The Valet Who Loved Me - Valerie Bowman Page 0,23

proof that ye’re not who ye say ye are.” Her hand dropped back to her side and she smoothed her skirts again, a move he’d come to recognize as her nervous habit.

“And?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Did you find anything to prove your suspicion?” He fluttered his eyelashes at her, knowing full well that there was nothing in his room that would disprove his assumed identity. He was no rank amateur. He’d even had his false initials monogrammed onto handkerchiefs, for Christ’s sake. This wasn’t his first mission.

She shook her head. “No. I didn’t find anythin’,” she replied.

“Now do you trust me?” he asked, enjoying every moment of the conversation.

She dropped her chin to her chest. “I’ve been self-righteous, haven’t I?”

He couldn’t help his smile. This was the moment he’d been waiting for. “You have been. But I’m willing to let bygones be bygones, if you are.”

Relief washed over her features and she smiled at him. A bit of the pink drained from her complexion. “I would like that.” She sounded positively relieved. He actually believed she wanted to start anew.

He inclined his head toward her. “So would I.”

She stepped past him out into the corridor.

He glanced up and down the hall. Thankfully, no one was there.

She paused and turned to him, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Ye won’t tell anyone…”

“I don’t think Lord or Lady Copperpot need to know anything about this,” he assured her in an equally quiet tone. “Or anyone else for that matter.”

She expelled her breath and nodded. “Thank ye, Mr. Baxter.” She began to walk slowly down the hall toward her room.

Watching her go, Beau had an idea. Now that he’d found her in his room, she could hardly continue to treat him as if he were untrustworthy. And, if he was untrustworthy, at least they both knew he wasn’t the only one. Tonight had been a start, but he needed to find a way to get her to lower her guard even further. He already had a plan for step two.

It involved a game of cards.

But not tonight. No, tonight he’d let her go. But not before sending her off with one last thing to think about. He jogged a few feet to catch up with her and cleared his throat. “I’m willing to forget this entire incident ever happened. Although…”

She stopped, turned her head to the side, and frowned. “Although wot?”

The side of his mouth quirked up in a half-smile. He had to admit there was a devilish part of him that wanted to see her blush one more time. “Next time you come to my bedchamber; I do hope it’s for a different reason altogether.”

Chapter Twelve

This time Marianne went looking for Mr. Baxter in the servants’ hall. Well, if not actually looking for him, at least she wouldn’t mind if she found him. He’d been funny and forgiving yesterday after the incident in his room. He’d had every reason to tell Lord Copperpot what she’d done, and he hadn’t. She had to be grateful to him for that.

No doubt she would have been tossed out on her ear if Lady Copperpot found out she’d been poking about in another servant’s room, let alone a male servant’s room. There was absolutely no excuse for it, and she and Mr. Baxter both knew it.

It still didn’t mean that she believed Nicholas Baxter was entirely trustworthy, but she could no longer act as if she had the moral high ground when it came to dealing with him. She’d been every bit as guilty and suspicious-acting as he had.

When she’d been searching for the silver thread, he’d mentioned that her accent had slipped. That had nearly sent her into a panic. It had taken every ounce of self-control she had to act as if she had no idea what he was talking about. The man made her tense. She found it difficult to maintain her façade around him.

There was no use denying any longer that she was powerfully attracted to him. Why, he looked like a statue come to life. Heat had coursed through her body when he’d looked at her with those ice-blue eyes of his and said, “Next time you come to my bedchamber, I do hope it’s for a different reason altogether.”

His tone alone had been positively indecent, let alone the words. They had been entirely inappropriate of course, but the truth was…she wanted to take the man up on the offer.

She would not. Of course not. Never. But