So why did it feel as though her heart was crumbling?
*
Oliver stared atLouisa’s profile, her lashes fluttering gently as she slept, her head resting against his shoulder. The faintest hint of her scent—that subtle sweetness—embraced him once again without room for escape. Even just this side of her face, with the curve of her cheek and the soft line of her jaw, was beautiful. She had no idea how she affected him. No idea that she had blown into his life like a storm, disrupting everything.
There had always been a sharp divide between his world of business and the personal lives of others. Louisa, however, was different. She wasn’t something he could file away neatly in one category.
She was somewhere beyond.
Somewhere he shouldn’t be able to touch. And despite his better judgment, despite all his good intentions, his heart raced with each breath she took. This was a complication he didn’t know how to manage. He had never been one to let his emotions rule him. His father had taught him that—even though that man, in Oliver’s view, had made every single decision in his life based on emotion. Perhaps that’s why Oliver avoided doing the same.
Her question hadn’t been out of place either.
Talbotwouldblame him.
Perhaps the man would not fully blame him for his wife’s actions, but he would blame Oliver for bringing it to light. He would believe that Oliver had targeted his family, doing it on purpose, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. And if he ever learned of Louisa’s involvement, not even to mention little Leo’s, Talbot would aim all his pistols at Oliver.
And fire.
There would be no end to the chaos that would follow. Talbot wasn’t the type of man who could be reasoned with.
God, family feuds were so tiring.
The carriage slowed, and Oliver peered through the window. They’d arrived at Helgate’s. Not the property they had first met at, but another one belonging to his friend. A smaller property than the first, perfect for one or two people to lay low when things get a bit tough in their line of work.
The moment the vehicle rattled to a stop, he placed a hand beneath Louisa’s jaw and gently lifted her from his shoulder and settled her head against the seat, moving to open the door and jumping down. He didn’t know if Helgate had even made it. If not, then it meant he hadn’t been able to shake his Fury detail.
Not that they had any real need to since Oliver had planned to honor their deal from the start, but he was not so kind as to allow those ruffians to call the shots and walk all over them with their demands just because he needed something they had.Shaking off those two, he was sending a message: The Furys didn’t have them in their grasp as they might have thought.
The door of the cottage swung open and a tall figure emerged, striding over. “You returned faster than I imagined you would.”
“We found the ledger sooner than I expected,” Oliver said softly. He nodded at the house. “The boy?”
“Sleeping,” Helgate confirmed, a wry smile curling his lips. “Entertaining fellow.”
Oliver nodded, lips twitching. “The young heir is indeed quite the character, and if he continues on this path, he will make a great duke someday.”
Helgate craned his neck at the carriage. “The lady?”
“Also asleep.”
Helgate nodded. “I’ve prepared a room for her, though, I must warn you, there are only two bedchambers in this house, I’m afraid.”
Oliver dismissed it with a wave. “Not an issue. Did you have any trouble with Fury?”
A flash of irritation crossed Helgate’s face. “That man is a walking stormcloud. He didn’t speak a word when he arrived. And not a word passed his lips right up until the moment he fell asleep after I laced his drink with a little something extra.”
“He actually drank something you offered him?”
“Not somethingIoffered.” Helgate grinned. “Something little Leo gave him.”
Ah, well, that boy did have a way to disarm a person. “Don’t tell Lady Louisa.”
Helgate glanced around, chuckling. “Yes, yes. I see you got rid of your tail as well.”
“It was easier than what you faced.”
Helgate lifted a brow.
