Chapter 12 #2
“Indeed. And as to me not wanting to tell him he is guilty for my attack, I care about him enough not to dredge up old memories that might affect his future happiness with someone like ye. That is something ye can understand, is it not?”
Reluctantly, Aislynn found herself agreeing to that logic. “Yes. I suppose it is. But I still do not think it is right to keep the truth from him.”
“Perhaps not, but I do not yet feel inclined to break his heart. And it would, rest assured of that.” She looked pointedly at her and then said, “Then let us have a nice chat and get to know one another better so that when Cord arrives ye’ll have an ally in yer corner to combat his anger at finding ye here. ”
Aislynn blinked. “You think he will be angry that I came here?”
“Without protection?” Mary winked. “It is a Cordell Steele certainty.”
* * *
When Cordell got the missive that the play had been canceled that evening, he headed straight for Drury Lane to find it deserted.
As he forced his way in the back door of the stage entrance, his heart was about to hammer out of his chest. Aislynn had yet to return to the townhouse, and he feared that something dreadful had happened to her.
With every step he took, he wondered if he would come across her lifeless body on the floor. Instead, when he called out her name, he heard furious pounding coming from the direction of her dressing room.
He rushed toward the sound and stopped before the door then turned the key that was still sticking out of the lock.
Upon opening the door, he discovered John standing on the other side looking rather frazzled. “What happened?” Cordell demanded.
“She tricked me and trapped me inside.”
Cordell wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or infuriated by her resourcefulness but decided that he would go with the latter. “Where is she?”
“She did not say, only that she had somewhere to be,” the other man snapped. Shoving a hand through his hair, some of his anger was starting to abate now that he’d been rescued. “Mr. Steele, I—”
Cordell held up a hand. “I do not need excuses. I know the lady. I should have realized that she would not easily remain where I left her. But rest assured that, when we are reunited, I plan to wring her pretty little neck.”
He left the theatre and assumed that John would soon follow. The man was the last of his concerns at the moment. There was some place Cordell was anxious to be. While he didn’t know where Aislynn might have taken it into her mind to go, he decided the best place to start would be with Mary.
When he arrived at Spades, he wasn’t sure what to expect. However, when he walked inside and saw Mary waiting expectantly for him, he knew his suspicions had been correct. “Where is she?” he demanded.
Rather than reveal the information, she walked over and patted his greatcoat. “So impatient. Come into my private parlor where we can discuss some important facts first.”
Cordell ground his teeth together. He wasn’t in the mood for polite conversation at the moment, but since it was obvious the lady held all the cards and would not reveal Aislynn’s whereabouts without his cooperation, he relented.
He accepted the brandy that she pressed into his hand, the kind she knew he liked best. He downed it all in one scorching gulp and set the glass down with a thunk. He leaned forward and clasped his hands loosely together. “Are we finished?”
His companion smirked. “I have never known ye to be so out of sorts before. This girl really has ye twisted in knots.”
He clenched his jaw. “I am trying to keep her safe while I solve a mass murder.”
“Are ye telling yerself that is the only reason for yer growing obsession?”
“I am not obsessed with her.”
She crossed her arms. “Yet I find ye ready to break down the door to my establishment in yer haste to find her.”
“Because I learned she lied to me. After all I have done to protect her, I feel her subterfuge was irresponsible and unnecessary.” He narrowed his gaze. “Why did she come here to see you?”
“I wondered when ye were going to ask the obvious question,” Mary murmured with a touch of sarcasm. However, she quickly sobered. “She has it in her mind to think ye are the killer.”
Cordell jerked as if he’d been physically attacked, and then he recalled a very important meeting he’d had earlier. “Wolf.”
Mary straightened. “The Wolf is staying with ye?”
“He was shot a couple nights ago,” Cordell replied distractedly. “I patched him up. But he has decided as of this evening that he is well enough to press on.”
“Blimey,” Mary breathed. She got to her feet and poured another drink. Cordell wouldn’t have thought much about it except he noticed the way her hand shook as she lifted the tumbler to her lips.
“Why did my mention of The Wolf make your expression grow ashen?”
“No reason,” she muttered but her unease persisted.
He got to his feet and stood in front of her, forcing her to look at him. “Mary, if you know something that is going on, you have to tell me.”
She still looked rather uncertain, but she shook her head and drew him to the furthest wall in the room, where it was assured that they wouldn’t be overheard.
“I heard that the reason he was shot was because he attacked a gent at another brothel. Ye know I do not allow gangs to enter my establishment. I pride myself on catering to the wealthy clientele, not the usual riffraff off the streets.”
“The Wolf is hardly riffraff,” Cordell countered evenly. “He has a steady following, not including the three men of his ‘pack’ that continually hover over him.”
She abruptly reached out and grasped the lapel of his coat with her good arm.
“Listen to me good, Cordell Steele. The Wolf is a dangerous man. I have heard the horrors of his actions. It is mostly gossip I have picked up but there is a reason no one is left alive to add credence to the stories that swirl around him.”
