A Bright Particular Star (43 page)

“
Can
it wait?
”

“
I think not
.
It
needs to be dealt with
and you are the best person to adv
ise
on
avoid
ing
a
sca
ndal, and how to limit
Olivia
’s
distress
.
It will not take long.
”
He moved aside, inviting her to step into the hackney.
“
Will you
join me
?
”

She
paused and glanced at him uncertainl
y.
“
Perry
, is this a kidnapping
?
”
she asked, lifting her brows.

“D
on
’t
be absurd
,
”
he drawled
,
in a bored voice.
“
Kidnapping implies force.
B
undling you into a hackney in broad day
light would be a thankless task
.
I
’
ve no desire to have my eyes scratched out
,
or create a
scene for half of Lincoln
’s
Inn
to enjoy
!
Come or stay
,
just
as
you please
.
T
he
matter I refer to should be
discussed in private and
this is
a good
opportunity
.
It is not
an exaggeration to say you
hold Olivia
’s
fate in your hands, but
if you
are unwilling to
discuss the matter
, there is nothing
more
to
be said
.
”
He shrugged
and turned back towards the carriage
.

Sophie
watched him
go in
an agony of indecision
.
Perhaps she was
being
overly suspicious.
S
he was surprised to see him
here
, but
unless he had been lying in wait
in Brook Street
watching her every move he could
not
have followed her.
Besides,
his behaviour
yesterday had been unexceptional
and
he could hardly
carry her off
to the border
in a hackney
.

W
hat the
“
d
elicate matter”
co
ncerning Olivia might be a
nd
why it could lead to a scandal,
she had not the least idea,
but
she sensed he was not lying.
I
f the matter
was ser
ious
enough to tear
Pe
rry
away
fr
om his pursuit of pleasure
,
it must be important.
S
he owed it to Olivia t
o find out
more
.

“
Wait
!
”
Gathering up her skirts, Sophie
hurried
over
.
“
I
’
ll
come with you
.
I trust
whatever
you have to say
will not take long?
I am accompanying Lady Verney to the theatre tonight.
”

“
Just
as long as you decide
,
”
said Perry, with a half
smile.

He stood aside to let her climb in and, a
fter giving instructions to the jarvey, he joined Sop
hie in the hackney and it sped
off down the street.

Theo and Grey
arrived
in Brook Street to be informed
Lord Verney was not at home
for the rest of the day
and La
dy Verney was indisposed.
Theo
then asked to see
Sophie
.
The butler,
while
disapproving
in general
of vulgar
insistence in visitor
s,
also
itched
to impart the
information
p
assed to him earlier
by the
senior
footman
.
After a moment
’s
consideration
, he
therefore
replied i
n a
conspiratorial tone
that Miss Devereux
was not at home
.
S
he
had left the house some time ago.

“
Alone?
”
prompted
Theo
.

The
butler confirmed this
.
“S
h
e
did not call for the carriage
and
one of the other
servants saw her walking
to the hackney stand.
”
He
paused
and then added in a
voice laden with foreboding,
“
Her maid was not asked to attend
her
.
”

Theo turned to his companion.
“
What
do we do now?
”
he said in an urgent whisper
.
“
We can
’t
wait for her to return.
”

“
I
nsist o
n Lady V
erney being disturbed,
”
proposed
Luc.
“
Perhaps she will know where Miss Devereux has gone.
”

Lady Verney, roused f
rom a
comfortable afternoon dose
,
tottered
into the saloon
to meet her
visitors
some
considerable time later
.
Wreathed in a quantity of
shawls
and clutching her vinaigrette
, she came towards them
wearing a feeble
smile
, her vaguest manner
and
a
faint air of ill-usage.

Theo made the n
ecessary introductions before embarking
on some
adroit questioning.
She
accepted his
queries
regarding
Sophie
’s
whereabouts
without a qualm
, but cou
ld offer no insight
and
furthermore,
saw no reason for concern
.
No, she was not aware Sophie had left the house
earlier
, nor did she have the least idea where she might have gone to.
Really, it was too bad of her not to have taken her maid along
too
—
the girl simply refused to adhere to
London etiquette
—
but since they were going to the theatre this evening,
there was no reason to think she had embarked on anything other than a shopping expedition
.
S
he was certain
Sophie would return in good time.
Then
Lady Verney gave a sly little
smile and suggested
Sophie might
have
gone for a drive with
her cousin
.
Mr
Sloane
’s
attentions
had become
marked
recently
.
W
ith a satisfied sigh, Lady Verney declared she must not say too much, but she had
every expectation of a
happy
announcement app
earing
soon.

