Noble Scoundrel - Amy Sandas Page 0,47
I help you?”
“Uh, yes, ma’am. Uh, no, that is.” Pushing a scarred and roughened hand over a scalp covered in short white curls, he made a face of obvious distress. “I’m here to see—”
“Me.” Hale’s voice boomed loudly from behind her on the stairs as he descended in long strides.
When he stepped past her, Katherine’s expression must have revealed something of the swift and intense reaction his presence sparked in her body, because he smiled down at her with that arrogant knowing grin.
Gathering her composure, Katherine gave him a look of mild curiosity. “A guest of yours, Mr. Hale?”
“An old rival from my early days in the ring.” He continued across the hall and took the other man’s hand in a hearty grip.
Seeing the two of them standing next to each other, Katherine wondered how they would have matched up in a bout. Hale was taller and broader, but the other man—older by at least fifteen years—possessed a calm sort of competence. He looked like someone who’d been tested to his limits only to push himself far beyond them.
Hale turned with a smile as he placed a hand on the other man’s shoulder. “This is Jack Newton, known by most as the Lethal Hook. One of the best fighters I’ve ever faced.”
The older man gave a rough but quiet snort. “I couldn’t beat you.”
“Of course not, old man. They couldn’t have called me the Undefeated if you had,” Hale laughed. Then he tilted his head toward Katherine. “And this is Lady Katherine Blackwell.”
The poor man started then gave a hasty but very effective bow. “M’lady, sorry for the...uh, unexpected intrusion.”
“Not at all, Mr. Newton,” she replied quickly before tossing an arched look toward Hale. “I assume your presence is about to be explained.”
A grin widened his mouth before he replied. “Jack here is going to assist me in training proper guards for the house.” He looked back to his friend. “Any takers?”
“Aye.” Jack nodded. “Two. Smart and loyal. Good fighters, but not made for the ring. They’ll do well.”
Hale clapped the other man on the back. “Perfect.”
“Are you adding to my staff, Mr. Hale?” she interjected with a tilt of her head.
“My staff,” he corrected. The challenge in his eyes was a visceral thing. An intense little push and pull.
Did he think she wouldn’t agree to it?
It almost looked like he wanted her to argue with him.
She responded with a casual lift of her brows. “I will leave you to your work, then.” Looking past him, she smiled at Mr. Newton. “It was lovely to meet you, sir.”
“And you, m’lady,” he replied with another bow of his head.
Before turning to continue to the dining room, she cast a casual, almost dismissive, glance over Hale.
Unfortunately, with his back now to his friend, he had the freedom to stare back at her in a way that was far from casual or dismissive. The potency in his darkened gaze angled straight through her center. Her lips parted as she sucked in a swift breath. As his gaze dropped to her mouth, the hard bunch and release of the muscles in his jaw made her belly flip.
Right when she thought she’d gotten the upper hand, he snatched it back again.
Turning away, she crossed the hall to the breakfast room, feeling his gaze warming her back the whole time. As she stepped out of sight, she could have sworn she heard his low-textured laughter.
Rather than irritating her, the sound warmed her insides even more.
Chapter Sixteen
The stacks of journals, most of them worn and faded, took up nearly half of the desk in Katherine’s study.
Before leaving Lincolnshire, Katherine had instructed a servant to gather their father’s extensive collection of volumes from his study along with some of the personal items of both parents she wanted to keep near. The large trunks came with them to London and were safely kept in the empty master bedroom. Katherine had suspected that at some point she and Frederick might like to go through everything.
After breakfast that morning, when she’d gone to retrieve them from her father’s belongings, she hadn’t realized there would be quite so many. With ransom likely eliminated as a motivation and her brother’s idea of setting a trap not even being considered, Katherine was left with very few avenues of investigation. All she could do was hope her father’s journals might provide some clues or direction. Now, seeing all of his work collected in one place, she realized the extent of the task she’d set for