Chapter 5
L ydia waited for a few minutes to make certain that Art was indeed asleep before tiptoeing her way out of her hiding place and toward his bed.
This wasn’t the first time she had to steal something off a sleeping person. This mission shouldn’t have bothered her at all. Not taking into account the fact that it wasn’t just anyone that she had to steal from, it was Art, the man she used to love.
And she had to do it after witnessing him pleasure himself in the bath. And to top it all off, the bastard was still distractingly attractive after all these years. Her body was already responding to him without seeing the show earlier. And now she had to come close enough to him to touch his skin.
Lydia wrinkled her nose, trying to ignore her thoughts, then slipped inside the drapes.
It was completely dark. She had to stand there motionless, forcing her eyes to get used to the darkness until she could make out his outline.
Art was lying on his right side, facing Lydia. His hair obscured his face, but the even movement of his chest with his deep breaths convinced Lydia that he was indeed asleep.
Lydia held her breath and leaned over him, trying to ignore the heat of his body. She could barely make out the chain around his neck, but she could not see the ring. It was probably under his body.
Lydia gulped. Perfect, just perfect.
Her hands trembled as she reached for the chain. Slowly, she picked up the delicate chain with her fingertips and carefully dragged it up.
Art squirmed in bed.
Lydia froze, her hand still holding the chain about an inch from his warm, inviting flesh… She grimaced. There was nothing inviting about this vile human being who’d abandoned her so cruelly. She tugged on the chain again, its weight indicating that there was indeed something attached to it, but was it the ring?
Art moved.
Lydia dropped the chain and retreated behind the drapes.
Through a tiny crack, she observed as Art turned onto his back with a groan, his arm covering his face, and stilled.
Lydia held her breath as she waited for him to relax and fall back into deeper slumber.
Perhaps I should just leave. Come back some other time? She shook the intrusive thoughts away. And just a moment later, she heard his soft snores. She had no reason to give up now.
Lydia licked her lips and peeked inside the drapes again. The ring that seemed so close just a moment before had disappeared underneath his prone body again.
Damn . This was getting a lot more difficult than she’d thought it would be.
Lydia crouched before the bed, assuming a more comfortable position. She slowly stretched out her hand and gently crimped the chain between her fingers, her hand slightly grazing Art’s warm skin. Lydia swallowed, dragging the chain up once more, her heart beating so loudly, it was audible in the silent room.
She reached her hand under his neck and felt the ring. Now to carefully undo the clasp on the chain and—
Strong fingers circled Lydia’s wrist.
Lydia froze with her eyes wide. Her mouth opened in silent terror.
I am caught!
Twice in two days. What rotten luck.
Or perhaps Lydia wasn’t as good at this as she’d thought. As everybody thought.
Lydia prepared herself to face the wrath of the viscount. She wouldn’t allow herself to get captured, though. This wasn’t Hades’ Hell. She’d make a dash to the window and escape easily.
The seconds ticked away, but Art’s eyes remained closed. The hand that had been covering his face before now held Lydia’s wrist tightly, his fingers warm and oddly pleasant. Nothing else had changed.
Lydia sat still, not daring to move. Art resumed his sleep with what seemed like a light smile on his lips.
She must have imagined it.
In his sleep, he probably thought she was one of his numerous lovers. He didn’t even question a woman being in his bed, touching him in his sleep.
It was a good thing, she reasoned. Better than if that had woken him up.
Still, she didn’t dare move lest it wake him up fully.
She wasn’t in a hurry, not really.
Now that she knew where the ring was, it would take her under a minute to get it. What would it hurt to sit there for a while, her wrist cradled in his hand?
She was here to say goodbye, was she not? Lydia knew she was not going to get a proper farewell from him. She didn’t get it all those years ago, and she definitely wouldn’t get it now. But she could pretend.
With her free hand, she reached out and swept his hair away from his face. He smiled in his sleep, smoothing the harsh lines around his mouth. He looked so calm, innocent even.
Lydia’s heart squeezed, for she knew better.
I loved you so much and for so long. I loved you with everything I had. And I’ve waited for you for years.
And she had. She didn’t want to believe he had lied and abandoned her to her fate so easily. She wrote to him every chance she got and waited fervently for his reply.
She was certain that if he’d known of her predicament, he would find her. He would save her.
Only he never did.
A single tear rolled down her face, and Lydia forced out a smile.
Well, goodbye.
She slowly tugged her hand out of his without disturbing him. Her fingers caught the silver chain, and she eased it upward until the ring came into view. Fighting to steady her trembling hands, she found the clasp, released it, and slipped the ring free.
Just as the ring was about to hit her palm, declaring her mission a success, Art moved again, knocking her hand over.
The ring flew in a graceful arc before encountering the drapes and falling to the floor with a loud clunk.
Damn and blast!
The sound roused Art from sleep, but before he could sit up, Lydia plopped face down onto the floor and covered her head with her cape.
The bed creaked and groaned as Art moved. Then silence. Lydia could practically hear the confusion in the room. The bed creaked again.
Did he look out from behind the draperies?
“What the devil?” he whispered in a hoarse voice. Then, “Fuck! Where is it?”
The bed shook violently, as he had crawled to the other side.
The bedside table! He was going to light the candle.
As quietly as Lydia could, she rose from the floor, and while Art fumbled with the candle, his back turned to her, she silently made a dash for the window.