While he had been stealing kisses from her, Miss Alice North had stolen his heart.
Damn. I am falling for this woman.
Chapter 10
Alice waved to him from across the street.
“I am in so much trouble,” he muttered as he made his way toward her.
“I was wondering how long it would take you to become presentable again,” she teased.
The only polite response available to that remark, whilst one was standing in the middle of Piccadilly, was to ignore it.
Alice motioned toward a nearby carriage. “May I offer you a ride home?”
As he climbed aboard, Harry pondered when the competition between them for breaking society rules and expectations had started, because Alice seemed to be keeping up a cracking pace. He suspected she was in the lead.
The door closed behind him and he settled on the bench opposite to her.
“You are not meant to know what happens to a man who finds a woman sexually attractive. Where did the whole shy-and-naïve-miss act go?” he asked.
“You forget to whom you are talking. I don’t think any of the North children were ever shy. Granted, we can be naïve at times, but my younger brother, Finn, has never been one for keeping the secrets of the world to himself. I was one of the first people he told when he’d lost his virginity,” replied Alice.
He did what?
Harry blinked hard. He had to meet this Finn North and explain to him what the word confidential meant.
Alice rummaged around in her reticule and took out a small purse. She dangled it in front of Harry. “This is the next progress payment for your services. But I want to know what you are doing about Mister Cuthbert Saint before I hand it over.”
Cheeky minx. And here was me thinking I had you in the palm of my hand.
He sensed a perceptible shift in the mood from light banter to something darker. The sexy game of hide-and seek-in the bookshop now forgotten. But if Alice was going to literally hold his money over his head, the least Harry could do was to be completely honest with her.
“We are going to wait,” he replied.
‘Why?” she huffed, angrily stuffing the purse back into her reticule.
Harry took in a long, slow breath, refusing to let his need for blunt cloud his judgement. He had done that once before—never again.
“There are some people working on uncovering more information. Once I am in possession of it, we can look to move forward,” he said.
Harry’s businesslike demeanor cracked the instant tears sprang to Alice’s eyes. He leapt across the carriage and hauled her into his arms.
Alice lay her head against Harry’s chest and quietly sobbed. She just wanted it all to be over. For Patience to be free of Cuthbert’s hold. This waiting and taking small, measured steps was killing her. Sometimes she wished for nothing more than to strike Cuthbert down and keep hitting until there was nothing left of him.
“Why? Why does it have to be this way?” She sighed.
The stroke of his warm hand on her cheek gave little comfort. When Harry loosened the ties on her bonnet and slipped it from her head, Alice didn’t protest.
“Look at me,” he said.
She wiped her tears away with the heel of her hand and met his gaze.
“Not long after I started, I was dealing with a matter very similar to this one. It was early days in my scandal-managing career, and I was eager to show my client how well I could deal with the problem. I made some hasty judgements about the gentleman involved, and they were later proven to be incorrect. I didn’t just tear apart a couple who were in love; I caused a man’s death.”
“Oh, Harry, that’s terrible. But you cannot think that would happen in this case. Cuthbert doesn’t love Patience,” she replied.
He brushed a kiss on her forehead and ran his fingers over her hair, all the while remaining silent. Alice considered Harry’s words. Could she possibly be seeing Cuthbert wrong? And what would she do if he transpired to be just as lovestruck as Patience?
I don’t believe for one minute that he truly cares for her, but I would rather be sure.
She pulled out of his embrace and sat back. Harry was right to be cautious. They had to be certain and in possession of irrefutable evidence if they were going to convince Patience of the truth of Cuthbert. Her sister may eventually forgive her for unveiling him as a rascal, but she would most certainly never do that if things with Cuthbert ended in tragedy.
“How long do you think it will take?” she asked.
“A few days, possibly more. You have to trust that I have people watching him and your sister. The instant he makes a move to spirit her away, I will not hesitate to take action,” replied Harry.
He took her hand in his and slipped her glove off. The soft kisses that he placed on the tip of each finger had Alice drawing a shuddering breath. It was wrong to be allowing him such liberties when they were busily trying to tear Patience and Cuthbert apart.
And yet the comfort that this unexpected tenderness brought to her was exactly what she wanted. At the onset of their relationship, they had simply flirted and teased one another. But within a short time, Harry seemed to have developed an innate understanding of what Alice needed from him. And right now, that was his strength and comfort.
“In the meantime, I want you to think about yourself. Alice, you are being so incredibly strong for both Patience and your family. But as someone who has a history of dealing with scandal, I am worried that you are in danger of becoming lost,” he said.
Lost?
“When your every waking minute is spent worrying about someone else, you do lose sight of your own life. Believe me, I have seen it enough times to know when it is happening.”
He had a point. Apart from the visit to the bookshop this morning, Alice couldn’t remember having done anything purely for herself over the past few weeks.
“When this is all over, then I will make some time for me,” she replied.
“And what about me? Will you have time for Harry Steele?” As he spoke, Harry moved closer. He placed the softest, most tender kiss of all time on Alice’s lips. For a brief moment, everything stopped.
All the whirling thoughts in her mind slipped away, leaving just the two of them. The only sound was the thump of her heart as it pounded in Alice’s ears. She reached for his hand as he gently broke the kiss.
“Harry,” she whispered.
When he came back to her, Alice met the second embrace with as much reverence as she could find in her heart.
In that moment, if he had asked her what she wanted, she would have told Harry the honest truth. She didn’t want jewels or fancy clothes. She simply wanted him.
Chapter 11
Alice had thought that there could be nothing worse than bearing witness to Patience and Cuthbert while they cooed and made doe eyes at one another, but she was wrong. Watching them fight was torture at its worst. While Cuthbert played it cool, Patience failed to live up to her name. Tears and much wringing of handkerchiefs was the order of the evening.
“He is a beastly brute,” moaned Patience. Alice simply nodded. She had learned not to offer up her true opinion of Cuthbert Saint.
What had started out as a pleasant visit to a musical event at a private home had quickly deteriorated after an argument had sprung up between Patience and Cuthbert not long after they had arrived. Cuthbert had made the critical mistake of not gushing over the new gown that Patience had debuted this evening, and her sister was making him pay dearly.