It all appeared rather amiable, yet he could feel the tension brimming beneath the surface. She was still annoyed with him and he could hardly blame her. If they were going to work together, she would need to trust him. He had handled things badly, telling himself he’d acted out of a sense of responsibility. In truth, his only motivation had been self-preservation.
“I assume you went to inspect your brother’s residence,” Sebastian said in a matter-of-fact tone. Although he hoped he was wrong and she’d simply gone for a stroll. He walked over to the sideboard and picked up a bottle. “Would you like wine?” he asked. “If we wait for Mrs. Cox, I fear we shall both die of thirst. You may keep your glass at the table.”
She looked at the deep-red liquid and then to the pristine white tablecloth.
“I’m not one for formality, as you know,” he added.
Sophie nodded and he filled her glass, careful not to spill any for his gaze was caught by a wayward curl caressing the side of her neck. He resisted the urge to touch it, to run it between his fingers and marvel at the softness.
She raised the glass to her lips and took a large sip. “I thought it best not to waste time,” she admitted.
“And?” Sebastian asked, returning to his seat. He held his frustration at bay despite the urge to tell her she’d made a foolish mistake. “What did you discover?”
She held the glass in her hand, twirling it back and forth in a nervous ritual. “You’re not angry with me?” she asked, revealing her surprise.
No, he was not angry — he was bloody furious.
“Should I be?”
She eyed him suspiciously. “You should know I will not tolerate your constant disregard for my feelings. Nor will I tolerate being manhandled by you out of some antiquated sense of duty.”
His antiquated sense of duty was the only thing stopping him from dragging her off the chair, hiking her pretty dress up around her thighs and settling himself between them.
“I understand,” he nodded, offering his most sincere smile. He was no John Edwin, but he could grace the stage with this performance. “You see, I have come to accept that we have the same goal,” he continued. “One is not Oxford and the other Cambridge. You want to find your brother and return to Marchampton. You want to understand the reasons for Dampierre’s interest in the necklace.” He raised his glass in salute. “As do I.”
She was staring at him as though he had grown a carrot for a nose.
“Now,” he continued. “You were telling me you went to your brother’s house.”
“To his lodgings,” she corrected a little stiffly. “He no longer owns a townhouse.”
“Forgive me,” he said with an inclination of the head. “I meant the house he had hired for the duration of his visit.”
Her cheeks flushed. “James has not been seen there, officially, for over a week.”
Sebastian arched a brow. “Officially?”
“The house came complete with a cook, a maid, and a butler. Although they’ve not seen James, the maid believes items belonging to him have been removed from the house without their knowledge.”
There was a gentle knock at the door. Mrs. Cox entered and began clearing the plates, trying her utmost to remain focused on the task.
As a selection of rather mouth-watering dishes were brought in, including venison pie, baked salmon and a roast chicken, Sebastian realised he had underestimated Mrs. Cox’s talents in the kitchen.
He waited until they were alone again before pointing out Miss Beaufort’s grave error.
“Of course, you must know that if your situation were a game of chess, you would have just placed yourself in check.” If she insisted on acting independently, then she must accept responsibility for her mistakes. “I must say the pie is delicious.”
She narrowed her gaze and wrinkled her nose. “What on earth are you talking about?”
He took a sip of wine. “Let me explain,” he said, trying not to sound too condescending, too arrogant. “Let us suppose I am searching for someone who has disappeared. The first thing I would do is hire a man to watch the person’s house, their last known address.”
“What, for a week?” she scoffed.
“For as long as it takes.” He paused to let her digest the information. “You understand that you would have been followed back to this address and now this house will be under observation. You will be under observation.”
She sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest as if contemplating his logic.
Sebastian groaned inwardly.