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“And sometimes an arse is just an arse,” she scolded, then turned to Jasper.

Her eyes narrowed a fraction and he knew he was about to get an earful.

But instead, she said, “You’d best be on your way before first light.

There’s bound to be servants up and about soon enough.

Mr. Pitt is bringing the carriage around. ”

Not willing to question his luck at avoiding a railing, he nodded.

Then he dared another glance at Althea, hoping she wasn’t going to smile again. There was only so much a man could take. “If

you’ve finished toasting your bread, we can leave.”

“Oh, this isn’t for me. I’ve already eaten mine. This is for you.” And she smiled, damn it all. “Would you like me to spread

some jam on it?”

“No.” Not wanting her to come any closer, he reached out and snatched the bread from the toasting fork. It nearly burned his

fingers. When he hopped it from one hand to the other, he caught Nan’s curious expression. Before she asked a question or

Barrett spewed whatever thought was making him grin, Jasper shooed his toast toward the door. “Best be off, Miss Hartley.”

Roly blocked his path, looking up at him with beseeching brown doe eyes. “Can I go, too? And Thumper?”

He thought about Althea’s tales and her mention of a howling wolf and decided against it.

“ Garmr ,” he stressed, “needs to stay here for a day or two. How about you stay with him and teach him another trick?”

He passed a glance to Barrett and his wife over his shoulder.

Nan nodded, smiling fondly at the boy. “You know we always like having him here. And your beast is welcome, too.” Then her

expression hardened and she held up a finger. “As long as he doesn’t bring another mangled animal to my doorstep.”

“Aww, come on, wife. That was just a gift,” Barrett chuckled at her squeamish shudder. “He was protecting your chickens from that fox.”

Jasper scrubbed a hand over Roly’s head. “Be good until I return.” Then he pointed a warning finger at Garmr. “You, too.”

“Farewell, Mr. and Mrs. Barrett. It was indeed a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” She offered a wave, then bent down to

whisper something to Roly.

He stood up straight as a tin soldier and nodded. “You can count on me.”

“There’s a good lad,” she said and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Then she turned and whispered something to Garmr and received

a woof in response before she kissed the top of his head.

Jasper felt a frown tighten his mouth as they walked outside. When he handed her into the carriage, he told himself that he

wasn’t jealous of those kisses she seemed to give out so freely. That would have been ridiculous.

He made sure his tone was merely conversational when he asked, “What did you say to the boy?”

“I asked him to look after Garmr for you because sometimes the men who carry the most weight on their shoulders often forget

to ask for assistance from others, and that I could tell straightaway that he was reliable and steadfast.”

“And what did you say to the dog?”

“The same thing—to look after the boy and keep him out of trouble.”

An unexpected grin tugged at his mouth. And since it was dark inside the carriage as it trundled down the forest lane, he

gave in to it.

When he heard her yawn, he moved without thinking, wrapping an arm around her to settle her against his side. But it was only

for her comfort. It had nothing to do with him.

She accepted this position without a word of protest, the weight of her head finding the perfect nook between his chest and shoulder to rest against, the warmth of her body coaxing him into relaxation as the scent of her hair filled his nostrils.

“Does this mean you don’t abhor touching me, after all?” she asked sleepily.

“Wherever did you get that idea?”

“The kiss,” she said, her voice quiet and almost fragile. “It ended rather abruptly. I know I’m not very good at it.”

He stared into the darkness with incredulity, then a slow simmering anger as her statement sank in. “Whoever told you such

a blatant falsehood should be flogged. The reason I stopped is because you are an innocent.”

“So, you ended the kiss because of my inexperience?”

When he heard the hurt in her tone, he knew he’d said the wrong thing. But telling her the truth made him feel like he was

approaching a bear trap and was about to lose a foot. Nothing good could come of it.

And yet, even in this darkness, he sensed her light dimming.

“I had to stop before I lost the ability to do so. You do something to me that makes it bloody hard to think. I made a vow,

years ago, not to bring dishonor to any woman and I would never forgive myself if I... made it impossible for you to return

to your life. Intact.” He blew out a long breath as if he’d just run all the way to London and back. It was suddenly quite

warm in the carriage. “There. Have I made myself clear?”

In response, she pressed her cheek harder against his chest. “Your heart is thundering exceedingly. I can hear it all the

way through the cage of your ribs. Was saying all that so dreadful?”

“Hurling oneself off a cliff might have been less painful,” he said dryly. “But you haven’t answered my question.”

She curled closer to him, drawing her knees up, her feet tucked beneath her on the bench. “You have made yourself exceptionally clear.”

He wasn’t sure but, for an instant, he thought he felt her press a kiss to his rib cage. Though, it was clearly his imagination.

“Is Roly yours?”

“My what?” he asked, his thoughts elsewhere. But then he caught up with them all at once. “No. Roly is an orphan, a street

urchin. Last year, Garmr lost his head over a French poodle and dashed off into traffic to woo her. He found himself at the

mercy of a coachman’s whip. Roland the Brave, as I call him, came to his defense, shielding the beast with his own body. In

turn, I gave the lad a place to live and food in his belly.”

“Ah. Then you don’t live in the tavern?”

“I have a furnished flat of rooms in Marylebone. At least until the landlord finds out that whenever I leave Garmr alone he

eats one of the chairs.”

She laughed softly. “Where did you find such a massive dog?”

“He was just a pup, though still fairly large. I heard him baying one day and found that he’d stumbled into a huntsman’s trap.

