves of their faces are obscured with scarves.” He laughed to maintain the ruse, and Victoria chuckled along with him, though her eyes held fear and determination.
“Then, we know they have heard of me,” she murmured. “The scheme is working.”
Christian’s stomach churned. “We should apprehend them now.”
“We cannot,” she shot back. “They will only lie their way out of it. We must let them come to us. Or, rather, me. They must be caught in the act of their crime or we will never be able to bring them to justice. Believe me, I know the way of these things.”
“Lord Galbury?” Another voice jolted him out of his focus. He whirled around to find Lord Mobberley and Sir John approaching—another duo of the same starkly-opposite stature. However, when he turned back, the mysterious pair beneath the trees had vanished, slithering into the darkness from whence they had come.
Blast it!He had been ready to go against Victoria’s wishes and purse those men, in the hopes it would prevent Victoria from being entangled in greater danger, but now that chance had disappeared along with the two men.
Victoria stepped in. “I do not believe we have met. Did I happen to see you at Miss Longacre’s ball?”
Lord Mobberley smirked. “No, we have not met, though I have a heard a great deal about you, My Lady. Indeed, that is why I insisted we greet you, when I saw you walking hereabouts. I am Lord Mobberley, and this is my dear friend, Sir John Regis.” He took Victoria’s hand and placed a kiss there, which only proceeded to make Christian’s stomach churn more.
Sir John did the same, grinning in the most salacious way. “You more than match the tales of your beauty, My Lady. My friend informed me that you might be the rarest bird in all of London. I doubted him, but now I see that he was entirely correct.”
“You flatter me, but I thank you,” Victoria replied politely.
“I speak only the truth.” Sir John grinned, making Christian want to smack that foolish smile off his face.
“Lord Mobberley, pardon my prying, but it looks as though you have recently lost a ring?” Victoria took Christian by surprise. “I happen to be an avid collector of jewelry, much to my cousin’s chagrin, but I can always spot these things. Did the band grow too tight? I can recommend someone to fix that, if you like?”
Lord Mobberley lifted his hand and observed the place where a ring should have been. “Ah… well perceived, My Lady. How I wish it were as simple as a band that had grown too tight. No, I gave the item to a… dear friend, who had always admired it.”
“How fortunate for her.” Victoria eyed Lord Mobberley keenly.
“Did I say I gave it to a lady?” He faltered, his eyes darting as if in panic. “I do not recall saying so. Goodness, it must be this cold air, numbing my senses.”
