Chapter Six
Sir Colt Lawrence
I stood next to the garden gate and checked my pocket watch.
Although it was a little past noon, it was early for the duke’s household.
He kept odd hours, and everyone was hired on with the knowledge of his eccentricities.
I lived at the house, which allowed me to be available if Lord Kendrick needed me.
Even when he didn’t, I often sought him out. He was open to me sitting in his studio with him under the pretext of working. In reality, I’d been plotting my novel, hoping I might one day be an author. Inheriting the shipping company would halt that ambition, at least for the near future.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” a soft voice said, barely audible in the quiet air.
The watch clicked shut as I raised my head to look at her.
I wanted to put a face to the name. Since his meeting with her, Lord Kendrick had talked about her non-stop.
I hated to admit, I felt a stab of jealousy, but there it was.
The brim of her hat covered her face, and she clutched a briefcase close to her chest.
“Lady Lillian. I’m Colt,” I said.
She tilted her head and offered me an uncomfortable smile, her cheeks rosy. Lord Kendrick had said she was twenty-five, a spinster by society standards. “Sir Colt.”
“You can call me Colt. Everyone does. Come this way, please.” I opened the gate and held it while she walked through.
The duke had filled me in on his conversation with her and the reasons for her visit. I had expected to see a jezebel, not a meek woman with a shy and restrained manner. She wouldn’t be the first woman intent on gaining an introduction to Lord Kendrick using underhanded means.
Lord Kendrick might think she was innocent, but I would withhold judgment. She was blackmailing him, never a promising start to any relationship. I brought her through a side door leading to the main floor via a staircase, our footsteps echoing on the planked floors.
“The library’s in here.” I led her inside the room where floor-to-ceiling bookshelves dominated the space.
Two chairs sat next to the fireplace, a warm coal fire burning in preparation for her visit.
The connecting door to my office was open, and I pointed in the general direction. “That’s my office.”
“Thank, um, thank you.” Briefcase tucked under her arm, she moved to the closest row of books and ran a gloved hand over the bindings.
The meekness she exhibited fled, and delight took its place.
“This is very impressive. I would like to start here and end over there.” She swept the room with her hand.
“You are an avid reader, besides being a writer?” The transformation of her person was remarkable. Her shy demeanor had disappeared. Lord Kendrick was right. She had large, luminous eyes which looked right into a man’s soul.
I smiled without realizing it, her enthusiasm contagious. “In that, we are kindred spirits.”
She turned to look at me, her mouth slightly parted as she removed her gloves. “Do you write as well?”
Why had I disclosed that bit of information?
It was on the tip of my tongue to lie, but I nodded.
I had kept it to myself lest I never complete the project.
Lord Kendrick never inquired what I was working on when I sat with him.
I had a suspicion he was afraid it was related to his duties as duke and therefore didn’t wish to know. His reluctance was to my benefit.
“Yes and no. I have a work in progress, but I have yet to complete my novel.”
“Then we are kindred spirits. I write, well, I wrote, no, I still write gothic novels,” she said with a giggle before slapping her hand over her mouth. “Oh dear, how much did the duke tell you?”
“Everything.” My face flamed, and I was unsure why. I didn’t want to like her, except I found it challenging to maintain my distrust.
“Oh dear, you must hate me.” It was her turn to blush, and she dropped her head, all the animation leaving her thin frame.
Confusion muddied my thoughts. It was as if the marionette dropped his strings. My heart went out to her. “My like or dislike of you is irrelevant. Would you like tea? I can ring for some.”
“Tea, yes, tea would be nice.” She had picked up her briefcase again and held it close, both arms wrapped tightly around it.
The quiet that followed her statement rested heavily between us. I understood Lord Kendrick’s concession to her whims. She was fragile in a way I hadn’t expected.
She chewed on the tip of her nail before she caught herself. Tucking her fingers into her fist, she rocked back and forth. “Will Lord Kendrick be joining me? He promised to show me some books that Moran published.”
My softness toward her tapered off. Lord Kendrick had been very specific about showing her the library, but he mentioned no desire to speak with her.
In the past, I had fielded his callers. She was here by his invitation to read books in his library, not socialize.
“No, he asked me to get you what you needed.”
Fisting the briefcase handle, she set it down on one of the chair seats and removed her hat to expose a mass of honey brown curls.
She lifted her chin and licked her lips.
With a noticeable inhale, she nodded. “Please point out the books in question. I told my mother I was seeing a sick friend. I do not have a sick friend, of course. Nor do I truly have any friends, but that is neither here nor there.”
What a pathetic creature she was, and it broke my heart.
I had a soft spot for the awkward people in this world because I was one of them.
Most would say my desire for Lord Kendrick was an aberration.
It wasn’t until I worked for him that I discovered I wasn’t alone.
His household was full of people like me. “Your friends are your characters.”
