Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Rosalie knew without looking up from the account book laid open before her on the desk that Lucian was the one who had entered the room. The very air seemed to shift, almost to crackle with unspent energy, whenever he was present.
He confirmed it immediately. “Rosalie, my love! At last, you have graced me with your presence. May I ask what brought you here today? Dare I hope that you longed for my company?”
“No such luck.” She turned a page, keeping her eyes fixed on the book. “I’m here to snoop.”
His laughter was full of genuine amusement, as if he delighted in her forthrightness.
He crossed the room and perched on the edge of the desk.
Rosalie found her eyes drifting up, as if she were magnetically drawn to such concentrated masculine beauty.
She found him looking rumpled, but in a delicious way.
His hair was tousled, and his cravat was tied in a simple knot, rather than the intricate waterfall most men’s valets spent half an hour or more creating.
She wrinkled her nose as if what she was experiencing were distaste, even as her heartbeat kicked up a notch. “Where have you been this morning?”
“Boxing,” he said easily. “With Vander and David.”
Whose wives she had called on in recent days, a fact that he had probably just learned. Perfect.
Then again, she had already admitted that she was here to snoop. Who cared if he discovered the truth? Nothing would stop her from uncovering his sordid secrets.
He inclined his head. “I should like nothing better than to make myself more presentable so I can take you for a drive in the park.”
She rolled her eyes. “No, thank you.”
He studied her for a beat, and his expression sobered. “I’ve been hoping I would get an opportunity to apologize for the other day.”
She waved him off, snapping her gaze back to the ledger she had been perusing.
“It wasn’t your fault. I know. Fortunately for you, my brother, Robin, happened to be walking down the same street.
He said you did nothing to encourage the women who accosted you, and were, in fact, trying to shake them off. ”
She could hear the smile in his voice. “Then you’ve forgiven me.”
She turned a page, not deigning to look up. “For that? Yes. For your other myriad transgressions? Not a chance.”
“Ah, well.” He didn’t sound particularly discouraged. “I didn’t honestly expect any differently. Happily for me, I’m not easily discouraged. I’ll never give up until I’ve wormed my way back into your good graces. So, how goes the snooping?”
She closed the ledger with a snap and cast him a glare. “Poorly.” It was true. The fact that she had discovered nothing of use and was in desperate need of information was the only thing that could have brought her here, into the lion’s den.
He shook his head in mock sympathy, then leaned in close to peer at what she had been reading.
“Going over the account books, are you? Looking for signs I won’t be able to support you in the style you deserve?
I fear you won’t find anything there. The estate was profitable at the time of my grandfather’s death, and my cousin, in addition to his other flaws, is both a stickler and a miser.
But at least that means that the family fortune has never been in better shape. ”
Rosalie stood and slipped the book back into its place on the shelf. “How happy for you. That is not, however, the information I was seeking.”
“Oh?” He sounded unaccountably cheerful. “What were you looking for, then?”
She plucked another volume from the shelf and began paging through it. “Why should I tell you?”
He crossed the room to stand next to her. “Because I might be able to help you?”
She gave him a queer look. “And why should you want to do that?”
He tutted. “Rosalie. Darling. We’re to be married. We must be honest with one another, don’t you think?”
Fury sparked through her veins. “What nonsense! Our entire relationship has been a lie. Don’t bother to deny it!”
Suddenly, his grey eyes were very intense. “I will not deny that I have lied to you before. But our entire relationship has not been a lie. That will be the trick, in the course of your investigation—figuring out what is the lie and what is the truth.”
“I already know the truth—that you are an utter blackguard! A man so heartless you would humiliate and possibly ruin someone who has never done anything to you in order to win a three-pound bet!” Rosalie was furious to realize that her voice was shaking.
She turned to face the shelves again, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing real pain in her eyes.
She drew in a breath and when she spoke again, her voice was steadier. “I do not seek the truth. Merely sufficient proof of the truth I already know to bring my father around. Once I have it, you will never see me again.”
“Jolly good.” His voice was rich with amusement, not at all like a man whose bride had just informed him that she never wanted to see him again.
“So, what is it you’re seeking? Hopefully, something located in my bedroom.
” A lurid look swept over his face. “Or better yet, something concealed upon my person.” He spread his arms wide. “I will submit to your search.”
Rosalie rolled her eyes. “Nothing like that. What I want to know is…” She trailed off. The truth was, she probably did need Lucian’s help. She had written a note to Lysander asking for the information she sought, but nobody seemed to know where he was residing since losing the title.
It was just so difficult to ask a man you did not trust for a favor.
“What?” Lucian prompted.
Rosalie heaved a petulant sigh. “I would like to know the name of your grandfather’s physician.”
“Done.” He paused a beat. “For a tiny, trivial price.”
Rosalie’s brows lowered. “What do you want?”
Lucian’s dark eyes gleamed with something wicked. “A kiss.”