She didn’t answer as her hand slipped from his arm. Her breath was coming in shallow gasps as her gaze remained fixed on the lone figure under the tree.
She took a step toward him, and then another.
She needed to know. Was she imagining Bennet all over the city, or by some chance…
The man pushed off the tree, taking a step toward her, his shoulders straight as he held her gaze.
Quite without realizing it, she lifted her skirts in her hands and took several more steps toward him, each one quicker than the last until she was running toward him.
He stood strong and tall, looking for all the world like he might catch her until she’d closed half the distance between them—then he tipped his hat before turning and starting in the opposite direction.
“Wait,” she called out, but that only seemed to fuel his speed as he found the gate beyond the trees and stepped out onto the street.
Lifting her skirts higher, she moved faster, cursing the corset that restricted her breathing. He’d get away if she didn’t hurry.
“I see him,” Dillan ground out from next to her. “I’ll get him.”
A rush of breath left her lungs as she slowed her steps. Thank goodness for friends who didn’t ask the whys in a situation like this. As Dillan sprinted past her, she did her best to keep up, tossing out a silent prayer that Dillan would catch the mystery man and then she could truly bury the dead.
Bennet Northampton slipped between buildings,letting out a string of multilingual curses as he did. He’d known he should not attend his father’s funeral. It was bad enough that he’d seen Rebecca on the street a fortnight prior.
He was dead, and he needed to stay that way for another month at least. But he wasn’t about to stay away from the services on behalf of his departed father.
Likely a fool’s errand.
But he’d wanted to say his goodbyes and he’d wished to apologize. He should have been home before this. Should have held his father’s hands when he’d taken his last breaths. Should have had Rebecca by his side.
Bennet hit his closed fist against his thigh, his jaw tight as he watched the man who was Rebecca’s husband run past the alley where Bennet hid in the shadows.
Of course she’d wed in his absence. She thought him long dead, and Rebecca was a spirited beauty with intelligence andpassion and… He forced himself to stop. His knuckles dug deep into his outer thigh as he ground his teeth together.
He’d not regret his choices now. He was too far down the road, a road that was about to end. He had another month to solve this case before their queen insisted that he re-enter society, miraculously found after capture by pirates or some such cover story, and take his rightful place as the new marquess.
Never mind that the man who killed Bennet’s older brother, the former heir, was not only still out there after three years, his identity was still unknown.
And once Bennet became the marquess, a target would be on his back.
Perhaps that was better.
He’d face off with whomever had killed Marcus and be done with it. His investigation had gotten him nowhere. So many times he’d been close, only to have the perpetrator slip through his fingers.
But if he were going to be out in the open, he’d not have Rebecca anywhere near him. She was the one person left in this world whom he cared about, and she’d be far away from the trouble when it landed at his door.
Rebecca ran by the entrance of the alley, stopping just in front of the street where he hid. He should have ducked further into the shadows, but it was the closest he’d been to her in such a long time.
And somehow, the years had only made her more beautiful.
The black dress she wore accentuated her dark brown hair and glittering green eyes, her high cheekbones flushed from her efforts.
He had clear memories of other times he’d brought such color to her cheeks. Those memories had carried him through many a lonely night.
Her full lips were parted as she panted for breath, her hands coming her hips. Her eyes searched, scanning his way, forcing him to shrink into the shadows.
Damn, but he wished he could kiss her. Hold her in his arms again.
The other man returned to her side. “Rebecca,” he said, reaching out to hold her arm. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she gasped. “Did you lose him?”