She’d managed to avoid him since he’d come in and taken over Hawk’s Cove. Grudgingly, she could admit, he looked much better now. He was dressed more like the men who lived here than someone about to attend the opera in London.
Or so I would assume. I have never been to an opera nor seen anyone actually dressed to attend one.
His sandy brown hair had lightened as he’d spent time in the strong sunlight. But it was those eyes, gray and sharp, that got to her. He was thinner than some of the men she knew, but it wasn’t because of sickness. She had watched him work.
Every chance she could.
Okay, perhaps a few times.
Remembering herself, she executed a curtsey. “Good day, my lord.”
Her hands were slick all of a sudden and she found herself holding her breath. Not advisable.
A low grumble rolled through the room and part of her wanted to lounge in the warmth it gave her, but another part of her wanted to run. Far. Fast. Without looking back.
This man is dangerous.
“Really?” His accent was sharp and yet she found she didn’t mind so much how his words fell from his mouth to the air for her to hear. “That is what you say to me? Nothing about how it is the two of you have been deceiving me, doing who knows what with my books?”
Panic flared. The fear of losing her life hadn’t lessened. She hadn’t been given permission to touch his books. Not only that, but her brother was in danger as well.
Grateful there wasn’t anyone else in the building, she made her way from behind the counter.
“Begging your pardon, my lord.” She kept her eyes down.
His big feet stepped into view. In her periphery, she watched her brother move as well and she flicked her fingers toward him, holding him off. No matter what the consequences, she knew Elonne would never allow this man to lay hands on her.
In either of the ways her brain was trying to figure out—pain or pleasure.
He snorted in disbelief. “How long have you been doing them?”
She knew better than to tarry with her response. “Since a week after you left. Elonne got ill after picking up more time in the fields to make sure none of your crops went bad and I took over. It is easier for me than him, but please do not punish him for my behavior. I made the choice and decision to do this, not he.”
Fyre pushed out a short breath and lifted her gaze to find his gray eyes waiting for her. She couldn’t make out what she read in their depths.
Her brother frowned and made another move forward. Again, she waved him off. In the grand scheme of things, he was far more important than she was. He could do the physical labor she couldn’t. And he had a wife and children to take care of. For all intents and purposes, she was alone and expendable.
“You have to explain this to me. I cannot make sense of your system.”
“Yes, my lord.” She nearly held her breath once more. Perhaps she would get out of this with her life intact.
He walked to the door, where he glanced over his shoulder at her and lifted one eyebrow, impatience stamped all over his features.
Funny how that didn’t detract from his attractiveness. That hawklike nose took him from perfectly pretty and handsome to rugged and slightly dangerous.
“Why are you still there?”
“I am working, my lord. I am here for another three hours.”
He scowled and crossed his arms as he pivoted back to her. “And then?”
It is like he knew I would try to avoid this today.
“And then I will show up at your home to explain my system.” And hope you do not call for my death.
He grunted and walked out. “Let us return, Elonne.”
Her brother shot her a concerned look as he hurried off after the man who had all the power.
The moment the door closed behind her brother, she exhaled and made her way back to the counter, legs wobbling in both relief and for the simple fact that because of her interaction with the earl, they had decided they weren’t strong enough to keep her up any longer. She took a few moments to get some stability back, then retreated around the counter once more.
Legs still shaky like she’d been out toiling in the heat all day, she pulled out the stool and sat with a grateful sigh. Rubbing her chest to try to ease the ache that had filled her lungs, she took several deep breaths.
Tears burned the backs of her eyes and she tried to keep them at bay. Her hand only shook a little as she pulled the book she’d been about to start working on when he had come in out from beneath the counter.