Page 79 of Wicked Rivals
“I’m sorry. It was my fault for assuming. I keep forgetting that your last master had a rough hand. I am sorry, Tom.”
“I promise to do better, my lord.”
Charles simply stared at him for a long moment. “Don’t get so serious on me, lad. It’s just a bit of sport. Never apologize or make such a vow again. Whatever that man did to you was wrong. You didn’t deserve it, and you must never believe that ever again. Do you understand?”
Linley’s throat tightened and his eyes burned with treacherous tears.
“Ah, don’t cry, lad.”
Linley scrambled to his feet and raced out of the leisure room. He was relieved when Charles did not come after him. He ducked into a darkened room down the hall and shut the door, leaning back against it as he regained his breath and his wits.
He missed Charles’s townhouse and he missed Katherine. Katherine was in good hands, but it didn’t make Linley miss her any less.
She was why he was doing all this. His master would take her away if Linley didn’t do as he was told. For now it was information. But someday, when the time was right, he would have to deliver Charles to him. To Hugo.
God save me for my treachery…
*****
Claire fussed over Rosalind’s hair before dinner and laid out a dark purple silk gown with a plunging neckline that would no doubt draw Ashton’s attention. Rosalind tugged the bodice up and raised a brow at Claire.
“You did tell me to pack lightly, Your Ladyship.”
“I did, but I did not mean to pack the gowns with the least amount of cloth to them. It will attract the eyes of every man in the room.”
Her maid chuckled. “There’s nothing wrong with displaying a lady’s bosom in a fine gown.”
“I quite agree.” Ashton’s voice made Rosalind and Claire both jump.
He stood in the doorway, those blue eyes more alive than she’d ever seen them before. Rosalind looked away, still embarrassed by how much of herself she’d revealed this afternoon in the bath. He’d used intimacy to break down her walls and make her share the darker parts of her heart. She felt…perhaps not betrayed, butexposedat the very least.
“Claire, would you mind giving us a minute?” Her maid bowed, backing away as Ashton walked over to Rosalind by the dressing table. He reached out for a loose curl of her hair and wound it around her finger. Rosalind’s breath caught as she looked up into his face.
“I thought, given how the last few days have been, that things between us deserved some…” He continued to play with the lock of her hair, but the expression on his face had become oddly bashful.
“Some what?”
A red tint suffused Ashton’s cheeks. Rosalind’s lips curved into a smile. What could possibly make the baron bashful?
“I swear, if you laugh, I shan’t mention it again.”
She bit her lip and nodded.
He let go of her hair and slipped his hand into the pocket of his waistcoat. What he retrieved surprised her. Dangling from his fingers on a fine gold chain was a trio of amethysts spaced a few inches apart and set in gold.
“I thought, although it feels strange to do so, that I should make a romantic gesture of sorts. Show you my committed interest in our match.” He held the necklace out for her to get a closer look.
It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. The necklace reminded her of one her mother once had long ago, one that she used to wear to balls. The gesture was impossibly sweet, and as a sign of commitment it sent her heart skittering. The delighted whirl of her thoughts came to a crashing halt, however. Was he trying to buy her affection?
Rosalind stared at the gift, then him. The earnestness on his face fed the well of hope that had begun to grow within her. She would not have thought him capable of a romantic gesture like that, ever. Yet here he was, holding out a part of his life to her, with hope in those bewitching eyes of his. It was such a beautiful necklace, and it would look exquisite on any woman.
He cleared his throat. “The stones represent the past, present and future. Very few valuables survived the year my father destroyed our family fortunes. This was one of them. We hid it away, saving it for Joanna, but tonight she told me she’d much rather have it go to you. I wanted to give you something that was part ofme, not part of our business dealings.”
She wasn’t sure what to say. She wanted desperately to believe he cared about her and their life together, but she wasn’t sure it was wise to believe he was capable of that.
“Well, do you accept it? I…haven’t ever given jewelry to a woman before. I confess I’m rather nervous.” He chuckled, but she saw the vulnerability in his eyes.
“Not even your mistresses?” She couldn’t resist teasing him.
