“Luz Alana, are you still in here?” Luz almost wept with frustration when Aurora’s voice pierced through their heated silence.
For a large man, Evanston Sinclair could move fast. He gracefully backed away, leaving her space to turn toward her friend’s voice, her heart caught in her throat, and her body protesting the loss of his warmth.
“I’m coming for my casks tomorrow, Luz Alana.”
A statement of fact, not a question.
“Cask. Only one. You overestimate your negotiation skills, Evan,” she said over her shoulder as she stepped out into the alcove outside the small theater. “But if you do secure a meeting with Miss Cisse-Kelly, I could be convinced to part with more.”
“I will deliver on my promise, Miss Heith-Benzan.” The man’s voice was debilitating. “And just so you know, I am nowhere near done with that mouth of yours. I am beginning to see that perhaps it was an error underestimatingyourmany skills.”
She didn’t turn to look at him when he called after her so he wouldn’t catch a glimpse of the satisfied smile on her lips.
Six
It was jarring to be walking in the shadow of such an enormous amount of steel, especially so early in the morning. The size of Eiffel’s tower was beyond anything Evan had ever seen, and that was quite a statement considering the gravity-defying bridges the railways had built throughout Scotland. But those bridges had a function. This gargantuan web of metal was built solely to be admired.
It was so acutely...French.
Evan tended to prefer things that served a purpose. It wasn’t that he couldn’t appreciate a beautiful painting or a sumptuously manicured garden, but he tended to gravitate to objects that were pleasing and functional. As a child he’d been fascinated by a cabinet in his grandfather’s study. It was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship with elaborate carvings, and inside it was a puzzle. Whenever Evan visited, he’d spend hours opening drawers and pulling on levers attempting to unravel it. There was something infinitely captivating about an object that drew you in for its exquisiteness but kept your interest because of what it could do.
Like the infinitely tempting rum heiress he was about to pay a visit to.
“Oi!” Raghav’s unusually coarse cry told Evan he’d probably drifted off again. He’d been doing that all morning. “What exactly is your plan with Miss Heith-Benzan?” There was a tinge of impatience in Raghav’s voice. This was not the first time he’d asked the question, and Evan was yet to come up with an answer.
The truth was, he didn’t have one thus far. Luz Alana was herself a puzzle, and a beautiful one at that. Evan had walked away from that kiss with a yawning hunger he hadn’t felt in...well, ever. She was so vivid, so deliciously ardent. When she felt something strongly she simply could not hide it. Not about her rum or his kisses. It was addictive.
“I’d like to learn more about her. I do think this could be beneficial for both of us.” It was true Evan wasn’t yet certain howshewould benefit in the arrangement he had in mind, but that’s why he needed to see her again. He wanted to know more about this errant trustee and glean how receptive Luz Alana would be to an offer of help to resolve that matter.
“Learn more.” Raghav laughed. “Wasn’t that what you supposedly did last night?”
“I did ask for a taste of the rum.”Among other things.
“Evan,” Raghav said, voice heavy with censure, “she is in a very vulnerable position. I want the distillery out of your father’s hands, you know I do, but I won’t be a party to seeing her used.” All humor had gone from his friend’s voice.
Evan didn’t argue; Raghav was not being unfair. He was usually willing to go to extremes when it came to getting back at his father. “You were the one who so helpfully pointed out she was in need of some assistance, and specifically of the kind I could be of help with.”
Raghav remained unmoved. “Not if it meant getting her mixed up in whatever you are up to with your mysterious ally.” And that was one of the things that Evan respected most about the man: there were lines he would not cross, not for love or money. For Raghav the ends absolutely did not justify the means.
“Evan.” Raghav’s voice had an edge now.
“I want to help her,” Evan admitted. “She is tenacious, and she is bold. She deserves a chance to set up her business without every prejudiced sod from here to Aberdeen interfering with her.” He thought about the way she’d stood up to him yesterday. At the Palace and then at Le Bureau. She was magnificent, intrepid...and he loathed the idea of her being defeated before she’d even begun.
“Her rum is good too,” Raghav added, somewhat mollified.
Evan made a noise of agreement. “Better than good. It’s the best damn thing I’ve had outside of my own whisky,” he said truthfully. Both of them had been in this business long enough to appreciate when they came upon something remarkable, and Luz Alana Heith-Benzan made excellent rum.
Anyone could concoct something decent with the right materials and equipment, but achieving complexity—that was far more elusive. Spirits were like people: what you put into them at every stage made a crucial difference as it matured. What he’d tasted last night had astonishing depth. Its flavor had caught Evan completely off guard and left a lingering sweetness in his mouth long after he’d tasted it.
Much like the woman who made it.
“All we’re doing is procuring some casks, confirming she received Seynabou’s message and perhaps formally offering her some assistance getting settled once we’re all back in Scotland.” He proffered this in a light tone, attempting to smooth out his friend’s deeply furrowed brow.
“I hope that’s the extent of it, Evan. Truly, your father is not a man who takes lightly to being toyed with. I don’t like the idea of having her involved in whatever standoff is to come.”
That was true enough, but if Evan’s plan went accordingly, by the time the Duke of Annan realized his time was up, he would not be in any position to retaliate.
“The lifts are finally operating,” Raghav said at length, tipping his head back to take in the steel beast above them. It seemed he’d had his fill of discussing Evan’s eternal feud with his father. “Murdoch said they’re taking five thousand people up there every day.”
