Authors: Gloria Harchar
"
Perhaps you can reform me.
"
"
I have never trained a falcon to the hand.
"
And she was discovering she didn
'
t even want to try.
He leaned close.
"
There is always the first time.
"
His war
m breath tickled her
hairline
.
"
Miss Moore
, you are not going to convince your father that the Black Falcon is actually a shimmering white dove in disguise.
"
For a moment, she thought she felt his lips against her temple. She leaned back to avoid the contact.
"
Then you are telling me you did cheat Thomas Hill?
"
"
I
'
m telling you that we are now officially courting
.
"
Someone snickered.
Nicola
craned her neck to see the little boys scamper toward a copse of trees.
They had been caught in the intimacy, and she knew the
lads
would be running straight to their mamas to tell
what they saw—the tomboy sitting in the park next to the Falcon
, allowing him to kiss her
.
The comers of his mouth turned up in a smug smile. She stared at him, realization hitting her like a spray of winter sleet.
"
You planned this whole situation.
"
He shrugged.
"
H
ave you no decency? Is every action you make fraught with ulterior motives?
"
Her heart still raced. Her shortness of breath merely reminded her of her foolhardine
ss to allow him to fondle her hair, kiss her
temple. S
he
ground her teeth and then snatched up her hat
.
"
I will not allow you to force me into matrimony.
"
"
You do not have much choice.
"
She crammed the black bowler on her head, not caring what the thing looked like.
"
You are sly, but I
'
ll survive any silly gossip you might try to stir.
"
And she would. Already she began concocting reasons for their
meeting
. Perhaps she could say the wind had blown a tuft of dandelion in his
eye
. But s
he would deny any secret courtship.
"
And your father? Will he survive the gossip?
"
The Earl uncoiled to his f
ull height and walked toward her barrelabout
.
As she followed, her stomach roiled
.
"
Be patient, my lord. That supper invitation will
occur within the next two days.
"
She prevaricated, praying the event would never come to pass. Then she fro
wned
.
"
But you never answered my question about Thomas Hill.
"
"
From what you
'
ve discovered about me, what do you think?
"
he asked as he lifted his hand to assist her inside her steamcar.
She pushed her way past him, ignoring his offer, and clamored up to the driver's seat, knocking her knee against the control panel in her haste. Biting back a
ye
lp, she said,
"
I know you
'
re cap
able of blackmail and, by your
familiarity with my person
, you forced me into having to tell people we are courting.
Actions
you
wouldn
'
t
partake in
if you were
honorable
.
"
"
Miss Moore, surely you know by now that I'm
not
honorable, which should address any doubts you might have.
"
He tipped his hat.
"
Until tomorrow.
"
She didn't wait to see him walk to his horse, but instead primed the engine and pumped the gas before switching the location of her foot to push on the starter. The barrelabout choked to life with a cough of steam.
As she drove toward home, she despaired. Because Falcon's grasp tightened on her neck as tight as a noose. And, no matter what she did, she feared she was as stuck as a treed fox.
High, staccato notes pealed from
Nicola
'
s chamber. She'd stopped in the meadow to search for the elusive
deep orange
flower she'd seen a few days ago, but had been as unsuccessf
ul as her meeting with Falcon. As she stepped inside, she saw
the pixies dart
above her bed in a show of fireworks.
"
Stealing
... mouth of a babe!
"
Allegro cried.
"
A
..
. saw you and... get us kicked
...
!
"
She stepped inside, wondering what the pesky Callers were
doing
. They had disappeared during her fiasco in the square. She stopped short when she
caught sight of
a
toy replica of the hot-air balloon sitting in the middle of her bed, and green and gold lights flitting above. Indignation swept through her.
"
What have you done?
"
The green light around
Glissando
dimmed, allowing his more humanlike form to appear. He gave her a sheepish look and landed on the bed near the balloon.
"
It
'
s just a loan. I
'
m going to give it back to the laddie.
"
"I told you, Glissando and Allegro, leave me be! Get out of my life!"
In an uncharacteristic gesture, Glissando fell to his knees on the bed and held up his hands in supplication. "But I want to make it up to you. I know I was wrong to pair up your grandmother and if I could wind the hands back on time, I would. Please just let me prove myself."
Allegro took the same posture as Glissando. He lifted his face to her, his expression … sweet. Sincere. "And I want you to have faith in the Callers again. Even if I fail in this mission, I will consider the assignment to be a success if only you regain your faith and belief in us. In Maestro."
A lump formed in her throat as she listened to Allegro. Glissando—she could take him or leave him. But Allegro seemed to be speaking from the heart. "All right, I will give you a chance. And Glissando, too, although I confess I have reservations."
"
Thank you, Miss Did—Miss Moore. You won't regret it."
Already she was. But she held her tongue.
"Now, back to you, Glissando," Allegro said, his wings and body once more a whirl of color.
Glissando had flown to the balloon to run an admiring hand down the basket.
"
You allowed the
human without a bond
to see you!
"
Allegro
'
s twirling slowed to where
Nicola
could see him standing with hands on hips.
Glissando
glanced up from his inspection and
shook his head.
"
Now, now. I didn
'
t let him actually see me.
"
Allegro huffed, his face a reddish hue.
"
But he saw the balloon, an inanimate object, do the impossible and fly away. That
'
s against our laws!
"
Glissando
hopped inside the basket and bent down to look at the burner.
"
I keep telling you, Allegro. E
verything is too black and white for you.
"
Impatient with the bizarre argument and more intent on the contraband on her bed,
Nicola
cleared her throat.
"
Excuse me for interrupting, but I
'
m returning this toy to its owner.
"
Glissando
quit
eyeing
the
burner and jumped out of the basket
.
He spread his arms out as if to protect the small replica.
"
Don
'
t do that, lass! I need it for the errand you are about to send me on.
"
Crossing her arms,
Nicola
frowned.
"
What
errand?
"
"
I
'
m going to assist in saving
your
cousin.
"
"
Why?
"
Nicola
asked, confused by
Glissando
'
s sudden allegiance.
"
Because this is how I'm going to prove myself to you. I will get you out of this mess
.
"