Trying to save their family. As she should be. Waving her hands about, Maggie said, “One thing or another, I suppose. It’s no matter. I do not need protection.”
“Friendship, then.”
He could have no idea how much the offer tempted her. She stood poised on the edge of making a house party full of enemies. She swallowed the fear and disgust that rose in her throat. She’d much rather make a friend instead. A single friend could steady her through the storm or distract her from it at the very least.
He stood and took her hand, pushed her chin up with the other until she could see straight into his watercolor-blue eyes. “I’ve watched you over the last day. You are always alone, even when surrounded by a crowd of people. I think you need a friend.”
“We cannot be friends. Not after what happened.”
“Perhaps not, but I think you would like my sister.”
“Lady Rigsby?”
He nodded, the hint of a grin on his lips.
“I’ve conversed with her. I do like her.” So much so, she’d known immediately she would not add Henrietta’s name to her notebook, no matter how many of her secrets she discovered.
“Most do. She and her husband and I are going on a walk this afternoon to some nearby ruins. Would you like to accompany us?”
“Yes.” The word was up her throat and out of her mouth before she realized she’d made a decision. Her eyes widened.
He chuckled. “Excellent. You’ll not regret it.” In one smooth movement, he shifted the fingertip on her chin to her nose. “Boop.”
She pulled back. “Pardon me!?”
“I’ve always wanted to do that, and you have the most boop-able nose I’ve ever seen. Curls up at the end. Adorable. Think I’ll boop it again.”
She jerked backward. “I think not!”
“Oh, not right now.” He winked. “When you least expect it.” He walked backward toward the house. “Meet us out front in half an hour’s time.” Then he turned and trotted away, the wool of his trousers pulling across a well-shaped backside. She looked her fill, comparing it to the statues that dotted her mother’s parlor. She liked Mr. Blake’s backside better. It would likely be hard to the touch, just as the statues were, but softer, too, and warmer.
Oh Lord, she was contemplating the feel of a man’s backside. She hadn’t done that since she thought she’d been in love with the furniture maker. She returned to her bench and closed her eyes. She opened her notebook, found her pencil and tried to draft a letter.
Baron Scott,
I hope this letter finds you well.
No! That was not right at all! She turned the page and began again.
Baron Scott,
I know what you did, and you will pay for your sins, you murderous bastard!
“Gah!” She groaned and slumped on the bench, covering her face with the book. Her first attempt might have been too friendly, but the next one was surely too fiendish.
She slammed the notebook shut. Blackmail was more difficult than she’d thought it would be. Perhaps she needed a rest, a quick walk with lovely companions would prove a much-needed respite before she darkened her own soul to save her family.
Much more appealing to consider Mr. Blake’s offer of friendship. How he tempted her with the offer. She craved a friend now more than ever. But would he still offer if he knew what she planned to do? She squeezed her eyes closed tight until sparks appeared in the darkness.
Likely not.
Chapter 6
Tobias stretched out on the blanket laid across the grass next to the large gray boulder and soaked in Lady Maggie’s words as much as he soaked up the sun. He should be back at the house, informally interviewing the guests, sussing out the perfect partner for his business plan. But he’d recently started comparing all possible partners to his sister, and they one by one came up lacking. It was deuced defeating to realize the one person you wanted to go into business with was the one person you could not say a word to. Best to let the idea of opening a business with Henrietta fade into obscurity before returning to his search. Only then would he meet with success.
Besides, he’d much rather be here. The air blew brisk but the sun warmed the skin, and Lady Maggie’s words—energetic and bright—warmed other parts of him. With inflections in all the right places and dramatic pauses when necessary, she kept them all rapt. She’d been aptly named. Magnificent indeed.
Dropping her voice low, she made eye contact with Henrietta, then Grayson, then Tobias before turning her attention back to the rock. “Mama says the site dates to ancient druids, that ritual sacrifices occurred on this very rock.” She gestured to the large, flat stone before her, lifting her chin high. Then she dropped her chin to her chest and offered her audience a cheeky grin. “ButIthink it dates back fifty years to my ancient grandpapa’s final attempt at improving the estate. It’s more likely he thought it a nice place for a picnic than for sacrifice.”
