horror. A stab of pain nearly made her gasp but then she noticed that he looked a little flushed and he was breathing as hard as she was.
It was not distaste that had made him stop but good sense. Chloe inwardly sighed, disappointed that he had found the good sense she had so readily
cast aside.
“S’blood, but you are so damnably innocent,” he muttered as he grabbed her by the hand and dragged her to the door.
Chloe suddenly found herself out in the hal , the door to Julian’s bedchamber shut behind her. She shook her head as she struggled to regain her
wits. When she ran her tongue over her lips, she could stil taste him and felt something clench low in her bel y. He was right to stop what they had been
doing, but she wished he had not regained his senses so easily.
Absently fixing her hair, she started down the stairs. That kiss had accomplished more than making her heart race and her wits leak out of her
ears. It had made a decision for her. After two and twenty years of having no interest in a man, she was now deeply interested, and she would see where
that might lead her no matter what the consequences.
She was so lost in her thoughts about how she might make Julian cast aside his scruples that she almost walked into Wynn, who stood at the
bottom of the stairs. “Were you looking for me?” she asked him.
“You have a visitor.”
The man spoke in such a tone of doom that Chloe felt a shiver of alarm. Everything about Wynn implied that some enemy had breached the wal s
of Leo’s home. What troubled her was that the only enemies she could think of were Arthur Kenwood and Lady Beatrice. There was no reason for either
of them to come to Leo’s residence, however. She was sure that Leo would have warned her if he had had even the smal est suspicion that the
murderous pair had discovered his meddling in their affairs.
“Who?” she asked, pleased that she did not sound as uneasy as she felt.
“Lady Evelyn Kenwood, the dowager countess of Colinsmoor.”
“Oh my God,” she whispered in shock. “Does Lord Kenwood know?” Even as she asked the question, she knew the answer. Julian would not have
been playing with Anthony and then kissing her if he had known his mother was in the house.
“Nay. The countess only just arrived. I put her in the blue salon.”
“Lord Wherlocke?”
“Gone out, miss. T’ain’t sure when he wil be back.”
Chloe looked toward the smal room where disaster now lurked in the form of Julian’s mother. She did not think the woman suspected that Julian
was stil alive and hiding upstairs, but Chloe could think of no other reason why the woman would be waiting in Leo’s blue salon. Yet, if the woman did
know the truth, Chloe doubted she would be sitting quietly in the parlor.
“I best go see what she wants. Did you offer her a drink? Something to eat?”
Wynn nodded. “Gertie took in some tea and cakes. I was going to get his lordship down here when I saw you.” He shrugged his wide shoulders. “I
know the man is supposed to be dead, but I thought he might have some idea of what I should do.”
“Do not tel him. I think Leo wants to continue the ruse a while longer. This could be something completely benign, a request for help with some
charity or the like. Just stay here and I wil go and see if I can find out anything.”
Chloe approached the door of the room where the dowager countess waited, trying to untie the knot of unease tightening in her bel y. Since she
did not know why the woman was here, she could not even plan what to say to her. Closing her eyes, she tried to see what she was about to face, what the
outcome of this confrontation might be, but there was nothing. It was clear that her gift was going to leave her to stumble around on her own. It was doing that with alarming frequency since Julian had been brought into the house.
She stepped into the room and tried to return the smile the elegant woman on the settee gave her. Al she could
It was not distaste that had made him stop but good sense. Chloe inwardly sighed, disappointed that he had found the good sense she had so readily
cast aside.
“S’blood, but you are so damnably innocent,” he muttered as he grabbed her by the hand and dragged her to the door.
Chloe suddenly found herself out in the hal , the door to Julian’s bedchamber shut behind her. She shook her head as she struggled to regain her
wits. When she ran her tongue over her lips, she could stil taste him and felt something clench low in her bel y. He was right to stop what they had been
doing, but she wished he had not regained his senses so easily.
Absently fixing her hair, she started down the stairs. That kiss had accomplished more than making her heart race and her wits leak out of her
ears. It had made a decision for her. After two and twenty years of having no interest in a man, she was now deeply interested, and she would see where
that might lead her no matter what the consequences.
She was so lost in her thoughts about how she might make Julian cast aside his scruples that she almost walked into Wynn, who stood at the
bottom of the stairs. “Were you looking for me?” she asked him.
“You have a visitor.”
The man spoke in such a tone of doom that Chloe felt a shiver of alarm. Everything about Wynn implied that some enemy had breached the wal s
of Leo’s home. What troubled her was that the only enemies she could think of were Arthur Kenwood and Lady Beatrice. There was no reason for either
of them to come to Leo’s residence, however. She was sure that Leo would have warned her if he had had even the smal est suspicion that the
murderous pair had discovered his meddling in their affairs.
“Who?” she asked, pleased that she did not sound as uneasy as she felt.
“Lady Evelyn Kenwood, the dowager countess of Colinsmoor.”
“Oh my God,” she whispered in shock. “Does Lord Kenwood know?” Even as she asked the question, she knew the answer. Julian would not have
been playing with Anthony and then kissing her if he had known his mother was in the house.
“Nay. The countess only just arrived. I put her in the blue salon.”
“Lord Wherlocke?”
“Gone out, miss. T’ain’t sure when he wil be back.”
Chloe looked toward the smal room where disaster now lurked in the form of Julian’s mother. She did not think the woman suspected that Julian
was stil alive and hiding upstairs, but Chloe could think of no other reason why the woman would be waiting in Leo’s blue salon. Yet, if the woman did
know the truth, Chloe doubted she would be sitting quietly in the parlor.
“I best go see what she wants. Did you offer her a drink? Something to eat?”
Wynn nodded. “Gertie took in some tea and cakes. I was going to get his lordship down here when I saw you.” He shrugged his wide shoulders. “I
know the man is supposed to be dead, but I thought he might have some idea of what I should do.”
“Do not tel him. I think Leo wants to continue the ruse a while longer. This could be something completely benign, a request for help with some
charity or the like. Just stay here and I wil go and see if I can find out anything.”
Chloe approached the door of the room where the dowager countess waited, trying to untie the knot of unease tightening in her bel y. Since she
did not know why the woman was here, she could not even plan what to say to her. Closing her eyes, she tried to see what she was about to face, what the
outcome of this confrontation might be, but there was nothing. It was clear that her gift was going to leave her to stumble around on her own. It was doing that with alarming frequency since Julian had been brought into the house.
She stepped into the room and tried to return the smile the elegant woman on the settee gave her. Al she could
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