Page 57 of In a Rake's Embrace
Thomas jerked, shock rippling through him. “Basil saved you?”
Her eyes gleamed with amusement. “You seem so surprised.”
He laughed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Basil is one of my closest friends.”
Agatha’s eyes widened. “Can the world be so small?”
“No,” he said dryly, “butAphroditeis. Friends of similar inclinations flock together. We met as lads, went to the same university, and indulged in the same debauchery.”
She studied him, her gaze tender as her fingers traced the corner of his mouth. “Kindness and compassion bind you two as much as your … pleasures.”
“I am not—”
“Yes, you are not kind,” she interrupted, smiling warmly. “So you keep saying.”
Bloody hell. Thomas felt he did not know how to form coherent thoughts when she looked at him like that. “Would you like to join me at the theatre tomorrow?”
Delight sparked in her eyes. “The Theatre Royal in Covent Gardens?”
“Yes.”
“I have heard it is magnificent.” She yawned, then stifled a laugh against his chest. “Will Ronald be there?”
“I hadn’t planned to ask him. Sometimes he abhors crowds.”
“Please tell him a beautiful lady wishes for a handsome man to escort her to the theatre.”
He grunted. “And what am I?”
“Our brave guard, there to protect us from whispers and prying eyes.”
Thomas smiled, wondering how a woman so different from anyone he’d ever met could feel so unexpectedly familiar.
“Ronald is still in Bath with my mother, sister, and aunt,” Thomas said. “My mother plans to return at the end of the season. However, I’ll write to him and mention that you’re longing to enjoy an evening graced by his handsomeness.”
She laughed, a soft sound that burrowed into his chest, and she nestled closer as if wanting to melt into him.
“Do you think about your father?”
Hell. The question slipped out before he’d even processed it.
“Sometimes,” she replied quietly. “But I don’t long for him.”
“What will you do after ... the auction?”
“Return home to my family,” she answered without hesitation. “I miss them terribly, and they’ll be relieved I’m back. I want to plan carefullyandsave every bit for their futures. Maggie dreams of becoming a renowned modiste. Sarah and Carson ... well, they haven’t begun dreaming yet. Gloria has always wanted a bakery, and Henry adores horses. I think he’d make an excellent stable master, so I’ll try to find him an apprenticeship.”
That familiar pang twisted in his chest, sharper than before. “And what plans do you have for yourself?”
A wistful smile touched her lips. “Providing for my family is for myself as much as it is for them.”
By God, she was selfless to her very bones. Yet he understood, all too well, that fierce loyalty and sense of duty. Thomas wanted to know her better—what foods she enjoyed, what books delighted her, and if she slept sprawled or curled up. He wanted to undress her, spend hours entwined with her, and then take her to the opera, balls, on long walks, exploring the open sea on his yacht. He wanted her laughter, her warmth, her everything. But only for a moment.
“Did you love your fiancée?”
Bloody hell. “I do not know,” he replied after a pause.
“Is that possible, not to know?”
