Chapter 9
Verity blinked.
“Now? Here? I was thinking this would be more of a… private thing.”
Julian fixed her with a rather incredulous look.
“Just when do you think that you and I would ever be allowed a moment alone?”
“Well…”
She followed Julian’s gaze across the room, noting her cousin watching them, and she shivered. Why was he so interested all of a sudden?
“Do you want to convince your cousin that you have no interest in sharing those letters—or anything else—with him?
She studied him. “What do you mean?”
“You have to demonstrate your interest in someone else,” he said, leaning closer and lowering his voice to an intimate murmur, one that sent shivers down her spine. "Laugh as though I’ve said something terribly amusing.”
“Laugh?”
“Yes.”
She gave a soft giggle that felt terribly forced.
He cringed slightly and sighed. “Good enough. Now look up at me as though you’re very interested in whatever I have to say.”
Verity’s breath caught. She had been trying to avoid making eye contact with Julian, worried that if he paid any attention to her eyes, he would know she was the lady in purple.
She wouldn’t have cared that he figured it out, had they not shared that kiss.
She was asking him to flirt with her, yes, but anything more would likely cause him repugnance or, at the very least, pity.
But still, she couldn’t help but do as he said, looking up, meeting his gaze, warmth rushing through her at the way he was staring down at her.
His eyes were practically shining, his lips turned up at the corner, a lock of hair falling down over his forehead, and she had to fight the urge to push it back.
For she couldn’t do that now. Not as Lady Verity Merrow.
But she could bask in the feeling of Lord Julian Hartford looking at her like he wanted her.
Even if it was all for show.
All rational thought fled, all the background noise muted, all the thoughts that usually rushed around in her mind went silent.
All she could see was him.
Until a throat cleared beside them, and they both turned swiftly to find Evelyn standing there, an amused expression on her face.
“While I would fiercely champion this more than anyone else in the world, I am also supposed to be acting as Verity’s chaperone, so if you do not let this lead to anything further under my watch, I would greatly appreciate it.”
“Oh no,” they both said nearly simultaneously, but Evelyn was already walking away, throwing a look over her shoulder that Verity could read very well—Evelyn was telling her that they were going to have a conversation about this later, and she was going to be very pleased that this had even occurred.
Verity was going to have to tell her the truth.
But until then…
“Well,” she said with all the nonchalance she could muster as she turned back to Julian, “I suppose that’s the lesson for tonight, then?”
“I suppose,” he said, although he now looked rather… disgruntled. Was he already regretting agreeing to this? “When will you show me the letters?”
“I’ll have to talk to Evelyn first,” she said. “She’ll have to know about this if she is to chaperone our time together. I can’t have my mother involved, for multiple reasons.”
“Very well,” he nodded curtly. “Please send me a message. I am going to take my leave now. Goodnight, Lady Verity.”
“Goodnight,” she said, watching after him, her stomach sinking as she wondered just what it was about her that had chased him away so quickly—and how he could have had such a different reaction to the Lady in Purple.
* * *
Julian stared at the note in his hand a few days later. Verity wanted to meet with him at his earliest convenience, at Ravenscar House.
An appropriate location, considering what they would be discussing and how they actually were connected to one another.
He could only imagine what Asher would have to say about this.
He would probably tell him that this was a very bad idea.
Asher thought most of Julian’s ideas were very bad ones, at least since he had become the duke. Before that, he had always been a willing participant in his schemes.
Julian sighed as he prepared himself to attend.
He had thought that this would be a lark, if nothing else.
But then he had held Verity’s gaze, and something had shifted inside of him.
Something that told him this might not be as easy as he had thought it would be, that there was more to Lady Verity than he had ever thought before.
And then there were those eyes. He knew them. Recognized them. But how? He had been so surprised by his reaction to her that he had left her far too abruptly.
When he entered Ravenscar House, it was Asher who first greeted him. He didn’t even say anything. He just motioned Julian into his study.
And Julian followed, like a repentant child.
“Evelyn told me about this agreement you have made with Lady Verity.”
“I assumed she would.”
Asher leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other as he studied Julian.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“No.”
“Why do you care so much about these letters, anyway?”
Julian shrugged. “You had it right the other day. I’m bored. They seemed interesting. Which is also why I agreed to Lady Verity’s request. I thought it would be better if I assisted her instead of anyone else she might ask, who would take advantage. For you know that I would never do so.”
“Most people wouldn’t believe you, but knowing you, as well as having experienced the consequences of being associated with a young lady all too well—not that I’m complaining—I believe you.”
“Thank you,” Julian said sincerely.
“Well, better not keep the ladies waiting. But Julian?”
“Yes?”
“Be careful. Please.”
“Of course. Always am.”
Asher cringed, and Julian just laughed.
He wasn’t usually careful.
But, in this case, he would be.
* * *
“Lady Verity, there you are,” Julian said, leaning against the doorway of the small library, a glimmer in his eye.
Verity stood nervously from the small writing table in the corner, picking up the packet of letters in her hand.
“Good afternoon,” she said. “Thank you for coming.”
She hoped her voice wasn’t shaking enough that he would ever notice.
“How could I not after your tempting message?” he said with a grin. “Now, where shall we start today?”
“What do you mean?”
“With the letters or the flirting?”
“Oh,” she said, quickly snapping her mouth shut when she realized it was hanging open like she was an idiot. “Ah… the letters, I suppose?”
She wasn’t ready for the flirting yet, even though she had been the one who had asked for it.
