wall.
“ I wish you wouldn’t keep doing that, your lordship, cause my head ain’t as hard as you might think.”
“ Tell her.”
“ Yeah, I’ll pass along the message, but you know Irma. She’s a stubborn old woman.”
Nicolas pushed the man down the hall.
“ You wouldn’t be thinking of beating the tar out of me and throwing me down those stairs, now would you?”
“ I might.”
O’Connell grinned. “Still angry about the Revolutionary War?” He glanced over his shoulder. “Mind telling me where I’m going?”
“ Outside.”
“ Whoa, Friend.” The American pivoted around and pointed. “My room’s back there.”
“ Is that so?” Nicolas quipped. “Well…not this evening.”
Chapter Five
Leah placed her ear to the door. The duke sounded angry. Would his name soon find its way into the Standard’s gossip column along side hers?
As the voices outside the door faded down the hall, she plucked the vial of laudanum from her bodice, her fingers trembling, and hurried over to the table beside the window. A bottle of uncorked brandy stood beside the food tray. A kettle of tea rested on the tray itself.
Leah touched the porcelain pot. Cold. She pried open the vial and held it over the bottle of brandy.
No, this is wicked!
She straightened her spine, but her resolve to commit this despicable act, her very purpose in coming to the duke’s room, disappeared like a puff of smoke. Chase was arrogant and often rude, but drugging his brandy was cowardly. Before the stranger had intruded upon them, he had actually been kind to her, and she considered going against Anne’s advice and telling him about Edwin.
She understood her friend’s reluctance. Like most gently bred ladies, Lady Ashburn feared the scandal of illegitimacy would tarnish her family’s good name, but Edwin was a child in need of a family. Not a mistake to be hidden away indefinitely.
Leah closed her eyes. She could smell the duke’s scent. A faint mixture of chamomile and spice. When his strong arms had closed about her, she’d felt truly safe for the first time in a very long time. How was that possible?
A noise outside the door brought her to her senses. She set about replacing the vial’s stopper but in her haste, she dropped the tiny cork. It fell to the floor, and she lost sight of it in the rug’s flowery pattern.
Forget the stopper! Get rid of the laudanum!
If the duke caught her with it, he would have no trouble figuring out what she’d planned to do. And he would never believe she’d lost her nerve or changed her mind.
She lifted the lid of the teapot and quickly emptied the laudanum into the pot just as the door opened.
He stood in the doorway, his gaze locked with hers. “Forgive my manners. I should’ve offered.”
“ Pardon?”
Chase glanced at her hands.
Leah did as well. Lord, she still held the lid to the teapot! And in the other hand…
“ This establishment serves herbal teas,” she explained as she casually replaced the lid while tucking the hand holding the vial behind her. “I thought perhaps I smelled cinnamon.”
“ Cinnamon? No.”
He walked toward her and the closer he got, the faster her heart beat. Did his handsome face cause such discomfort, or was her guilty conscience the culprit?
“ You look a bit faint, Miss Sheridan. Would you care to sit down?”
She shook her head. “That gentleman…his clumsy entrance into this room was no accident, was it?”
“ No. He works for Irma Crandle.”
Afraid she might swoon, Leah changed her mind and sat down.
“ You’ve no cause to worry. Mister O’Connell…that’s the man’s name…he and I came to an understanding before we parted. I doubt he’ll cause us any more trouble.”
“ How can you be sure?”
One corner of his mouth twitched. “Trust me, Miss Sheridan.”
“ I do.”
He stared at her for several seconds before he offered a genuine smile.
To Leah, it was as if the very sun had entered the room.
Leave now
“ I wish you wouldn’t keep doing that, your lordship, cause my head ain’t as hard as you might think.”
“ Tell her.”
“ Yeah, I’ll pass along the message, but you know Irma. She’s a stubborn old woman.”
Nicolas pushed the man down the hall.
“ You wouldn’t be thinking of beating the tar out of me and throwing me down those stairs, now would you?”
“ I might.”
O’Connell grinned. “Still angry about the Revolutionary War?” He glanced over his shoulder. “Mind telling me where I’m going?”
“ Outside.”
“ Whoa, Friend.” The American pivoted around and pointed. “My room’s back there.”
“ Is that so?” Nicolas quipped. “Well…not this evening.”
Chapter Five
Leah placed her ear to the door. The duke sounded angry. Would his name soon find its way into the Standard’s gossip column along side hers?
As the voices outside the door faded down the hall, she plucked the vial of laudanum from her bodice, her fingers trembling, and hurried over to the table beside the window. A bottle of uncorked brandy stood beside the food tray. A kettle of tea rested on the tray itself.
Leah touched the porcelain pot. Cold. She pried open the vial and held it over the bottle of brandy.
No, this is wicked!
She straightened her spine, but her resolve to commit this despicable act, her very purpose in coming to the duke’s room, disappeared like a puff of smoke. Chase was arrogant and often rude, but drugging his brandy was cowardly. Before the stranger had intruded upon them, he had actually been kind to her, and she considered going against Anne’s advice and telling him about Edwin.
She understood her friend’s reluctance. Like most gently bred ladies, Lady Ashburn feared the scandal of illegitimacy would tarnish her family’s good name, but Edwin was a child in need of a family. Not a mistake to be hidden away indefinitely.
Leah closed her eyes. She could smell the duke’s scent. A faint mixture of chamomile and spice. When his strong arms had closed about her, she’d felt truly safe for the first time in a very long time. How was that possible?
A noise outside the door brought her to her senses. She set about replacing the vial’s stopper but in her haste, she dropped the tiny cork. It fell to the floor, and she lost sight of it in the rug’s flowery pattern.
Forget the stopper! Get rid of the laudanum!
If the duke caught her with it, he would have no trouble figuring out what she’d planned to do. And he would never believe she’d lost her nerve or changed her mind.
She lifted the lid of the teapot and quickly emptied the laudanum into the pot just as the door opened.
He stood in the doorway, his gaze locked with hers. “Forgive my manners. I should’ve offered.”
“ Pardon?”
Chase glanced at her hands.
Leah did as well. Lord, she still held the lid to the teapot! And in the other hand…
“ This establishment serves herbal teas,” she explained as she casually replaced the lid while tucking the hand holding the vial behind her. “I thought perhaps I smelled cinnamon.”
“ Cinnamon? No.”
He walked toward her and the closer he got, the faster her heart beat. Did his handsome face cause such discomfort, or was her guilty conscience the culprit?
“ You look a bit faint, Miss Sheridan. Would you care to sit down?”
She shook her head. “That gentleman…his clumsy entrance into this room was no accident, was it?”
“ No. He works for Irma Crandle.”
Afraid she might swoon, Leah changed her mind and sat down.
“ You’ve no cause to worry. Mister O’Connell…that’s the man’s name…he and I came to an understanding before we parted. I doubt he’ll cause us any more trouble.”
“ How can you be sure?”
One corner of his mouth twitched. “Trust me, Miss Sheridan.”
“ I do.”
He stared at her for several seconds before he offered a genuine smile.
To Leah, it was as if the very sun had entered the room.
Leave now
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