Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Sophie woke to the morning sun pouring in through the windows. She pushed herself up, rubbing her eyes. Abigail was still asleep next to her, and as she dropped her hand, she saw Max asleep in the same armchair they’d slept in together the night before.
His powerful legs were spread wide, the muscles visible under his breeches. His cravat was undone, revealing the thick cords of his neck. Even relaxed, the strong lines of his jaw stole her breath, the only soft thing about him was the fullness of his lips.
She’d felt those lips last night. Kissing him had been more profound than anything she’d ever known. He’d told her that he had to send her away for her protection, but in his arms was where she wished to be.
She looked over at Abigail and sighed. It wasn’t just about her. If it was, she’d risk nearly anything, but she had to think of her little sister. She wiped a hand across her forehead, and then slipped out of the covers, crossing to the small dressing table near the window. On it sat a bowl and a pitcher of water. She poured water into the bowl, splashing her face.
“Get some sleep?” Max asked from behind her.
“More than you, I’d wager.”
She heard him rise, crossing the room. He stopped a few feet behind her. “I slept just fine. Better knowing that I was in the same room so that…”
He didn’t finish and she turned to face him. That was when she realized she was in nothing but her thin chemise. His eyes traveled down her body, his shoulders growing broader, his spine straightening.
Color filled her cheeks. “Thank you for that.”
“How’s your back?”
“Fine,” she shook her head. “I can’t believe?—”
“Sophie,” he said. “You were nearly shot last night. I need you and Abigail?—”
“I know,” she whispered. “I know.”
He closed the distance between them. “As soon as this is all over, I’ll come for you.”
“Come where? I’ve nowhere to go.”
“We’re going to decide where we can send you today. Ironheart will help us.”
She gave a tentative nod.
An hour later, she made her way downstairs, in a gown borrowed from one of the staff, to the breakfast room. Max and the Duke of Ironheart already sat at the table deep in conversation. She stopped at the door, her hands folding in front of her stomach. She’d been like a leaf in the wind of late. As she faced another dining room, another place, she had the keenest desire to settle down somewhere on solid earth.
“Sophie.” Max rose from his seat, stepping around the table and coming to take her hand. “May I introduce the Duke of Ironheart?”
He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm as she dipped into a curtsy. “Your Grace.”
The duke waved his hand. “Just Ironheart will do. Come eat. You must be famished.” He hardly looked at Sophie. His gaze was on Max, and the question in his eyes was clear.
Max helped her into a chair and then crossed to the buffet, heaping a plate full of food that he then set in front of her. “Thank you.”
Despite everything, she smiled. The plate held three times the amount of food she could consume.
“You’re welcome.”
“I’ve got a question,” Ironheart asked as she took her first bite. “What happened to your stutter?”
“W-what?” Max took his seat again, glaring.
“How come you don’t stutter when you talk to her?” Ironheart didn’t seem the least perturbed by asking such a personal question.
Sophie’s brows lifted as she set her fork down. Max had gone from not talking at all, to telling her whole stories without a bother.
“M-mind your business.”
“Not this time, big man,” Ironheart sat back on his chair. “We’re all in this together.”
“He’s excessively annoying,” Max said, looking at her.
She nipped at her lip. “I must confess that I’m also curious.”
Max let out a long breath. Then he shrugged. “I don’t feel judged by you.”
“Judged?”
“You like me, even though…” he pointed at his mouth.
“Max,” her heart hammered in her chest, but she knew she had to say the next words. “I don’t just like you.”
Ironheart cleared his throat even as Max’s eyes grew wide. “Max said we need a place to send you where you’ll be safe.”
She nodded tentatively. “I know Max sees it clearly, but I feel less sure.”
“What are you unsure of?” Ironheart leaned forward. His blond hair caught the morning light. He was a handsome man, Sophie could see that. She much preferred the kind of muscles that looked as though they could hold up the whole world.
“Whether I’m safest somewhere else or at Max’s side.” She glanced at Max, knowing that she was going way out on a limb.
He’d not made her any promises other than that he’d come for her when the business with Lord Whitehouse was all done. He’d promised to find a relative. For the first time since the death of her mother, Sophie thought she might know where she belonged.