“Or,” he said, pushing off the doorway and walking toward her, his steps reminding her of a predator stalking its prey, “we can do both at the same time.”
When he reached her, he was so close that if she wanted to, she could reach out and place both hands on his chest.
Not that she was about to do that now.
“Why don’t we sit and I’ll show you the letters?” she asked.
“Very well,” he said, reaching down, interlacing their fingers as he tugged her toward the small sitting area in the corner of the library. When they sat on the short sofa, he made sure to be right beside her, so close that their bodies were pressed together.
“Is this necessary?” she asked, hoping he didn’t notice her quickening breath, and he grinned at her.
“If I were interested in a woman, I would want to be touching her as often as possible. So yes, if we are practicing, it is necessary. You need to become used to a man’s proximity.”
“Very well,” she said curtly, his words a good reminder that he didn’t desire any of this, that he was just upholding his end of the bargain. Which was fine. Just fine.
It had to be.
She ignored him for a moment as she spread the letters out on the long, oval table before them, ordering them from the first to the last.
“All of the letters are from the same sender,” she explained.
“I believe they were written to a lady in my family. I suspect my aunt, who is a spinster living in the countryside, but I cannot say for sure until I talk to her. I was thinking of writing her a letter, but I also want to respect her privacy, so I would appreciate it if you would not tell anyone of her possible involvement.”
“Of course,” he said, his voice deep and throaty, sending a thrill through her. “Do you know who sent them to her?”
“No,” Verity replied. “The man is a mystery. Even Evelyn couldn’t find many clues about who he was, except that he attended society events. We have no idea whether he had a wife or if something else untoward kept them apart. They don’t actually mention it in the letters.”
“And what of the diamond?”
She pointed to two of the letters in the middle. “He mentions it in these letters. He is interested that it is in the woman’s family’s possession and notes that he hopes to see it.”
“Hmm,” was all Julian said. “Can I take a moment to read them over?”
“Of course.”
Julian lifted the letters, perusing them one at a time while Verity stood and busied herself with examining some of the books in Asher’s library.
She found a few she wanted to ask him to borrow and set them into a pile on the side.
She picked up one to read a few pages, and she became so engrossed that when she felt a tap on her shoulder, she jumped with a little yelp and slammed the book shut before putting it back on the pile.
“You scared me,” she said, placing her hand over her heart.
“Sorry,” Julian said, his voice low, the warmth of his breath on the back of her neck. “You weren’t answering. I’m finished reviewing the letters.”
“Already?
“I’m a fast reader.”
“And?”
“You’re right. There’s nothing to this man’s identity, but he was certainly interested in the diamond.”
“Do you think he was using my aunt to get to it?”
“No,” Julian said swiftly. “But I do think he saw an opportunity.”
“Do you think this man could still have been interested in the diamond and have come for it?”
“Possibly, although he would be older now, and it seems anyone formerly involved with the diamond has come to an untimely end.”
“True,” she said, but it was hard to concentrate. Julian was so close, and she was now leaning backward over the writing desk behind her. If he lowered his head, lowered his lips to hers, it would be so easy to kiss him again—but she couldn’t forget that he was pretending.
He had wanted the Lady in Purple.
He didn’t want her. He had said he didn’t want any young lady.
She needed to remind herself about that.
“Is your curiosity about the letters now satisfied?”
“My curiosity, yes, but I still need to know who stole the diamond.”
“Why does it matter?”
“I want to help Asher.”
She nodded but could sense he wasn’t telling the whole truth. “What else?”
He ran a hand through his hair as he walked a few paces away, and she wished she could follow that action with her own hand.
“I—I’m bored, Verity. I need something to do, and I feel like I owe Asher for all he’s ever done for me. If I can find a true conclusion to this, at least I would have done something valuable with my time.”
“I’d be happy to help, if there’s a way I can do so.”
Julian eyed her. “You think we should do a little investigating of our own?”
Verity tapped a finger against her lips. She was finding this flirtation practice much more difficult than she had imagined. If, however, she had another focus, it might help achieve both aims.
“Why not?” she said with a shrug. “We both find ourselves with extra time on our hands, and, if we’re being honest with one another, a bit of boredom. And in the meantime, I’m sure we would be helping Asher and Evelyn.”
“So we would,” he murmured, assessing her. “Where do we start?”
“You are asking me?”
“I think, Lady Verity, that you are more intelligent than you let on. In fact, I think there’s a lot behind that pretty face of yours that you don’t show the world.”
She blinked. Did he just call her pretty?
She supposed he was so used to speaking to women like that, though, that it just slipped off his tongue.
“I think,” she said, not referencing his compliment, “that I need to determine why my cousin is so suspicious of the diamond and what his interest is. Asher and Evelyn have already questioned their staff, and none of them saw anything that night, but they had dismissed most of them to keep our meeting quiet. You should keep your eyes and ears open for any discussion of the diamond. Perhaps even see if there is any mention of it in illegitimate markets.”
“All very good ideas,” he said. “We should do so and then report back to one another. In the meantime…”
“Yes?” Verity tried not to tremble at the deepening of his voice and the glint in his eye.
“It’s not particularly easy for us to find time alone together, so perhaps we should begin one of our lessons.”
“Very well,” she said, summoning her courage and straightening her spine. “Where do we start?”
One corner of his lips rose.
“Let’s start,” he said, approaching her with that predatory step again, “with how to show a man you’re interested in him.”