“Indeed, you’re correct. I’ve been developing Lord Golden, the dark knight, and Oph—sorry, Lady X’s characters for over a year.
Moran wished for me to change her name. Although fictitious, they’re all near and dear to my heart.
” She twisted her neck to look at me, the smile back in play. “What kind of book are you writing?”
“It is a sleuthing novel, like Sir Author Conan Doyle.” I moved to the locked cabinet at the back of the library.
The books in question were very risqué, and the subject matter was taboo.
I had locked them away in case the duchess snooped, which she did with much frequency.
Lord Kendrick had moved here for privacy, but I thought she was lonely, thus the reasons for her visit. Rather like Lady Lillian’s.
“Oh, I’m an avid reader of his works. Such clever prose and the mysteries are most thought-provoking.” She followed close behind me, her voice picking up momentum. A faint scent of lilies drifted in the air, reminiscent of her name. She must favor the fragrance for that reason.
My heart belonged to Lord Kendrick, but Lady Lillian grew in her appeal. Why others didn’t notice was baffling.
“Hence my passion for the genre. He is a master storyteller. I hope to emulate him.” It was nice to have someone to confide in.
Lord Kendrick didn’t know about my longtime infatuation, nor would I tell him about it either.
I worked for him, and although we were on friendly terms, I was his employee.
A stone settled in my stomach, and I knelt down in front of the locked cabinet.
Lady Lillian fiddled with the fabric of her navy skirt, slender fingers pale and unadorned.
From my position, I was eye level with her thighs.
If she was aware, it didn’t show on her face.
“If you ever need someone to discuss your writing with, I would gladly listen. It’s difficult to get an honest opinion from my family. ”
She was an innocent and a lady. I was the first son of the third son of a viscount, and my physical tastes were blurred. I had been enamored of the duke, but he was as unreachable to me as he was to her. I told myself multiple times to find a woman I could settle down with.
Or perhaps another man. It wasn’t unusual for bachelors to live together without questions. I balked at settling for anyone but Lord Kendrick, which brought me full circle.
“That is a very kind offer.” I twisted and opened the cabinet door. There were three shelves full of books of a risqué nature. I pulled out a thin volume and handed it to her.
Our fingers touched in the exchange, and a shock of awareness cut through me.
Green eyes met mine, her pupils enlarging to a velvety black.
My mind said to remove my hand from the book, but I made no move.
It struck me that she was as affected by my touch as I was by hers.
Could the solution to my problem be standing in front of me?
I had inherited a barony and a fortune; thus, an earl’s daughter was no longer beyond my reach.
However, the fact I worked for a living prior might taint my chances in her father’s eyes. Unfair, but true.
“Thank, um, thank you.” She lowered her lashes and turned the book to glance at the spine. A pretty blush highlighted her cheeks. “You are very kind.”
Her compliment warmed me more than it should.
I had no choice but to relinquish my hold.
Lady Lillian was here by the duke’s invitation, and from the glowing way she spoke of him, she was already enamored of my employer.
In that regard, we had yet another thing in common.
“This is one of Moran’s risqué publications.
Are you sure you wouldn’t rather read something more, um, acceptable?
I have several of his other books that are very good,” I said.
“I have some as well, hence why I inquired at his publishing house.” She worried her lip, sucking on the plump bottom one. “Can I ask you a question?”
“I believe you just did,” I said, relocking the cabinet before climbing to my feet.
Lady Lillian snorted, slapped her hand over her mouth, and giggled. “I did, didn’t I?”
Laughing at the sweet sound, I straightened to my full height. She was almost as tall as me, and it felt strange meeting her eye to eye. “Yes, you did. But please, what was your real question?”
“Mr. Moran originally asked for an audience because he read my book title. Kneeling at the Altar of Achilles. He never explained why he thought it would fit in with the libertine works he published.” She tilted her head, inquisitiveness in those enchanting eyes.
“It is a euphemism,” Lord Kendrick said, striding in through the connecting door to my office.
He had a habit of dropping in to see me without warning.
She startled and settled her fingers on her chest. I turned to look at him.
His hair was down around his shoulders, and he was in his shirtsleeves.
Every part of my body tingled at the sight of him.
I wanted to kiss him so badly it hurt. I glanced back at Lady Lillian, trying to regain my composure.
Her brow shot up, and she blinked several times.
I spun on my heel, dismayed at how easily she read my lust for him.
“I’ll leave you two here to discuss. I’ll order that tea.” Without looking at either occupant again, I exited the library before I could humiliate myself any further.
I raked a hand through my hair and prayed she said nothing to him.
Why I put myself through this torture every day still alarmed me.
I would soon have to leave and start my life as the owner of a shipping company, but each time I gazed upon his handsome countenance, my will fled.
I was damned if I did and damned if I didn’t.
Either way, I was damned.