in London. The scandal sheets she’d been able to get her hands on shocked her. Couldn’t she trust him to behave like a gentleman? He had come to their aid during the attack on the Royal Coach. She hesitated. Or could it be that she was unsure of herself? Minutes ticked by while he waited for her answer.
His laugh was low and inviting, sending electricity racing along her nerve endings.
“I can almost see the wheels turning in that pretty head of yours, Miss Dalrymple. Am I to learn what you have decided?”
Jo struggled to take control of herself. She did not want him to know how easily he could affect her, and she suspected he didn’t miss much. “Thank you. I caught sight of a gazebo somewhere ahead of us.”
“Then you do wish for my company?” he asked with a teasing smile.
“I do.” She took his proffered arm.
“It was just that you appeared undecided.”
She breathed in his familiar smell, the fine material of his sleeve smooth beneath her gloved fingers. “But, I have decided as you see.”
He chuckled low in his throat. It seemed to rumble through her, warm and desirable. She wanted to laugh with him but held herself back.
They walked on.
“You seem not to have suffered any effects from that business concerning the Prince Regent,” he said. “I trust I am right?”
“Yes, thanks to you. Nor did my maid. Have they found the person who shot at the royal coach?”
“I don’t believe so.”
They strolled beneath a majestic flowering tree, the air scented with sweet blossom. “What a magnificent specimen,” Jo observed. The crabapple reminded her of her garden at home.
“I am flattered.”
She gave a gurgle of amusement. “I referred to the tree.” Reade was being deliberately provocative tonight. She would like to think he came to find her because he liked to be with her but couldn’t quite believe that was all it was. She suspected he did nothing without an aim. The thought slightly unnerved her.
“Then, I am cut to the quick.”
She smiled. “I believe you shall recover, my lord.”
“Reade.”
She nodded, wondering what he meant by such intimacy. They strolled on through the gardens beneath the flickering lanterns. They were not entirely alone. Other couples with the same aim had deserted the overheated house. The air was soft and pleasant, a slight breeze swaying the branches.
“It’s a wonderful garden,” Jo said for want of something to break the silence which had settled between them.
“It is a pleasant facsimile of nature. Not equal to the countryside.” He strolled, not rushing her off her feet this time. “Living in a polluted city has its drawbacks. Once the heat of the summer arrives, most leave the city for the country.”
He sounded disillusioned. Did he prefer the country? She’d thought him a man more suited to town life. She glanced up at him, curious to know what lay behind his words. But attempting to read his thoughts was impossible. She was sure now that he had a reason to be here beyond escaping the heat of the house, and it was not to pay his attentions to her. Something weightier had crept into their conversation. She imagined she’d learn what it was soon enough.
The path led them to a stretch of lawn, silvery in the moonlight. Reade paused, a foot on the step leading up to an ornate gazebo. He went no further, as two people occupied it, standing close together. “Your father leased Lord Pleasant’s house for the Season?”
Astonished, she stared at him. “Yes. Why do you ask?” What interest could it possibly be to him?
They stepped out of the shadows, and she saw that impenetrable expression on his face again. To understand him felt like attempting to scale a high stone wall.
“Why did your father come to London?”
She scowled at him. “Does he need a reason?” She’d been right, she thought, disappointed. He was not here to steal a kiss. But what? Her chest grew tight. To learn something from her. “We came for my debut.”
“And only that?”
“Isn’t that reason enough?” she asked, eyeing him. Disliking his silence, she continued, “My father inherited some money. He always hoped to honor his promise to my mother for me to make my Come-out. Mama considered it important. She came from a good family.”
“Where did this newfound wealth come from?”
She gaped at him. What business was it of his? She was so flabbergasted, she rushed to her father’s defense. “He was the beneficiary of a distant relative’s will. You might consult our