Authors: Gloria Harchar
"
Although your fearsome
reputation
is quite useful, I would rather you n
ot use it. Perhaps the gardens?"
He scratched his chin.
"
Too public. The guests might come to the conclusion that you are my light o
'
love.
"
"
Botheration, we cannot feed the gossips with any more of that misconception. Not that they haven
'
t already concluded as much, from what I heard in the ladies
'
retiring chamber,
"
she grumbled.
"
You must learn to never listen to
idle talk
. Most of what a person hears is lies.
"
He thought a moment.
"
Come.
"
With his hand keeping hers firmly upon his arm, Falcon led her to a small alcove just off the ballroom. He halted next to an exotic statue of a lion and exam
ined the intricate plasterwork
on the wall.
"
What are you doing?
"
"
Ah, here it is.
"
He pulled a brass ring
Nicola
hadn
'
t noticed. It moved.
Nicola
realized he had led her to a hidden door.
Amazement tickled her backbone.
"
How do you know so much about the Ballard estate?
"
"
Hurry.
"
He tugged her after him into what she realized was the servants corridor. The hallway seemed unusually
bright, casting an unearthly gold luminance near the entrance.
"
So, how do you know so much about this house?
"
she repeated.
"
Do you have a
pixie
that helps you also?
"
she asked flippantly. The faint tune of Beethoven
'
s
"
Eroica
"
sounded from the ballroom, the lilting tones reminding her of Allegro. She glanced around for him, but he was nowhere in sight.
Falcon shut the door and the light faded along with the tune.
"
Not all of us are,
er...
lucky enough to see
pixie
creatures
. I used to play at the Ballard estate when I was a boy. The old Viscountess was quite fond of me.
"
Nicola
shivered at his proximity, his broad shoulders blocking the light from the nearby wall sconce, his features in sha
dow. She scoffed and realized her voice sounded
strained.
"
I saw you a couple of times
on your black Arabian when you were about
fourteen
yours
of age, but even then I didn
'
t consider you a boy, much less a lovable one.
"
"
You judge me too harshly,
Nicola
.
"
His head loomed over her face. His voice was warm, savory, like plum pudding at Christmas.
She had to resist the allure.
"
Ha! Your idea of love is to force a person into doing something she doesn
'
t want to do, then to abandon her out in the country.
"
His sudden stillness was unnerving.
"
You will not miss me. I promise.
"
Alarmed at the possessiveness she heard in his tone, she peered at him through the darkness, the
yellow
light from the sconce throwing a deceiving halo about his head. She felt at a distinct disadvantage because she couldn
'
t read his expression.
She shook off the strange combination of nervousness and excitement that stabbed her and remembered their reason for sneaking into the privacy of the servants
'
hall.
"
What is the new Countess Ballard
'
s weakness?
"
He curled his lips in a slight smile.
"
Her husband
'
s roots, and her desire to keep them a secret.
"
"
What is wrong with his background?
"
"
Nothing
... much as I can determine.
"
"
You speak in circles, my lord,
"
she exclaimed, exasperated.
He leaned against the wall, his full face illuminated though he wore a hooded look.
"
Not really. I merely don
'
t listen to gossips or care about protocol as does the rest of society.
"
"
What did you discover about his past that would put the nobs in a frenzy?
"
He rubbed his chin and contemplated.
"
Ballard
'
s story resembles a
pixie
tale, actually.
"
She rolled her
eyes
.
"
What tale?
"
"
Charles Perrault
'
s
Cinderella,
although Ballard poses a poor heroine.
"
"
Please
, sir,
strive to make yourself understood.
"
"
The present Viscount Ballard, Sidney Smith, used to be manager of a cotton mill and would have been for the rest of his days. But when the old Viscount died without immediate issue, fortune struck. As a distant cousin, Sidney inherited the title.
"
"
By jingo! How do you accumulate this wealth of rubbish against us poor mortals?
"
"
I happen to be familiar with most of the mills in England and their stewards.
"
He shrugged.
"
It is my business.
"
"
Have you ever considered merely asking for what you want, rather than using force? You might discover a wealth of rewards.
"
He raised his brows in the cynical manner she was beginning to associate with him.
"
Such as?
"
"
Friendship.
"
He pushed away from the wall.
"
Are you offering me friendship,
Nicola
?
"
Caught off guard, she stilled as his heated hands moved up her arms. The warmth that penetrated her could have been generated from the gleam in his
eyes
, she realized. His regard was as hot as his touch.
"
If you are, I may not be able to resist keeping near your side. We could have a very special f
riendship. We have already experience magic, and just by innocent touches
.
"
She backed away and banged into the wall.
He didn
'
t notice.
"
Nicola
.
"
He followed her, his warm, spicy breath reminding her of their shared intimacy.
"
You want to kiss me.
"
"
I do not!
"
She did. Over the last two days she had worried about her future with a man who wanted only her dowry, worried about freeing Ramsey and escaping Falcon.
Yet
always, always, the memory of his kiss
on her temple remained
.
The warm, moist feel of his lips on her sensitive skin.
Shards of lightning struck through to her toes, and his look made her forget his plans to abandon her once they wed.
Footsteps sounded,
and then
the door swung open. Air wafted across
Nicola
'
s skin, followed by a woman
'
s startled screech and the loud clang of a silver tray.
Nicola
glanced over Falcon
'
s shoulder. Beethoven
'
s
"
Moonlight Sonata
"
erupted in her ears and she saw a flustered maid.
"
Somethin
'
s upset the hired help,
"
a guest cried. A ringing of boots sounded on the nearby wood treading.
"
Stay behind me.
"
Falcon thrust
Nicola
in the shadows of the darkened
servants'
corridor.
"
Who do you have with you, Falcon?
"
the guest asked.