He nodded, his lips twitching. “You are right.”
“There is also that Reaper fellow. He won’t be happy to find we have set off without him.” But she could imagine his face, and it brought a heap of satisfaction to her heart. As reckonings went, it wasn’t much, but it was still a sweet treat.
“It can’t be helped,” the duke said lightly. “He wasn’t there when we retrieved the ledger, and we couldn’t wait for him. As long as we still honor the deal, let him bark.”
“He’s going to bark that we took a different route back.”
“More’s the fun.”
Louisa chuckled. “Don’t like him that much?”
“I don’t like him lingering about us.”
“I can’t say I disagree. Those brothers... they are dangerous. Not men to be trifled with, and the words that roll off their tongues are particularly infuriating.”
“Agreed.”
She hoped her brother was doing all right. She would never forgive herself if she had put him in any sort of harm’s way. But she trusted Mortimer, and so she trusted that Mr. Helgate would look after Leo. He had also seemed rather fond of Leo.
Now all she had to do was look after herself and not pounce on the man beside her, who looked ever so delightful in uniform, and demand more kisses, especially when doing so could only complicate everything.
You only live once, Louisa, her inner voice whispered, then more loudly roared,Complicate some matters!
Urgh!
But she still had to choose carefully who she complicated matters with. She had vowed no powerful men. Yet, there was a lingering temptation to break her own rule. It was fine to be bold once in a while, wasn’t it?
Her heart gave a flutter. Boldness was a dangerous thing when it came to men like him. But that made it all the more exciting. So, if she wanted to be bold, she couldn’t wait forever. The duchess would be dealt with soon enough, but the fallout... what would it bring? She shuddered to think. The tide would shift, that much was certain. And her family... what it would mean for her family, she couldn’t say.
Speaking of which, “You are aware that my father might hold you responsible if you take down his wife?”
A moment of silence. “The thought has occurred to me, yes.”
“Are you not worried?”
“Worried... It’s not as though I am doing it publicly. My aim is not his wife, but the organization itself. If he tries to blame me for her actions, that wouldn’t make him much of a man, now would it?” He glanced at her. “Are you worried about me, Louisa?”
“Youarehelping me.”
“And here I thought you were helping me.”
“Let us just say we are helping each other, then. I’ve always had this feeling that Camilla was trying to sink her nails into my brother. You are helping me prevent that, and also revealing that woman’s true character.”
“Unlikely allies, you and me,” he agreed.
“It’s the unlikely allies that make for the best ones, if you ask me.”
“I cannot agree on that score, only to say that you are the exception.”
Louisa beamed at him. “I quite like that.” Being his exception. She also quite liked being in this man’s company.Sharing with him this adventure. Searching for clues with him. Traveling with him.
Oh lord, didn’t she like him a bit too much?
They would soon be parting ways. And the leap in her pulse at that thought wasn’t a good sign. She didn’t want to part ways. And yet, they would have to. The thought lodged in her throat and sat there like a lump. She liked him too much. More than she should. More than was wise. She liked the way he looked at her, sharp and knowing. The way his voice curled around her name. The way, despite his title as enemy, she felt safe beside him in a way she had never known before.
Foolish, so foolish.
Theirs wasn’t a story that would ever have a happy ending. Her father’s hatred of the Cavanagh family ran too deep. They wouldn’t even be able to be friends after this. Well, perhaps they could be secret friends. She would have to content herself with that.
