“Did you get some sleep?” His eyes flicked over her face, noting no shadows beneath her eyes.
“Surprisingly, yes.”
That was good, then. He knew the suffering that came from lack of sleep. However, a hint of impatience clawed at him. As expected. That hint, however, wouldn’t disappear until he had the book in his hands and was no longer standing on Talbot property. Fortunately, Lady Louisa was nothing like the other Talbot family members he had dealt with over the years. Nor was her brother. They were different. A breath of fresh Talbot air. Perhaps, there was hope for the two families.
Then he thought of the Duke of Talbot.
Past sins.
Not a chance. Some resentment ran too deep.
Still, there was something about the day that seemed a bit brighter, in spite of it all. He gave into temptation and stepped closer, his voice soft, “You should smile, or it might look to others that you are scolding me.”
Her eyes widened.
So did his smile.
Challenge lit her whole face. “So, what if I am?”
Chapter Four
Louisa gave afake grin to the fake gardener, which, come to think of it, might look stranger than actually scolding the man! But, Lawks, this duke deserved a good scolding. He didn’t say anything. However, that smile—so vexinglyknowing—remained. It amazed her how a mere stretch of lips could convey so much more than words.
And then there was Leo.
That her brother and the duke were having a conversation hadn’t surprised her. Leo loved slipping away from his governess to keep the company of their servants. She had been the same when she was young. She was still the same. She herself enjoyed conversing—gossiping—with the servants. They kneweverythingin and about town.
What worried her was that this was Mortimer.
She didn’t believe the duke lacked honor, but she couldn’t ignore the fact that the man was still an enemy of their family. Who knew what nonsense he would whisper in her brother’s ear, given the chance? If the duke had designs of his own beyond the book, she and her brother could become pawns in a dangerous game. She wanted to avoid that at all costs. It wasn’t just this man’s presence she feared, it was the influence he could have if he lingered too long. The havoc he could wreak.
Had she let a wolf into the den by playing along with him and not clubbing him over the head with a candelabra or stabbing him with a knife?
Please, Louisa. You would never stab a man.
Well, she did possess a vivid imagination.
She dispensed with the fake smile and sent the man A Look instead.
Where on earth is that deuced book?
All her worries would be solved if she could just find the book.
“Your brows are furrowing,” he murmured. “This might be stating the obvious, but I gather you are not pleased by my approach.”
“I applauded your observation.” She opened her arms in a display of confusion. “From a thief to a gardener? You are a man of many talents.”
“I am.”
She scoffed at that simple admission. “I should have known you wouldn’t be able to wait leisurely for my missive. Is it because I am a woman or a Talbot?”
“On the contrary, I am simply not a man of leisurely pastimes.”
Louisa didn’t care to dwell on what sort of pastimes he might prefer. And heavens, this close, why did the man still look so maddingly handsome dressed in such drab clothing? Where had he even gotten such clothes?
Not the point, Louisa!
“Do you take all your disguises so seriously?” she muttered.
