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Still, she’d shared this secret. It was a start. A small start, but a start nonetheless.

“Thank you for sharing that. I cannot imagine how hard it must have been to do so. But if you ever do anything like that again, I will take you over my knee and blister your behind.”

Her smile widened. “I did not know what else to do.”

His lips thinned. “You could have come to me. I truly do not know how you have survived this long on you own.”

“I’ve never been alone. I’ve always had Evelyn and Jo and now my brothers have returned.”

And me.

But he did not voice it. For now, it was best to let sleeping dogs lie. “De Roux has proven a strong adversary, but he’s grown restless and as a result, became reckless. The stunt in the park proved that much.”

“He’s grown bold,” Belle agreed. “I believe he will not wait for me to leave the house next time. But I shall be ready.”

Simon did not like the sound of that. In fact, his heart leaped in fierce denial. Perhaps the time had come to change the playing field.

A rather crazy idea began to form in his mind and neither his sense of honor nor his conscience spoke up against it, which meant he was likely about to embark on something ridiculously rash. But then, rash and foolish fit in rather nicely withherrash and foolish actions. Perhaps to win her, he had to pattern himself after her.

“I see that you will remain stubborn to the bitter end.”

“I believe I have my brothers to thank for that.”

Simon gave a loud snort.

After learning her brothers were spies, he’d come to suspect that the sudden death of her parents and the abrupt departure of her siblings had little to do with grief, but had been more along the ways of spy versus spy. It had never sat right with him that her brothers would abandontheir sister, who was barely of age.

“You have a different opinion?” she asked sweetly.

“Stubbornness is not all that runs your family, my dear.”

No, he had a sneaky suspicion that Belle’s ancestry possessed a long list of men working for the Crown. She’d not been thrust into the world of spying but been born into it. That may be why De Roux had singled her out from the beginning, why it had been her he engaged and not another unsuspecting miss.

He could not tell her that now, however. By saint’s, she’d most likely try her hand at becoming one. And then she’d truly never marry him.

The rich sound of her laughter reached his ears. “I suppose you are right, stubbornness is but one of our traits. Are you still angry?”

“No.”

“I don’t believe you.”

He smiled at that. “You should rest, my dear, gain your strength back,” he murmured when her eyes started to drift shut.

“I am a bit exhausted. Perhaps I shall close my eyes for a bit.”

Simon kissed her nose. Already her breathing had become shallow as fatigue drew her off into a peaceful slumber.

Ever so softly that the words barely left his tongue, he whispered, “I love you.”