It was not much later when he entered Mistral’s Bookshop. Mercifully, the pounding in his heart had subsided by then. He had nearly been eaten alive! Or at least nibbled upon. If Miss Dunston ever learned of that encounter, she would laugh herself silly! As well she should. He had put himself in a precarious situation, all so he could gain an investor. Knight or not, he should have noticed the signs before the butler had closed the door.
Mr. Mistral was a thin, bespectacled man with a long, straight nose. On his head sat a brown cap that many said hid a balding pate. The proprietor stood hunched over a book behind the counter. He looked up when Aaron approached.
“Ah, Sir Aaron, it’s a pleasure to see you again. How may I assist you?”
Aaron glanced around to make certain no one was nearby. “A Lady Mathison is to collect a book from you tomorrow, correct?”
The proprietor nodded. “Indeed, she is, sir.”
“May I ask that you give her a message from me?”
Mr. Mistral nodded again as he closed his book. “Yes, of course.”
“I need a place, somewhere private, where she and I may speak without fear of anyone overhearing. Have you any suggestions?”
Rubbing his chin in thought, Mr. Mistral replied, “I believe I do.”
After receiving directions, Aaron wrote a quick note and handed it to the proprietor. “See that she gets this, but please be discreet. I’m sure I can trust you to keep this to yourself?”
If Lord Mathison learned that she and Sir Aaron were meeting, they both would be in a great deal of trouble. But Aaron did not care. He had to see her. And like so many other things in life, Aaron understood one thing that his father had taught him.
Some rules were meant to be broken.
ChapterEleven
Louisa stared at the letter for the tenth—or was it the hundredth?—time. It had arrived the day after her talk with Mrs. Rutley, and now two days later, she had yet to respond. He had invited her to dine with him, but did she wish to do so?
A familiar dilemma had risen inside her. Dining with the handsome hero would be enjoyable. Enduring his arrogance, however, would spoil what could be a lovely evening.
Yet that was not what bothered her most about the arrangement. Although she had known when she had offered the truce the previous week that she would not keep her word, Louisa was riddled with guilt. She had sought out and collected donations from two shopkeepers in the village.
Well, her actions were justified. After all, Sir Aaron had refused to acknowledge the part she had played in helping the mastiff. If she had not calmed the poor animal, the knight would not have been able to remove the thorn. It was that simple.
Yet if he were standing before her now, she was unsure if she could look him in the eyes. She had not been well trained in the art of deception. Her ability to eavesdrop was second to none, but she never did so without a good reason. It was one thing to be inquisitive and altruistic and another to be outright nosy.
Sighing, she slid the letter under her pillow just as the door opened, and Ruth entered the room.
“I have a bit of news concerning your knight,” the redhead said. Her hands were on her hips, which said the news was not good. “You’ll not believe what the twins heard.”
Louisa nearly launched herself from the bed. “What did you hear?”
Ruth waved a hand at her Louisa. “It’ll have to wait. We’re due to meet in the drawing room for our history lesson.”
Louisa groaned. Mrs. Rutley had arranged for a special guest to come and speak to the students. With all that was going on at the moment, Louisa had no interest in any lessons, and history least of all. Who cared about what had already happened? But she had only one choice. Attend or endure the wrath of the headmistress. And that could mean any sort of punishment, none of which Louisa wished to endure.
“Why can’t you tell me as we go?” Louisa demanded in a harsh whisper. “What did you learn? Was he soliciting funds from someone in the village?”
He had best not be!she thought with vehemence. They had agreed to a truce. If she learned that he had gone back on his word, so help her…!
Ruth shook her head. “Not that I’m aware. But he was overheard saying he is to meet a Lady Mathison at Yeats Park tomorrow at midday.”
Louisa’s heart dropped. Why would the knight, or any gentleman for that matter, meet a lady at the park? Such covert meetings were meant for one thing, even in a village the size of Chatsworth.
Her jaw tightened as she imagined Sir Aaron taking hold of and kissing this Lady Mathison as he had done to her. What gave him the right to manhandle a woman in such a despicable way? And what if that lady, like Louisa, was innocent, and the knight merely wanted to prey upon her vulnerability? Louisa was strong enough to resist his charms, but what if this Lady Mathison was not? She could not allow another woman to endure what she, herself, had!
There was only one thing to do.
“Ruth, tomorrow I’d like to go to Yeats Park to see what I can learn. Will you go with me?”