She reached for the bell pull to
summon a tray of tea, but before she coul
d do so, Theo
made their
hasty
excuses and departed, leaving Lady Verney
calling after him
.

Downstairs
in the hall
,
Theo and Luc questioned
t
he butler further, but
even
the
inducement of the
coin
pressed into
his palm brought forth little
more.
H
e had checked with
the maid, who confirmed that
no notes
had been left
and
Miss Devereux
’s
clothes
and portmanteau
x
were all where they should be.

Mr
Sloane had not called in
at
Brook Street today
, and the
only
other
possibili
ty
the butler could offer was
that Miss might h
ave gone to see her cousin
in Grosvenor Square
.
T
his seemed unlikely
as
Theo
was sure
Sir
Seymour would
have been informed if Sophie had turned up in
Grosvenor Square
,
b
u
t it was worth checking
before they
search
ed
elsewher
e
.

Arriving at
the Dinniscombe
mansion
, they were
ushered into the
el
egant saloon
.
Olivia was
sitting with
Harriet
, but there was no sign of Sophie.

Theo was
unsure
how much
Harriet
knew
,
bu
t when he explained the circumstances of Sophie
’s
departure from
Brook Street,
her reaction made it clear
she
was
in her husband
’s
confidence
.
S
he turned
at once
to Olivia
.

“
My dear, have you any idea where Sophie may have gone this afternoon?
”
she urged
.
“
If so,
pray tell us
…
and
don
’t
be afraid of breaking a confidence because
she
might be in danger.
”

Olivia turned her anxious gaze upon the visitors
.
“S
he has gone to s
ee
Mr
Sands in Lincoln
’s
Inn
.
He is her father
’s
lawyer.
”

Theo glanced
at his companion.
“
We
’d
best go there at once.
”

Luc nodded.
“
Will you wait for me outside?
I
’d
l
ike to speak to
Miss Sloane
for a moment
.
”

****

While Theo took his leave of
Harriet, Luc led
Oli
via
to
th
e window
bay
on the far side of the room
.
Taking
her hands betw
een his, he
held
them tightly
.
A jolt of sensual awareness shot through him.
She
seemed to feel it too and
looked up into
his face
,
a
flush of pleasure on
her
cheeks.

From
un
der delicately arched brows,
eyes
the
colour of storm-tossed seas
regarded him
steadily
.
Her
mouth was soft
and inviting
, and a
smile hovered on her lip
s.
A tiny frown creased her brow, giving
her an
adorably quizzical
expression
.

Today, as always, s
he was
the most beautiful thing he had ever seen
.

He
mirrored
her
smile
, but his
voice
was sombre.
“
Miss Sloane
—
Olivia
—
time is s
hort.
I
am a man with many secrets.
I
cannot stay
now
to offer
exp
lanations, but I need to ask
you
a
q
uestion.
In these
singular circumstances
, y
ou may consider
it
presumptuous
, even offensive
.
”

“
What is it?
”

“
A
simple request: a
re
you prepared
to
trust me?
”

“
Yes,
”
she said
,
without hesitation.
“
And
I don
’t
consider it presumptuous
.
”

T
he pressure of his
fingers increased.
“T
hank you,
”
he murmured, his tone turning
the words into
a caress
.
“T
his is not the right moment
, but
we will enjoy some
private
conversation
soon
, if you are agreeable?
”

Her flush deepening
to crimson
,
Olivia
nodded.

He stroked the back of her hand
with his thumb.
“
Very well.
L
isten carefull
y
and
be assured
I have Sophie
’s
interests at heart.
”

“
Has something
happened to her?
”

Aware th
at her fingers trembled
i
n his grasp, Luc hesitated.
“
Nothing
yet, I hope, but
she
could be
in danger,
”
he said eventually.
“
F
rom her cousin
.
”

Her frown re-appeared
.
“
Perry?
”

“
Yes.
”
He dragged
in a tortured breath.
“
Ol
ivia, you are about
to hear some
painful
truths about Peregrine
.
I
wish
I did not have to do this, but
it
is important that you know
.
And
if
bad news
about your brother
has to be delivered,
far
better
it comes from
someone
who
cares for you deeply
.
”

A
s he waited for
her
response,
Luc
’s
world teetered on the
edge of oblivion
.

