Chapter 6
Six
Austin held Deena’s blackmailer’s letter in his hand as he strode to the garden.
The paper felt oddly familiar. It slightly matched the one he received, but the handwriting was different.
He had hoped that it would be similar, so they could rule out that they were dealing with the same blackmailer.
Austin stared at the two pieces of paper and tried to decipher them like a hidden code.
He rubbed his thumb across the ink, and it left an imprint.
“Interesting,” he muttered under his breath.
He folded the letters and placed both into his pocket.
If Deena can be trusted, I will show her the letter I received.
Whoever the blackmailers were, they were not a nobleman or noblewoman. Or perhaps the blackmailer was trying to mislead them into thinking they were low-class. Austin decided without delay that he would involve his solicitor. In the meantime, his thoughts drifted to Deena in an ungentlemanly way.
He was bewitched by her.
He stopped and stood in the beautifully lit garden of Greystone Park, lanterns were strung through the trees like captured stars, and the night air was cool and scented with late roses. Austin leaned against a stone balustrade, arms folded, waiting for Deena.
He could not shake her. The freckles across her nose, her sharp green eyes that saw straight through his charm, and the way her skin had felt under his palm, warm and yielding.
She believed he had not noticed the subtle press of her thighs together whenever he drew near, the way her breath caught and quickened, shallow and betraying, each time his body invaded her space.
She thought those small, secret surrenders were hers alone.
It was amusing that he suffered the same torment in her presence. He longed to know her more, and he looked forward to their time together.
Finally, Deena appeared beneath an arch of lanterns. The soft light formed a halo around her head.
“Thought you’d be hiding in the library again,” he called out to her.
“That sounds like Deena.”
Austin was taken aback when he saw Dominic walking beside her. He felt a sharp, unfamiliar twist in his chest, something perilously close to disappointment. And he was never disappointed to see Dominic.
Never.
“Windemere,” Dominic called warmly.
“Greystone.” Austin pushed off the balustrade, forcing his usual grin. “Couldn’t miss Grandmother’s firefly hunt. Though I expected you’d still be unpacking the nursery.”
Dominic laughed. “We arrived this afternoon. Someone had to keep Grandmother from declaring martial law.”
Deena’s eyes met Austin’s briefly.
“You might not have known,” Austin said to her, keeping his tone light, “but your brother was once cold as marble, and twice as hard. He terrified half the ton.”
Deena’s lips curved. “I know, I was on the receiving end of his terror. Although it’s hard to believe, looking at him now.”
Dominic snorted. “Flattery will get you nowhere. Though Selina managed it.”
“Where is Selina?” Austin asked.
“Putting Mary down. Percy’s already asleep after terrorizing all the horses in the stables.” Dominic glanced around, then lowered his voice. “Quick word…thank you for looking out for Deena the last few days. I wasn’t here, and I appreciate it.”
Austin inclined his head. “Always. You and she are like family.”
His gaze flicked to her, but her expression was unreadable. When they reached the crowd of onlookers, the dowager’s voice rang out across the lawn.
“Gather, gather! Time for the next delight!”
Guests clustered near a table laden with glass jars and ribbon, and Deena’s grandmother beamed.
“We shall draw straws for pairs! Each couple receives a jar. The pair that captures the most fireflies wins a prize.” She winked outrageously. “Romantic, yes?”
Groans and laughter rippled through the group.
Straws were drawn, and names were called. Austin held his breath when Deena’s turn came. She pulled a long straw beside Lord Monthall, a pleasant, harmless viscount.
Monthall cleared his throat. “Lady Deena, I’m honored, but… I fear I must decline.”
The dowager pouted. “Why is that, Lord Monthall?”
“It’s quite all right, Grandmother,” Deena said sweetly.
“Is my sister not good enough for you?” Dominic butted in, and Austin motioned to him to calm down.
“N…no, Your Grace,” Lord Monthall stuttered nervously, “It is just that…Lady Belle and I have already settled matters between us. So, I’ll sit this one out.”
The dowager clapped her hands delightfully. “A match! Already! This will be the quickest in Duke Hunt history!”
Cheers and teasing followed around the group until Lord Monthall and Lady Belle blushed as red as the roses that surrounded them.
Austin chuckled, the sound low and warm, but it died in his throat the instant he saw Deena’s expression shift. The spark in her green eyes dimmed; her lips pressed together in a small, disappointed line as she glanced towards the dark meadow where fireflies already winked like fallen stars.
