The mere fact that he had so readily agreed made her even more suspicious.
“Why are you here?” she demanded in abrupt tones.
His hands lowered as he regarded her with a bemused smile.
“I beg your pardon?”
Jocelyn deliberately allowed her gaze to drop to the deep burgundy coat cut by an obvious expert and white waistcoat stitched with silver thread. Her gaze continued over the hard, muscular thrust of his legs to linger upon the glossy Hessians that cost more than many families could earn in a year.
At last she raised her head to discover him regarding her in a curious fashion. “It is obvious that you are a gentleman of means, Mr. Valin. Why would you desire to take inferior rooms in a neighborhood most consider fit only for cutthroats and whores?”
“Does it truly matter what my reason?” he demanded softly.
“I will not harbor a criminal.”
He gave a sudden chuckle. “I assure you that I am not hiding from the gallows.”
“Then, why?”
“Let us just say that there was a slight misunderstanding with my cousin.”
The explanation was a trifle too smooth for her liking.
“You had a slight misunderstanding with your cousin and now you desire to hide in St. Giles? You shall have to do better than that, Mr. Valin.”
The devilish glint in the golden eyes became even more pronounced. “Perhaps it was more than a slight misunderstanding. Gideon can unfortunately be tiresomely unreasonable when he chooses, and I believe there was some mention of a nasty duel. It seemed best to avoid him for the next several weeks. Just until his temper is recovered.”
“What is the nature of this misunderstanding?”
His features unexpectedly firmed to uncompromising lines. “That is a private matter.”
A woman, Jocelyn silently concluded, caught off guard by a traitorous prick of disappointment.
What else could she expect from such a gentleman? He was, after all, born to break the heart of susceptible women.
Then she was severely chastising herself for her unworthy thoughts.
She knew nothing of this gentleman. Certainly not enough to brand him as a womanizing letch. And in truth, even if he were, she was in no position to judge another.
“I respect your privacy, but you must understand that I have no desire to discover an angry gentleman upon my doorstep with his dueling pistol.”
The incorrigible humor swiftly returned to the bronze features. “He has no means of discovering I am here. Besides, Gideon would never harm a lady. He far prefers to charm them.” His smile became decidedly suggestive. “As do I.”
Jocelyn carefully laid her hands upon her tidy desk. This flirtatious banter was precisely what she had feared from Mr. Valin. It was important that she put a swift end to any hopes he might harbor of a casual seduction.
“That is all very well, but do not imagine for a moment, Mr. Valin, that I am remotely interested in any charms you might claim to possess.”
Far from wounded by her firm words, the gentleman stroked a slender finger down the length of his jaw.
“Surely you exaggerate, Miss Kingly? Not even remotely interested?”
“No.”
He heaved a teasing sigh. “A hard woman.”
“A sensible woman who has no time for foolish games,” she corrected him firmly. “You would do well to remember my warning.”
“Oh, I possess a most excellent memory,” he drawled, reaching beneath his jacket to remove a small leather bag that he placed upon the desk. “Indeed, I even remembered this.”
She eyed the bag warily. “What is it?”
“The two months’ rent in advance, just as you requested.”
Jocelyn made no effort to reach for the money. She knew the moment her fingers touched the coins she would be irrevocably committed to allowing this gentleman into her home.
And yet, what else could she do?
There was nothing particularly noble in bare cupboards and empty coal bins. And besides, she had Meg to consider.
Her old nurse was the only one to stand beside her when the scandal had broken. She was the only friend she had left in the world.
How could she possibly allow the older woman to suffer even further hardship?
The answer, of course, was she could not. This money would pay their most pressing creditors and put food on the table. At the moment that was all that mattered.
Grimly thrusting aside the warning voice that whispered in the back of her mind, Jocelyn gave a nod of her