He frowned. “What are you trying to tell me?”
“It is a good thing he is out of yer house. He is a threat on the streets but a true certainty beneath yer roof.”
He offered a curt nod. “You are not telling me anything I do not know.”
“Good.” She seemed to breathe a bit steadier, some of the color returning to her face as she released him and moved away. She appeared to absently rub at her limp arm. “Ye can find yer lady love upstairs at the end of the hall.”
Cordell wasn’t going to waste any time heading in that direction, but Mary’s words of caution gave him pause.
“Be kind to her, Cord. She has a strong spirit but it could easily be broken. Ye have the power to ruin her.”
Something predatory and protective shot through him. “I do not intend to ruin her.”
“Then what do ye want with her?”
Cordell’s first instinct was to reply that he wanted to save her, but he would be dishonest if he claimed that was the only reason he continued to pursue Aislynn. Instead, he spoke the truth. “I wish to God I knew.”
* * *
Aislynn was pacing the interior of one of the upstairs bedchambers when the door behind her abruptly burst open.
She turned on a gasp to see a strong, virile figure silhouetted in the frame.
“Cordell.” His name left her lips on an exhale and as he strode toward her, she wasn’t sure what to expect.
No doubt he was furious that she’d hidden the truth of tonight’s canceled performance from him.
But rather than approach her in frustration, he reached out and grasped her face in both of his hands and brought his mouth down on hers in a commanding kiss that set her midsection instantly ablaze.
She whimpered, not from pain or fear, but from the sweet onslaught his caress brought out in her.
Just a short time ago she’d been convinced that he was the evil murderer who had stolen the lives of two of her friends, but feeling his emotions bursting with passion, flowing their lifeforce into her, she realized she’d been foolish to suspect him at all.
He might have had personal ghosts haunting him in the past, but they had all been justified.
He had dealt with such tormented heartache that no one should have to endure.
Instead of allowing it to completely destroy him, he’d fought against those demons and struggled his way out of the mire to become the vengeful and courageous man who stood before her.
She knew he would do anything to protect her, to see that the real villain was harshly dealt with.
He would not stop until he was captured.
When they parted, she saw the fire in his dark eyes. “What the hell were you thinking to take off on your own like that, you little fool?” he whispered harshly. “Do you not recall that someone wishes to end your life?”
“Trust me, I have not forgotten. But I needed to speak to Mary alone, and I knew you would not allow it.”
There was a flicker in his gaze that looked very similar to pain.
Guilt swamped her. “Yes. I heard what you thought of me.” He drew back slightly and she had to stop to bring him back closer.
“I cannot say that I blame your hesitancy to trust in me. My history has never endeared anyone to me. Mary is the only one who has not looked at me in horror once she discovered the truth.”
This time, Aislynn did not resist the urge to reach out and caress his strong jaw. It clenched beneath her gentle touch. “I have not turned away in horror, have I? It was my own insecurities that caused me to doubt your sincerity.”
“And that bastard, Wolf,” he growled. “We had a chat, and I expressed my displeasure regarding his warning to you. I do not expect him to be there when we return.”
She frowned. “Is it wise to create such powerful enemies?”
He snorted. “It would not be the first time I have done so.” He scrubbed a hand down his face and turned away.
Walking a few paces away from her, he set his hands on his hips.
Without looking at her, as if it might make his confession easier, he added, “When I was convalescing under my uncle’s supervision all those years ago, the duke was determined not to allow another scandal to smear our name.
He knew the whispers would follow us for years to come, and he was right, but he also did not abide blatant sneers.
More than once I had to stand in on his behalf because I did not want to see him fighting a battle that I felt had never truly been his.
He was just trying to pick up the pieces from his sister’s death and do right by his nephew. ”
His words shattered Aislynn’s heart like a hammer against glass. “That is because you are an honorable man. I was blind not to see the truth before but I do now.”
He slowly turned back to face her. He looked so lost, so wary, that tears stung her eyes. It was as though she was looking at the seventeen-year-old boy roaming the streets trying to find purchase after a devastating blow that disrupted his entire world. “Do you mean that?”
“I do,” she replied without hesitation. She moved toward him. “Let me prove it to you.”
He straightened slightly. “How?”
She glanced toward the bed dominating the center of the room. “Undress me and find out.”
His eyes practically flashed fire now. “It is not wise to provoke me. I told you where I stand on that matter, and I will not be swayed from my decision.”
She gave a one-shouldered shrug. “All the same, it seems a terrible waste to allow such a delightful room to go unused.”
Time seemed to stand still. It felt as though all the air was abruptly sucked from the room but it was merely Aislynn holding her breath, wondering what Cordell’s next move would be.
His nostrils flared as he slowly raked his gaze up and down her form. Her body turned hot even as a shiver passed over her. “I believe I will take you up on part of that offer. Take off your dress.”