“Rejected,” she murmured almost to herself. “Of course.”
The dowager was still clapping delightedly over Lord Monthall’s announcement, declaring it the fastest match in Duke Hunt history, but Deena’s gaze lingered on the shadows beyond the lanterns, longing plain on her face.
Austin felt something twist in his chest. Dominic, standing a few paces away, caught Austin’s eye. His friend’s expression was unreadable for a moment, then he gave a subtle nod toward Deena, clear and deliberate.
Message received.
He decided to step forward. “Then allow me to volunteer, Lady Deena. Someone must help you fill that jar.”
Deena looked up, surprise softening into a small smile. “You’re certain?”
“Absolutely.” He offered his arm, pulse kicking when her gloved fingers settled on his sleeve. “I wouldn’t miss the chance to chase fireflies with you.”
The dowager handed them a jar tied with green ribbon. “Off you go! You have thirty minutes!”
“Mind the brambles,” Dominic said, tone deceptively casual. “And the mud. And anything else that might… trip you up in the dark.”
Austin met his friend’s eyes with a bland smile. “I’ll keep her safe, Greystone.”
Dominic’s brow arched. “See that you do.” Then, softer, meant for both of them: “Enjoy the fireflies. They don’t last long.”
Deena’s fingers tightened fractionally on Austin’s sleeve. “We’ll be careful,” she promised.
Dominic gave a short nod, the corner of his mouth lifting. “Thirty minutes,” he echoed the dowager. “Not a second more.”
The dowager beamed, already turning to shoo the next pair onward. “Off with you!”
They slipped away from the lanterns into the darker reaches of the garden, where the grass was cool and dew-kissed beneath their feet.
The air grew richer, thick with the scent of damp earth, late roses, and something sweeter.
Overhead, the sky was a deep indigo pricked with stars.
A thin silver crescent spilled just enough light to silver the edges of leaves and turn the drifting fireflies into tiny living lanterns.
A few paces in, the first firefly winked past Deena’s shoulder. She sensed it and stopped, jar in hand as her green eyes widened with childlike delight.
“Look,” she whispered as though speaking too loudly might frighten them away.
Austin followed her gaze. Another light blinked, then another. There were languid pulses of gold hovering in the air around them. Soon, a dozen rose from the grass and drifted upward in lazy spirals. The meadow seemed to breathe with them.
Deena lifted the jar and moved carefully. “Hold still,” she murmured to one hovering near her wrist. It landed delicately on the rim of the glass before fluttering inside. She giggled gleefully, and Austin found himself holding his breath.
“I caught one,” she whispered and beamed at him.
Austin watched her more than the lights, captivated by the way the glow illuminated her face in fleeting flashes and the curve of her cheek when she smiled.
Her green eyes sparkled. He stepped closer, reaching past her to coax another firefly towards the jar.
Their arms brushed slightly, and the contact lingered.
“Now you’ve caught two,” he said softly.
She glanced at him. “You’re surprisingly gentle for a man.”
“Only when it matters,” he replied playfully.
Another firefly drifted between them. Deena reached; Austin did too.
Their fingers met around the glow, trapping it gently in the cage of their joined hands.
For a heartbeat, neither moved as the light pulsed against their skin, mirroring the sudden thrum of her pulse beneath his thumb where it rested against her wrist.
He didn’t release her immediately. “Three,” he said finally, guiding the insect into the jar with deliberate care.
Deena’s breath came shallower. “We should catch more.”
“We should,” he agreed, but his gaze stayed on her face.
They moved together through the grass, silent except for the occasional soft laugh when a firefly evaded them or landed unexpectedly on a sleeve or curl. Each near brush of hands, each shared glance when a particularly bright one drifted past, tightened the coil of awareness between them.
Deena broke the quiet first. “Our bargain begins tonight, doesn’t it? You promised secrets I could publish.”
Austin glanced at her, amused. “Eager, are we? You’re getting ahead of yourself, Dee. You’ve yet to provide a single introduction to a suitable bride. I’ve caught nothing but fireflies and your brother’s meaningful looks.”
She lifted the jar between them, where three lonely lights pulsed. “I’m working on it. But a deal is a deal. Share something scandalous.”
He slowed his step. “Tit for tat, then. You first.”
Deena’s brow arched. “I’ve already told you I’m being blackmailed.”
“Something personal,” he pressed. “Something no one else knows.”
“I…I’m not sure what to tell you.”
“What about the scandal that sent you to Paris? The one everyone whispers about, but no one understands?”