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She nodded, turning her attention back to the path ahead. “True. Then I will offer you a trade. If you satisfy me on this point, then I will return the favor.”

“A dangerous premise. You don’t strike me as easily satisfied.” Not at all what he should have said, even if it was true.

Her mouth twisted against a smile but she didn’t meet his eyes. Clever girl. “We are well matched then.”

They would be. Well matched. And he would have made sure to leave her satisfied if she was his. But she wasn’t. He needed to remember that. There was a life she needed even if she didn’t want it for herself, and he couldn’t compromise it for his own selfish ends. “As you wish.”

“So, my fiancé?”

“I do not like him,” He admitted following her example and looking straight ahead.

“Is he a brute?”

“He is capable of being charming enough when it suits him.”

“So, he is insincere?”

She missed nothing. “Among other things. He has regrettable tendencies when it comes to women, especially women who look like you. I expressed my distaste for his behavior more than once, and he did not appreciate it.”

“What happened?”

“Sabotage.” The memory still burned in his stomach. “He didn’t like that I was outperforming him, so he made a few choice comments to sympathetic superiors to produce the desired effect. Neutralize the competition.”

“Is that why you left the army?”

“Yes and no. He was more annoying than anything, it was the fact that it worked. I’d served longer than him, my record was exemplary. They could not deny it. But one word from the ‘correct sort’ and none of it mattered.”

“So, you joined Scotland Yard.”

“Yes. And Private Harrison became a Lieutenant. He has a talent for acquiring things he doesn’t deserve.”

“Mmm, like the barony?”

“And you.” The words left his mouth before he could stop them. It was becoming a worrisome habit, this inability for him to keep his rogue thoughts to himself.

Her head whipped around to face him, her big brown eyes wide with surprise. “Me?”

For the first time since he’d met her, she seemed to be at a loss for words.

If it had been anyone else, any other girl of two and twenty, she would have blushed or at least looked away.

Not his Regina. True to her nature, she held his gaze, searching for an answer he wasn’t quite ready to reveal, and yet he couldn’t take back what he’d already said.

“You are far too good for him and deserve more than what that jackass can give you.”

She scoffed. “If only the world operated on that criteria. Who is to say what anyone deserves? Who’s to say what I deserve?”

There was no point in pretending to be neutral now. “Me.”

She gave him a sidelong glance and rolled her eyes, but a smile lingered at the corner of her mouth. “Forgive me, but you are hardly qualified to make such an assertion after a month’s acquaintance.”

“I’m a fast learner.”

“Mmm,” she hummed doubtfully but the smile dallying with her mouth grew wider. “I appreciate the sentiment.” She paused and grabbed his wrist to stop him. “I am sorry about what happened to you in the Army.”

“It wasn’t unique to the army,” he replied shaking his head. “People get jealous all the time. It just so happened that it’s easier to step on others when you’re white and rich.”

“Is that why you don’t like compliments?”

“I don’t mind compliments.”

“You mind when they are from white people. Especially when they are titled. I thought you were about to come out of your skin when Viscountess Sterling sang your praises.”

“I—” he nearly denied it but it seemed pointless. “Yes. I don’t like that much attention because it always brings trouble. You never know who is watching and scheming. You think you’re among friends until suddenly you’re not.”

“They aren’t all like that. Mr. Thompson isn’t like that.”

“Good old Basil. No he’s not, but he is very much the exception instead of the rule. I don’t trust in what I can’t see.”

“You must think I’m borrowing trouble by marrying a baron.”

“I think you’re incredibly brave. Possibly braver than I am.”

“I don’t believe that,” she said. “You’re correct of course that it’s dangerous to be seen. The higher you climb the more visible you are. I simply don’t have the option of running away. If I could, I’d be far less impressive to you.”

“Is it worth that much to you?” he asked. He didn’t judge her but he couldn’t help but wonder about her family. Didn’t they understand what they were forcing her to do? Didn’t they care about subjecting her to this?

“I suppose it is your turn to ask the questions.” She let out a sigh and the sweet smile on her face turned caustic.

It almost made him regret the inquiry. “But that is the wrong question. We cannot escape the realities of this world. In my case, the price of being Marathi and a member of the ton. My mother has been paying that price most of her life. You notice she barely speaks in public.”

