Page 80 of A Dangerous Pursuit (Regency Spies & Secrets 1)

“That is to be expected.”

Madalene pressed her lips together as she tried to quell her suddenly raging emotions. She let out a shaky breath before saying, “It has only been six months since my mother died, but I can still remember watching her take her last breath. Her breathing started to become more labored, and then it… stopped.” She blinked back her tears. “And just like that, my mother was gone.”

“You do understand, then,” Lord Hawthorne remarked compassionately.

She offered him a sad smile. “I do, and I hope to never watch another person pass away. It was nearly too much for me to handle.”

“Life is fragile, and people can die within a blink of an eye.”

Boldly, she asked, “How is it that you are so acquainted with death?”

Lord Hawthorne looked off into the distance. “I have done some terrible things in my life, things that I don’t dare to ever admit out loud,” he admitted.

“Surely they can’t be that bad.”

Bringing his gaze back to meet hers, Lord Hawthorne spoke firmly. “I assure you that they are. Frankly, you should fear me.”

“Do you want me to fear you?” she asked, cocking her head.

Lord Hawthorne stared at her for a moment. “No, I find that I don’t want you to.”

“That is good, because I don’t.”

“That is because you are foolish and naïve.”

Madalene sighed dramatically. “We are back to name calling, I see,” she teased. “I thought we had grown past that.”

Lord Hawthorne’s lips twitched as he extended the muff pistol towards her. “I have taken the liberty of loading the pistol, so I urge you to use caution when handling it.”

Accepting the gun, Madalene ran her hand over the metal frame as she adjusted to the weight in her hand. “It is heavier than I imagined.”

“You will soon become accustomed to its weight,” Lord Hawthorne said. “Furthermore, the recoil is minimal.”

Madalene held the pistol down at her side. “When do you plan to abduct me?”

“Would tomorrow be acceptable?”

“I suppose I could move some things around,” she joked.

Lord Hawthorne chuckled. “I will call on you tomorrow under the ruse of taking you on a carriage ride through Hyde Park.”

“I must admit that being abducted sounds much more appealing than a carriage ride.”

“I find that your responses intrigue me,” Lord Hawthorne said as he stepped back. “I never seem to know what you will say next.”

Unsure of how to reply to his remark, Madalene remained quiet.

Lord Hawthorne broke the silence, gesturing towards the gun in her hand. “Allow me to show you how to use the pistol now.”

“Thank you,” she said, gladly accepting the turn of the conversation.

Baldwin sat inthe coach as it traveled on the busy streets to the House of Lords. He had just left Miss Dowding’s townhouse, and he found that he had lingered for far too long with her. There was just something about her that gave him pause.

She had a vulnerable quality about her that seemed to mask a strength even she didn’t know existed. He had no doubt that she was clever, but she always said the most outlandish things. Furthermore, she believed in hope, which was ridiculous. Hope isn’t a tangible thing, he thought. Miss Dowding couldn’t possibly understand the torment that he endured every single day. No. No one could. He was battling his demons on his own, and he was failing. Miserably.

The coach came to a stop on the street, and Baldwin glanced out the window. Street urchins were running through the traffic, without any heed to the dangers surrounding them.

Unexpectedly, the door to the coach opened and Corbyn stepped in. “Good,” he said as he came to sit across from him. “I see that you are alone.”

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