Blue eyes stared down
into glittering
grey, h
er gaze
locked
on his face
as the meaning of his last six words sank in
.
A sound that
was
half gasp, half
moan
slipped from her throat
, but
the look
in Olivia
’s
eyes
told hi
m all
he needed to know.
The
world righted itself and he
exhaled on a
sigh
.

He glanced around
the room
and
saw
they were alone
.
Lady
Dinniscombe
, with great presence of m
ind, had stepped out for a moment
to fetch her embroidery.

Luc knew he should move away
right now
, put distance between them before it was too late.
It had been a mistake to let slip he cared
.
He
tried
to keep in mind his duty and his orders. He even tried to block out her scent in his nose and throat, her warm breath striking his chin, her soft curves so
enticingly
near to him
, b
ut he
failed
.
A
ll his longing
seemed to have
been condensed
into this moment.
She was so lovely
,
and so close. Everything in him responded to her.
A
ching with love
and
suffering under
a deluge of
emotion
, Luc
did what he had wanted to do for weeks
.
Knowing he would hate himself later
because
it seemed impossible anything more
could come of it
, he
pulled
her
close
and kissed her
.

Like an
over
-
wound spring,
from
the instant
his mouth
began to move over
hers
,
his
whole body seemed to uncoil.
The sense of release was overwhelming
. It felt as if
he had found his way home after years of searching
.
Te
nsion drained
out of every muscle, to be
replaced by
a glorious
languidness
and s
ense of well-being
that
he thought
had been destroyed
long ago
.
Captivated by the
sudden
blaze of sensation
s
, his lips explored hers
,
gently at first, then, as his mouth settled more firmly on hers,
teasing, tasting, coaxing,
until
pleasure
resonate
d
in every fibre
of his body
.

Her response was
untutored, but
ju
st as urgent and
passionate
.
S
he
mel
ted into his embrace
,
h
er
body arch
ing close
r as she moulded herself against him
.
H
is fingers feathered
do
wn her spine and
he felt her responsive shiver
throug
h the thin fabric
of her gown
.
Her lips
were
deliciously
cool
,
her breath
sweet; she
tasted of summer and honey
, her innocent sensuality affecting
him
like a heady drug
, pushing him to the limits of his self-restraint
.
E
ager
for more,
he murmured
endearments against her mout
h,
desperate
t
o kiss
and taste every inch of her
.

Through a
haze of pleasure
Luc
realize
d he was in danger of
losing control.
It was exhilarating
for someone who
had not
allowed himself that luxury
for a
long
time
, bu
t
he
knew
had to stop.
Only
years of discipline,
the
years of
enforced
mastery over
his
feelings
,
allowed him
to
tear his lips away
.

It
was
the hardest
thing he had ever done, but he
held
her
to him
afterward
, their breathing fragmented
after the storm of passion
.
Then, keeping her in the circle of his arms,
he
began to explain about
Perry
.

Luc
watched as her
face reflected her emotions
like clouds
skittering
across the sun.
The
colour
ebbed
out of her cheeks
, but
she did not
question the truth of what he was saying.
No
r did she demand to know
who he really was and how he had uncovered such shocking details about her brother.
H
e
might
be effectively a stranger
,
but
the
visceral
attraction
that bound
t
heir
souls
together
allowed her to believe in
him
now
.
And
there was more than
trust in her grey gaze
.

This
brave,
loving and giving
girl
cared for
hi
m.

A
wave of
searing
tenderness
,
deeper than anything he had known before
,
swept through Luc
.
He had travelled alone for so long and
seen so much o
f
life
’s
dark side
that he wanted
to bask in her
sweetness always
.
Th
e
mysterious alchemy
between them defied
reason and explanation, y
et it
existed
and was too strong to be denied.
She was the other half that made him whole.

From the moment he had laid eyes on her
from afar while secretly observing
Peregrine
Sloane
, Olivia
had stolen his heart.
Then, as he came
to know and appreciate the woman she was, she
had become
his
w
orld
,
his reason for being.