The Formidable Earl (Diamonds in the Rough #6) - Sophie Barnes Page 0,117
running his fingers across it, peeked out from beneath the brim of her spruce blue bonnet. Was her hair long or short? Straight or wavy? He wasn’t able to tell and for some odd reason, that irked him. But what concerned him most were the men who kept taking a seat at her table.
“What do you suppose she’s up to?” Blayne asked Claus as he passed. Both men had been in Carlton Guthrie’s employ until he’d revealed his true identity, claimed his title as the Duke of Windham, and married Regina. Now with Guthrie gone, Blayne had taken over the running of The Black Swan completely, and to this end, Claus was a great help.
Claus stopped and turned. He glanced toward the woman. “From what I gather, she’s conducting interviews.”
Blayne frowned and gave a curt nod. Claus continued past him toward the taproom. The man who’d been seated at the woman’s table while Blayne had been talking to Claus got up. Another man ambled over, spoke a few words, and sat. The woman dropped her gaze to a piece of paper she’d placed on the table and appeared to ask a question.
Judging from her attire, she had to be either gentry or aristocracy, which made her presence here at a St. Giles tavern shocking to say the least. She didn’t belong here and he wasn’t the only one to have noticed. Laborers taking their lunch at nearby tables kept glancing her way. Blayne flexed his upper arm muscles. If anyone gave her trouble he’d have to step in. He tightened his jaw and muttered a curse. The last thing he needed was a reckless woman on his hands.
The man she’d been speaking with most recently got up and another, more stocky fellow, approached her. He wore a slippery smirk that instantly forced Blayne to straighten. The man dropped into a vacant chair, not opposite the woman, but directly beside her. His gaze dipped to the vicinity of her breasts and his hand slid over her thigh.
Blayne stepped forward, moving swiftly between the tables blocking his path. But before he was able to haul the impertinent fellow to his feet and deck him, the man scrambled out of his chair and fled like the very devil was on his heels. Blayne stared after him in surprise.
The woman stood, spotted him, and smiled.
Blayne sucked in a breath. He’d thought her moderately pretty before from a distance, when her expression had been confined to serious lines. But when she smiled, she was absolutely radiant.
“How did you…” He wasn’t sure what she’d done, so he left the statement open in the hope she might explain.
Her smile widened. “I never leave home without my pistol. Knowing I’m able to defend myself against questionable characters eases my mind.”
“So would keeping to safer parts of Town, I’m sure,” he told her.
She tilted her head. Studied him with a shrewd gaze he found disconcerting. “Do you know. I think you’d be perfect.”
His eyes narrowed. “For what?”
“For the position I’m trying to fill.”
He crossed his arms. “I already have a job.”
She leaned forward, a conspiratorial gleam in her eyes. A sweet floral scent drifted toward him, and he could not help but breathe her in. “It pays exceedingly well. Ten pounds per week.”
Blayne gaped at her, the effect of her close proximity on his senses quite forgotten as he allowed the exorbitant wage to sink in. “What the devil do you want me to do? Kidnap someone and hold them hostage?”
“Don’t be silly,” she chuckled, dismissing his suggestion with a wave of her hand. “What I need is much simpler than that. Less taxing too, I imagine.”
Blayne fought his curiosity. And yet, he could not help asking, “How so?”
She was more than a head shorter than he and of slender build, but when she straightened herself, the confidence and strength she emitted demanded respect. “What I need is an escort who can ensure my safety.”
Blayne stared down into her emerald green eyes. “You seem quite capable of protecting yourself.”
“Nevertheless, having a strong and capable man accompany me when I travel about the City would be the sensible thing to do.”
If he was smart, he’d refuse. Then again, he could use the blunt. It would certainly bring him that step closer to purchasing the property of his dreams and settling down to a quieter way of life. And Claus could easily handle the running of The Black Swan while Blayne was busy with other work.