I opened the jaws, wrapped him up, took him to a farrier that I know.” He shrugged. “And there you have it.”

She was quiet for so long that he thought she’d drifted to sleep, but then she yawned. “I think I know how to keep him from

eating your chairs.”

“If such a miracle exists, I have no doubt you hold it in the palm of your hand.”

“I suspect that you’re teasing me, but I’m too tired to care,” she said, curling closer to him and carelessly resting her

hand on his thigh. It made his muscles jump. All of them. “Big dogs require an occupation. They want to know that they’re helping their pack. If he was still in the wild, the alpha wouldn’t allow him to eat unless he’d helped supply the meal.”

To keep his thoughts centered on the conversation, he took her hand in his. “So, you’re saying he wants to earn his food?”

Her head moved in a nod of agreement. “When he accompanies the highwayman-who-shall-not-be-named, I imagine he receives some

sort of reward for a job well done. He simply needs a task to perform when he’s in town. Something that he believes is important

to you.”

“Mmm...” he murmured thoughtfully, his thumb passing aimlessly over the delicate bones of her fingers.

He had to remind himself that this wasn’t normal. They barely knew each other. Had only spoken a handful of times. Yet, even

if they’d been in each other’s confidence for years, this degree of comfort and ease was not something he’d experienced before.

He knew he shouldn’t even indulge in this small show of affection. It was only tempting fate.

“You were the one who held the umbrella for me, that day when I came out of Fife’s,” she said.

“Did I?” he asked as if he didn’t know what she was talking about.

“You’d forgotten to disguise your voice.”

When he’d seen her that day, he wasn’t thinking about protecting himself. He’d only been thinking about her and that haunted

look in her eyes. “Why do you suspect I was the one, then?”

“Tingles,” she said, matter-of-fact. “I wonder if they’ve appeared all the other times and I simply didn’t pay attention.

I still remember the day we were introduced, when my parasol flew out of my hands and you rescued it just before it toppled

into the river.” She shook her head on a quiet laugh. “Honestly, I should have seen through your disguise then.”

Damn. He frowned. Had he always revealed too much around her?

If he did, it was her fault. There was just something about her that made his strategies fall into the background and she

became the center of his focus. That was dangerous. And he was sure it would only become worse if they were to spend any more

time together in public. Because after spending just a few clandestine hours with her, he already wanted more.

He released her hand and shifted to peer through the slit in the shade. “We’ll be at the townhouse shortly.”

“So soon? It hardly seemed to take long at all.”

“Aye,” he said, wishing he didn’t feel the same, like they were running out of time.

This night had not turned out the way he’d imagined. He’d expected ranting and arguing, some hysterics.

Instead, he’d found that she was just as extraordinary as she’d seemed. More so. And after all he’d done, she’d still trusted

him with something that had hurt her and made her feel vulnerable. It made him want to shield and protect her. To slay dragons

for her.

But how could he do that and keep his distance? He didn’t have an answer.

“My mum used to say, ‘Don’t ever let anyone make you doubt yourself, for they cannot fathom all the greatness that resides

inside of you. Trust in yourself, and in doing so you will find that greatness,’” he said and heard her breath hitch.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

They were silent for a while. Both lost to their own thoughts.

Then she sat forward. “I suppose I should remove your greatcoat.”

Without a word, he helped her. Sliding his hands to her shoulders, he lifted the weight of the garment so she could slip her arms from the sleeves. Then the white of her nightdress seemed to fill the interior of the carriage with moonlight, and he could see her chafe her hands over her arms.

She blew out a shaky breath. “It’s cold in here. The next time you kidnap a woman, be sure to have a foot warmer.”

He acted without forethought or strategy and pulled her onto his lap. Every warning in his head faded into the background

as he drew her against him. He felt her turn. Then her hands cupped his face and she drew him down to press her lips to his

forehead.

“You should be more careful before dashing into rooms,” she whispered against his skin.

“I was hoping you didn’t notice,” he grumbled, embarrassed, not to mention unbearably aroused as she continued her soft kisses

over his brow, down his cheeks.

“Does it still hurt?”

When he shook his head, their mouths found each other, instantly sparking, seeking, searching. She stripped bare all of his

defenses.

He never should have kissed her the first time, let alone now. But there was only so much a man could resist. Besides, in

a moment, it wouldn’t matter. They would go their separate ways once this carriage stopped.

“I can never have you,” he said against the corner of her mouth, more to himself than to her. His hands splayed over her back,

pulling her flush against the frantic beating of his heart. And he regretted every moment he’d spent with her.

“I know,” she said on an exhale. “We’re facing insurmountable obstacles, helplessly drawn to each other like star-crossed

lovers.”

He shook his head, sensing the direction of her thoughts. “Althea, I won’t allow myself to fall in love with you. This isn’t

a work of fiction.”

“Then why does it feel like all we need to do is write the perfect ending?”

She pressed her lips to his one last time, then slipped out of the carriage.

He hadn’t even realized they’d arrived. All he could do was watch her dash through the garden gate, the thick morning fog

swirling in curlicues behind her until she reached the way to the terrace door. She could even make fog beautiful.

Jasper sank back against the squabs on a self-disparaging groan. He was not some besotted fool. Life had taught him that insurmountable

obstacles were just that— insurmountable! Only a romantic would find anything remotely promising in their situation.

He couldn’t afford to be that delusional. There was far too much at stake.