Page 9 of Worth Any Price (Bow Street #3)

Lottie crossed through and wandered past the hedge, surprised to discover that her knees were a bit quivery. Her companion followed in silence as she walked along the footpath that led to Stony Cross Park. When they had almost reached the great house, they paused in the shelter of an oak tree.

“I must leave you here,” Lottie said, her face dappled by the overhead boughs. “It wouldn’t do to be seen together.”

“Of course.”

A wistful ache gathered inside her chest as she stared at him. “When will you leave Stony Cross Park, my lord?”

“Soon.”

“Not until after tomorrow evening, I hope. The village has a wonderful May Day celebration. Everyone from the manor comes down to watch.”

“Will you?”

Lottie shook her head immediately. “No, I have seen it before. I will probably remain in my room with a book. But for a newcomer, the festivities would be entertaining.”

“I will consider it,” he murmured. “Thank you for the walk, Miss Miller.” And with a polite bow, he left her.

After breakfast, Charlotte pushed Lady Westcliff’s wheeled chair along the paved walks of the estate gardens. Nick watched from an open first-floor window, able to hear the regal old woman as she lectured Charlotte.

“There is no substitute for daily inspection,” Lady Westcliff was saying, gesturing with a bejeweled hand. “Weeds must be pulled as soon as they show. Plants must never be allowed to grow outside their proper places, or they will ruin the proportion of the garden...”

Charlotte appeared to be listening respectfully as she guided the chair along the path. The ease with which she maneuvered it belied the vehicle’s obvious weight. Her slim arms were surprisingly strong, and she showed no signs of tiring as they proceeded along the hedgerow.

Nick watched her intently as he tried to sort through the anarchy of his thoughts.

His usual appetite had vanished after their walk this morning.

He had not eaten breakfast... had not done anything, really, except to wander around the estate in a sort of daze that appalled him.

He knew himself to be a callous man, one with no honor, and no means of quelling his own brutish instincts.

So much of his life had been occupied with basic survival that he had never been free to follow higher pursuits.

He had little acquaintance with literature or history, and his mathematical abilities were limited to matters of money and betting odds.

Philosophy, to him, was a handful of cynical principles learned through experience with the worst of humanity.

By now, nothing could surprise or intimidate him.

He didn’t fear loss, pain, or even death.

But with a few words and one awkward, innocent kiss, Charlotte Howard had devastated him.

It was clear that Charlotte had changed from the girl her parents, friends, and Radnor himself had known.

She had become accustomed to living in the moment, with no thought given to the future.

The knowledge that she was being hunted, that her days of precious freedom were limited, should have made her bitter and disillusioned.

And yet she still threw pins into wishing wells.

A wish. The flicker of hope that implied.

.. it had struck at his soul, when he had believed he had no soul left.

He could not give her to Radnor.

He had to take her for himself.

His hand closed around the painted wood casement, gripping hard to assure his balance. Otherwise, he would have staggered from the violent surprise of his discovery.

“Sydney.”

The sound of Lord Westcliff’s voice startled him. Nick was not pleased to realize that he had been so absorbed in watching Charlotte that his customary alertness had vanished. Keeping his face blank, he turned toward the earl.

Westcliff’s features seemed even more harshly cut and uncompromising than usual.

His dark eyes contained a hard, cold gleam.

“I see that you’ve taken notice of my mother’s companion,” he remarked softly.

“An attractive girl, not to mention vulnerable. In the past, I have sometimes found it necessary to discourage a guest’s interest in Miss Miller, as I would never allow any of my servants to be taken advantage of. ”

Nick returned Westcliff’s steady regard, aware that he was being warned away from Charlotte. “Am I poaching on your preserve, my lord?”

The earl’s eyes narrowed at the insolent question. “I have advanced my hospitality to you with very few conditions, Sydney. However, one of them is that you leave Miss Miller alone. That is not open for negotiation.”

“I see.” Suspicion ignited inside him. Had Charlotte confided in her employer?

He had not thought that she would trust anyone, even a man as honorable as Westcliff.

However, if she had taken that chance, then the earl would undoubtedly offer strong opposition to her being removed from Stony Cross Park.

It was also possible that Charlotte had earned his protection by sleeping with him.

The thought of Charlotte naked in another man’s arms brought an acid taste to Nick’s mouth, and he was suddenly filled with bloodlust. It must be jealousy , he thought incredulously. Christ.

“I’ll leave the choice to Miss Miller,” Nick said flatly. “If she desires my presence—or absence—I will abide by her preference. Not yours.”

Nick saw from the warning gleam in Westcliff’s eyes that the earl did not trust him.

The man had good instincts.