it.”
“I will be able to soon. Just a little while longer. But if it is taking that much toll on you, I will refuse your help.”
Freya shook her head vigorously. She could not bear the thought of Lucy delaying her dreams. Just a little more money and she would be able to have a new shop and someone to assist her. Hopefully if Freya could keep her wits about her, they would both be on the rise up together. How wonderful it would be.
“I wish to keep helping you,” she assured Lucy. “I just do not like the earl much.”
Which was true. Was it not? After all, he had scolded her for simply visiting her friend and derided her writing. Just because his kisses were pleasant and his body made her stomach do funny little twirls, did not mean she liked the man.
“He’s a little stiff sometimes but seems pleasant. Will you tell me what this story is?”
Pleasant? There was that word again. It was too insipid, too mild to describe that kiss, even if she wished to keep it that way. Scorching, mind-numbing, transformative...any and all of those words worked far better.
“I believe he knows something about the disappearance of these noble women.”
“But what could he possibly know?”
“I’m not certain.” She sighed. “He evades my questions, but he was seen with one of them before she vanished, and his new sister was kidnapped shortly before her marriage to his brother. Apparently, she fought off the kidnapper.”
“Goodness, how did she fight him off?”
“The story is she attacked him with a knife.” Freya shrugged. “How many countesses do you know who could fight a man off with a knife?”
Lucy lifted her shoulders. “Certainly none of the ones I make dresses for.”
“The whole thing is odd, and I swear Lord Huntingdon knows something.”
“So you’ve been following him?”
Freya’s cheeks warmed. “I did not intend to get caught.”
“Caught by an earl, how exciting.”
“It was not exciting.” Freya stabbed a tiny floating piece of fluff to the table with one finger while her stomach gave a traitorous twirl at the memory of Lord Huntingdon’s lips against hers. “Not exciting at all.”
“He seemed rather contrite after giving you an earful. Perhaps he shall answer your questions now.”
“Doubtful,” Freya muttered. “The man is not being cooperative at all.”
“Rather like someone else I know,” Lucy said with a smile.
“Oh, Lucy, why can this not be easy? I know I have a story here and I know if I can find out what has happened to these women, this will make my career. No more silly gossip and no more men looking down their nose at me because I write about nobles bedding one another. If only I had not—” She clamped her mouth shut.
“Had not...?”
The temptation to tell Lucy burned on her tongue. To confess all about the kiss and how it distracted her, how it confused her to no end.
How it made her hungry for more.
She swallowed the admission. What a fool she would sound if she admitted they had kissed let alone the fact she wanted it to happen again. Goodness, even her closest friend would be hard pressed to believe an earl had kissed her no matter how much Lucy loved her. She was plain, poor and trying to write a story about him. Nothing about that made them a perfect match.
Freya flicked away the piece of fluff and fixed a smile upon her face. “I just regret not being firmer with him.”
“Well, I know you, Freya, and peer of the realm or not, you will get the answers you want.”
“I hope you are right.”
“When am I not?”
Freya rolled her eyes and gave her a nudge with her shoulder. “Never, of course.”
“That means I’m not wrong about the earl being handsome either.”
Freya struggled to argue with Lucy on that.
Chapter Ten
Guy couldn’t fathom quite who was following who at this point. Regardless, he couldn’t help smile when he spotted Miss Haversham and Brig. The dog had perched himself on the path and apparently had no inclination to budge, his rear firmly planted while Miss Haversham tugged on his lead. He couldn’t hear her pleading with the dog, but he saw her mouthing something like damned dog as she motioned down the path.
He followed her gaze to spy a man on horseback riding recklessly along the path, caring little for those in his way. Several people had to practically jump out of his way. He swung his gaze back to the dog and Miss Haversham. He already