The Hunt for Mr. October by Tabetha Waite & The Rake Review

Author:Tabetha Waite & The Rake Review [Waite, Tabetha & Review, The Rake]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-10-02T00:00:00+00:00

On the off chance that Miss Newton decided to join him for the evening meal, Elwood had donned a pair of black trousers, a silver waistcoat, and black dinner jacket. He’d asked the housekeeper to starch one of his cravats and he’d tied it into a perfect knot at the base of his throat.

If he couldn’t seem to act like a gentleman around her, perhaps he could look the part.

He heard movement out in the hall and while he expected it to be Mrs. Salisbury coming to let him know he would be dining alone, he was pleasantly surprised to see Miss Newton walk across the threshold.

For an instant, his heart stuttered to a halt. He had imagined that shade of blue would look remarkable with her dark hair and sparkling green eyes, but he hadn’t known exactly how enticing her every movement would make him physically uncomfortable. In all of the women he’d courted and generally bedded over the years, none of them had made him feel as if he’d been punched in the solar plexus. It proved that Miss Newton was unlike any other woman of his acquaintance—and he wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that.

He moved from the head of the table and pulled out her chair to the left of his.

She offered him a slight smile that he wasn’t sure how to interpret. “Thank you, my lord.” After she sat, he resumed his seat.

“Would you care for some wine?” he offered, holding up the decanter.

She cast him a wary glance, but then inclined her head. “Please.”

He poured the red liquid in the crystal tumbler and realized that although he generally despised stilted silences, he was more concerned how this evening might end. He was still a bit distracted from earlier when he’d discovered she’d been rummaging for pen and paper to use as weapons against him. To say he’d felt a little betrayed was more than an understatement. The longer he’d had to reflect on his recent behavior, he certainly hadn’t made much of a lasting impression, not in the way she might prefer, at least.

“I wanted to apologize for earlier today.”

As if reading his very thoughts, she spoke the words he nearly uttered aloud. “It’s ironic that you should say that, because I was going to say the same.” She laughed lightly, and he suddenly found it one of his favorite sounds in the world. “I appreciate your consideration, but you were only being true to your… nature, whereas I attempted to disguise my reasons for being in your rooms, however innocent they might have seemed at the time.”

He thrilled at the slight hitch of color that appeared on her cheeks, as she seemed to recall the moment she’d been revealed. “You did nothing wrong. I certainly haven’t given you any reasons to warrant becoming an ally thus far.”

“Not particularly,” she said slowly. She hesitated as she took a delicate sip of her wine. “But I still have to wonder if that is the real Lord Belmont.

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