“I agree,” Ironheart said.
“But Whitehouse,” Max cut them both off. “He knows who I am.”
Ironheart nodded. “True. But first question first. Do you more than like Sophie?”
“Ironheart.” His voice came out like a growl as his hands fisted on the table.
Sophie touched the back of one of them, her bare fingers trailing on his skin. “I’d like to know too. Do you care for me the way I do you?”
* * *
The question had a very simple answer.
Yes.
He cared for her more than he ever had any other person. He knew he was in love. However, the circumstances were anything but simple. “Sophie.”
He watched her face fall. Tucking her chin down into her chest, her shoulders curled in. He leaned closer, his hand coming to her back. “Sophie. I can’t just?—”
She shook her head. “I never asked my uncle, Plimpton, a single thing. I was afraid to put any pressure on him, my situation was so precarious.”
A lump formed deep in his chest. He understood. She’d spoken up and asked the question because she trusted him. If he didn’t give her answers, he’d lose that trust. “I care very much.”
Her chin snapped up, her eyes filled with hope. “Really?”
“Which is why I’m trying to protect you.”
She nipped at her lip. “I’ve been alone for so long. And I try to be strong for Abigail, but I don’t want to go anywhere. Not now.”
The words pierced deep into his heart. Every part of him wanted to wrap her in the protection he knew she craved. “I told you last night. I’ve made myself the target. As long as you’re with me, you’re not safe.”
“I’m already a target too.”
“Which makes it easy for him to come at both of us.”
“But what if he finds me and you’re not there?” Her voice trembled. She shook her head. “No. You’re right.”
“I am?”
“Yes. You’ve given me enough. More than I’ve any right to receive, and it’s unfair of me to ask more.”
Unfair of her to ask more? He shook his head. “Woman. Ask.”
She cocked her head to the side. “No. You’re right. You have your duties, your plans. You’ve already rescued me, which was not your obligation at all. I…I can’t repay you for what you’ve done.”
“You can repay me by loving me for who I am and not the man the world wishes I was.”
“But I do love you. Just the way you are.” Her large brown eyes implored him to believe her.
He reached for her hand then, lacing their fingers together. Still holding her hand, he looked back at Ironheart. “I’m leaving London.”
“I know.” Ironheart nodded.
“That leaves you with all the worst work.”
Ironheart sat back in his chair. “I suppose. Though, you’re the man who holds all the information. Which is why you shouldn’t tell me where you’re going or who the members are. I’ll cease all activities of the club. Which will be simple without the Summoner to summon them.”
“You should go to the new police. Tell them everything we’ve learned.”
“Good idea.” Ironheart scratched his chin. “And then perhaps I should leave London as well.”
“You’re worried about Lord Whitehouse?”
Ironheart shrugged. “I’m not scared of the man or his beliefs. But the excessive number of thugs he keeps about him does propose a concern. I’d like to know for certain how many of them there are. Without understanding the scope of the threat, I dare not move around London freely.”
Ironheart was right, and, when not drunk, quite smart. Max gave him a quick nod of appreciation.
“I’d like to find a way to safely get word to Tabbie. I know I can’t just go calling, but I want her to know I’m safe,” Sophie said.
“And we need to know if she’s found any relatives,” Max said, but sending her off to some distant relative was becoming the plan behind the plan. If he could help it, he wouldn’t send Sophie or Abigail anywhere.
They’d remain at his side unless something happened to him. He filled his lungs with air. “Today we need to get word to Tabbie, see what we can observe of Lord Whitehouse, though I’ve been trying with limited success. I think it might be time to see what we can learn from Lord Cranston about his father.”
Ironheart tipped his chin in acknowledgment. “Good thinking.”
He rose then, knowing he had another assignment. He had to collect any funds he had available. Should the worst happen, he’d leave Sophie with enough money to see herself settled wherever she chose, be that with some distant aunt or on her own. Besides, a dress lined with coins had been a lifesaver.
He only hoped they wouldn’t need such measures again, but on that account, he wasn’t holding much hope.