Page 67 of Let Me Be Your Hero
The following morning, Archibald was just heading down to breakfast when Izzie emerged from the bedroom next door, which she had been using to dress, wearing a midnight blue traveling costume trimmed in silver.
He kissed her hand. “You look beautiful this morning.”
She smiled at him as she twirled a little hat that matched her outfit. “Thank you.”
“Are you going out today, then?”
She bit her lip. “I was thinking that I might. It seems that the danger has passed. Do you agree?”
Archibald had been thinking the same thing. It wasn’t reasonable to expect Izzie to remain cooped up in the house forever or only to leave in his company. “I do. Perhaps you could bring some guards with you?”
“That’s what I was thinking,” she said in a rush. “And I won’t go wandering about town. I have a very specific location I’d like to visit. One that’s extremely secure.”
Archibald grinned. “Let me guess—you’re going to Latimer House to visit Lady Diana.” The duke’s home was a detachedmansion surrounded by walls on all sides. It would be the ideal place for Izzie’s first excursion.
“Not Latimer House,” she said.
“Hmm. Your parents’ house, then?” Astley House was less secure than Latimer House, as it opened directly to the street. But Archibald didn’t think it was an unreasonable choice.
“Not Astley House, either.” She gave him a teasing smile. “See if you can guess—it’s a place I’ve been terribly eager to visit.”
“Let’s see… back to The Temple of the Muses? You’re welcome to go there, of course, but I must confess, I was hoping to accompany you on your next excursion. I enjoy watching you shop for books.”
“Not The Temple of the Muses. I quite enjoyed shopping for books with you, too.” She caressed his bicep. “It’s useful having a big, strong man to carry my books for me.”
That made Archibald’s heart swell. He enjoyed being useful to her, and it was gratifying to hear that she liked having him around.
Another possibility occurred to him. “You’re meeting your friends at Gunther’s for ices.”
“Not Gunther’s.”
“Umm…” He wracked his brain, trying to imagine where else she might want to go. “Perhaps Lady Diana has secured tickets to the British Museum?”
“No!” She laughed. “I can’t believe you haven’t guessed already. I’ve been talking about visiting this place all week.”
Archibald was having trouble thinking of possibilities. “Maybe the dressmaker’s?” Although he couldn’t recall her mentioning the dressmaker’s, not even once.
“Not the dressmaker’s.”
“Hyde Park?”
“Not Hyde Park. As I said, it’s a place that’s very secure.” She laughed. “It’s probably more secure than even being here at the house.”
It occurred to him in a flash. “The Tower of London! You’re meeting Lucy and Diana to see the animals.”
“No!” She laughed. “Try again.”
He hadn’t managed to guess by the time they entered the breakfast room, where his mother interrupted his speculation. “Oh, Thorpe, Lady Isabella! I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve been waiting to show you this!”
She pulled out a swatch of brocaded silk in a particularly virulent shade of chartreuse. “What do you think?”
The vein behind Archibald’s left eye gave a throb. The poison green color was so bright it was difficult to look directly at it. “It’s, uh… It’s really…”
Izzie seemed to sense he was at a loss for words. “How bold,” she offered as she helped herself to a poached egg.
“Bold!” his mother cried. “That is precisely the word!”
“And it’s the most fashionable color right now,” his father noted. “The designer was raving about it.”