“I did notice that.”

“Her accent isn’t as pronounced as it was, but she is so self-conscious about her accent, whether she is pronouncing things properly.

She was lambasted by the good people of England.

People doubted her place regardless of how much my father doted on her.

Even though father’s family was not titled, they were respectable and landowning.

She wasn’t supposed to be his wife according to them, and even if she was, she wasn’t supposed to be here .

Speaking around people outside the family is rare for her.

“She knows there is no way for her to hide what she is any more than I can, but she wants to protect me from the worst of the whispers. She has no cache to draw from outside of my father, no status here outside of him, so her goal is to align me as much with him as possible. Remove any trace of her influence. I want to alleviate some of her suffering if I can. Give her the protection of my status as well. So no, Mr. Kingston, the title doesn’t mean that much to me, but my mother and sister are worth everything and anything to me. ”

“Will you tell me your name?” The first time he’d asked, she hadn’t been willing to share it, and he’d thought of little else since. Now, with the sun shining, and a gentle breeze blowing a dark curl against her skin, he needed to know more than ever.

She came to a stop, and he wondered if he had asked one question too many. When she answered there was a faint sheen of tears in her eyes. “Rajani. My name before my engagement was Rajani.”

Rajani. Yes, the name suited her. A dark queen. A warrior and a protector. He had never wanted to kiss anyone so much in his life. He couldn’t look away from her eyes, her mouth, the curve of her cheek, the smooth mounds of her breasts.

He wanted to feel those breasts in his hands. He wanted that cheek against his, her breath on his skin. He wanted to unmask the mystery behind those fathomless eyes.

He wanted to hold her hand.

A whisper of wind sent tendrils of fragrance wafting towards him. Sandalwood and something else. Not roses or jasmine, not orange blossom or violets. Not lilies. What was that? There was no one else in the world who smelt like her.

No one else like her.

A cool drop of something landed on his shoulder and he looked up just in time for another to land on his face.

“I think we should—” He began but the skies opened and within seconds they were caught in a downpour.

“Oh damn.” He heard her curse and laughed.

There had to be shelter nearby. A gazebo or something. “There’s—”

A soft, strong hand closed around his and suddenly he was running with her towards an enormous willow tree.

*

It wasn’t a perfect solution. The raindrops would still find them, but it gave them a few more moments together. Moments Regina was only too eager to sustain, regardless of the outcome.

“Your name—am I correct in thinking it is related to the Goddess Kali?” he asked, swiping at his damp clothes trying to dislodge as much water as possible.

“Yes.” How on earth did he know these things?

“Why are you looking at me like that, Miss Mason,” he asked with a grin.

“I’m only surprised that you would know about that.” He kept surprising her at every turn.

“I have always been observant.”

He would have needed to be more than observant to have the details he did. He would need to be curious with a memory like an elephant’s. “What else have you observed?”

He leaned against the tree and folded his arms across his chest. “That you play the game well. They all see you as demure and biddable but in truth you are clever and calculating.”

Calculating? His expression implied that he didn’t see it as a flaw. “I can’t tell if that is a compliment or not.”

“An observation,” he replied.

“You are full of those.” Did he know what he looked like, leaning against the tree with his folded arms making his shoulders look bigger and his waist smaller. His eyes sparkled with amusement and interest. “I would return the scrutiny, but I wouldn’t want you to run away again.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “I didn’t run.”

“Very true. You walked. Briskly.”

He chuckled. “I am not afraid of you. What have you made out about my character, Miss Mason?”

“You are discreet and brave. Loyal and clever, caring and respectful.”

His eyebrows went up. “Quite the paragon.”

“Indeed.”

He winced playfully. “But no title.”

“True. But I would rather have you for a husband.”

He inhaled sharply and her words echoed in her head. Oh lord… had she really said that to him? To him . She turned away from him, not trusting herself to keep looking in his eyes and stay in control of her mouth.

“Would you permit one more impertinent question?” His voice came from behind her sending chills up her spine.

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Was it your parent’s idea to change your name or your fiancé’s?”

She looked down at her hands. “My mother’s.”

She heard footsteps in the grass and suddenly he was standing beside her. “I’m pleased to meet you, Rajani.”

“You haven’t met her yet. No one has, really.”