“He breathed flame and did magic,” Mr. Aubrey said, and this time, his voice was nearly unrecognizable.
“Yes?” She looked at him with growing concern. “Is there something amiss? Mr. Aubrey—good heavens, Mr. Aubrey, are you quite well?”
“Am I quite well?” Mr. Aubrey repeated. “Am I well?” His voice rose to a roar. “Good God, madam! Have I not suffered enough?”
She blinked at him, taking a step backwards, while Sir Jessamyn hurried back along her arm to take shelter upon her shoulders. “I don’t understand.”
“I am meant to be inWales!” he shouted. “I am meant to be pursuing desperately needed research, but no, my friend needed me, so here I am. I amhere, of all the godforsaken places in England! I ask you, madam, have you evenseenthis house’s library? Can youpossiblyimagine any way for me to work in such a place?”
“Ah…” She winced. “I do understand the inconvenience, but—”
“But can I leave?” Aubrey demanded. “No! I cannot even depart now as I ought, because I promised Hawkins. I gave him my word that I would stay, no matter how many young ladies giggle at me or how much horrifying talk ofhunting, of all abominations, may take place. And now—now, when I am already dealing with deprivation and ignorance at every turn!—now, of all times, you’ve decided toplay a practical joke on me?”
“No!” Elinor gasped. “Mr. Aubrey, please—”
“Oh, you may find me very amusing,” Aubrey said bitterly. “Society ladies generally do, I believe. But madam, I am no joke. I am a scholar. And now, if you will do the honor of excusing me…” He swept her a breathtakingly beautiful bow. “I haverealwork to do.”
He stalked back towards the house, gait stiff with outrage.
“Wait!” Elinor picked up her skirts and ran after him. “Mr. Aubrey, wait. I can prove it! The markings on my dragon’s face—they’ve changed again since this morning. And…” In desperation, she grasped his closest sleeve and pulled the cloth towards her, dragging his arm with it. “Here! Feel my face—you canfeelit’s different, underneath, from the illusion you see. Just—”
The door swung open a moment before she could force Aubrey’s hand to touch her cheek. She gasped in surprise. Her hand fell off Aubrey’s sleeve.
Benedict Hawkins stood in the open doorway, staring at them. “I beg your pardon.” His gaze went from Elinor to Aubrey, still standing close together. He looked at Aubrey’s furious face, and then at Aubrey’s arm as it dropped to his side. When Mr. Hawkins looked up once more at Elinor, his expression was chilly and his tone coldly polite. “Have I interrupted something?”
“I—Mr. Hawkins…” Elinor swallowed hard, searching for an explanation. “I was only—that is, I was asking Mr. Aubrey…”
“You haven’t interrupted anything,” said Mr. Aubrey. “Trust me, Hawkins. There is nothing this lady has to say that couldeverinterest me.”
Chapter 13
Mr. Aubrey stalked into the house and slammed the door behind him...leaving Elinor and Mr. Hawkins in the garden, staring at each other.
Heat flooded Elinor’s cheeks. She took a deep breath.Be Mrs. De Lacey. She tried for a careless, unaffected laugh. “Well! That was rather…”
“I think I had better warn you, Mrs. De Lacey.” Mr. Hawkins’s voice was clipped and colder than she had ever heard it. “My friend may seem distracted from everyday life, but he is no fool.”
“I—what?” Elinor frowned. “Mr. Hawkins, I don’t know what you imagine—”
“Other ladies have tried to trap him into marriage before,” Mr. Hawkins said, “but he has escaped every single time, even from the most determined. I would advise you not to waste your effort on the attempt.”
Elinor gaped at him. “You think I—what? You cannot be serious!”
Mr. Hawkins’s expression did not warm. “He may be the heir to one of England’s greatest fortunes, but he is not available as an additional source of income, nor as an accessory for your entertainment. It would make him utterly miserable to be taken away from his university studies…and no matter how much wealth his wife might gain, I can promise that she, too, would be miserable after using my friend in such a way. He is one of the best men I know, not a pawn to be manipulated for anyone else’s comfort.”
“The way you plan to use Miss Hathergill, you mean?” Elinor glared back at him.
A flush crept up from Benedict Hawkins’s jawline. “I have great respect for Miss Hathergill.”
“Oh, really? Is that ‘respect’ what brought you here in the first place?”
“That is an entirely different situation.” He crossed his arms. “If Miss Hathergill agrees to marry me, I will do my utmost to make her happy for the rest of both of our lives. My friend Aubrey wouldneverbe happy to be ripped away from Cambridge and forced to attend Society balls as the puppet of a fashionable wife.”
He swept her with a scathingly dismissive look. “You may be accustomed to everyone in London falling down before your reputation, Mrs. De Lacey, but Aubrey cares nothing for fashion or popularity, and your status means nothing to him. Don’t waste your time, or his, by pursuing him any further.”
“You really think I was trying to entrap him.” Elinor shook her head wonderingly. “So much for what you said about me earlier!”
“I said…” Benedict’s face tightened. “I thought I saw something different in you. Better. Clearly, I was mistaken.”
