Clever angel.
He thought it was poppycock too. If the match was desired by the duchess, there must be something more to it, but even more importantly, the man did not suit Lady Louisa at all, even without the worry of criminal intent. Just from watching them dance, he could tell it would be a match made in the chambers of hell.
They did not look good together.
In fact, to his eye, they looked quite mismatched.
“It’s best to avoid him in the future,” Oliver agreed.
“Yes, I intend to do exactly that.” A latch clicking into place made both of them jerk. She shot him a grin. “Well, well, well.”
“Let us hope there is a ledger.” He hoped to God there was.
She laughed, lifting a thin wooden panel from the inside of a drawer. Moments later, she pulled out a brown leather journal. “No hope needed!” She lifted the thing up to her face. “This looks like a ledger to me.”
Oliver took the book from her fingertips, flipping through the pages.
Sure enough . . .
The back of her head filled his sight as she leaned close to peer over his hand. Delight laced her words. “How lucky are we! But I’m rather surprised at how easy this was.”
Oliver would have to agree, but he was not the sort to question good fortune. “Not everyone chooses the best hiding spots. Shall we go?”
She straightened, nodding. “Yes, now would be the perfect time to slip away.”
Good. “What about your father? Should you leave a note?”
“No,” she said, scratching the tip of her nose. “I’ve yet to see my father, so I’ve decided to disappear as though I never came in the first place.”
Oliver didn’t comment. It wasn’t his place to interfere with her family, and he also wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. “Very well.”
They left the bedchamber without incident, and it wasn’t until they slipped into the garden that the sudden approach of voices alerted them to people turning the corner. Oliver sprang into action. He grabbed Louisa by the waist and pushed her up against a nearby tree. He leaned over her, bending his headto hers until their noses brushed over each other, their lips hovering an inch apart, as though this closeness would help them go unnoticed.
“Oh!” A voice suddenly exclaimed.
Damn it.
Two hands gripped the front of his jacket, and Oliver moved his body, pressing in as close as he could, so that he covered Lady Louisa completely, hiding her from any prying eyes.
“Morti—”
His lips pressed against hers.
Nothing else. They just rested against hers, cutting off any sound.
“Let us go,” a male voice said. “Give the couple some privacy.”
Their footsteps faded, and it wasn’t until Oliver was certain they had left completely that he lifted his head, slowly pushing away from Lady Louisa.
“Are you all right?” he asked softly.
She blinked once. Twice. Then let out a slow breath. “Am I all right?” she echoed, her voice a touch higher than usual.
Oliver stretched into a slow grin. “You must have gotten quite a fright, being so speechless and all.”
Her brows furrowed. “Speechless?”
He laughed now. “Do you know where you are, Lady Louisa? Or have you been thoroughly swept away—”
