She shivered.
No, he was definitely not a stranger anymore. Which begged the question…what was he?
Friend? Ally?
“Would you like something to eat?” he asked abruptly, finally looking up to consider her. “Mrs. Tate can prepare something for you. I don’t normally eat breakfast but I’m sure she’d be willing to—”
“I already ate, thank you,” she said. She found herself battling a grin.
Ridiculous, really. She had far too many concerns in front of her to be smiling like a dolt over this man’s brash morning behavior.
It was rather endearing to see him ill at ease, though. Their every other encounter had left her feeling as though she were an overly sensitive shrill beast in the face of his calm, laid-back demeanor.
This morning he looked far more like a bear than a man.
“What are you smiling about?” he asked warily.
She gave her head a shake and wiped any trace of a smile from her lips. “I just didn’t know you were so disgruntled in the mornings, that is all.”
He grunted again and ran a hand through his hair, mussing it even further. “Yes, well. I didn’t get much sleep last night.” His glower seemed to indicate that this was her fault, and the urge to smile died as surely as her smile.
Oh.
She shifted uncomfortably under his glare.
He’d been up thinking about her plight, no doubt. Perhaps wondering just how he’d gotten stuck with an ungrateful brat when he’d only been hired to investigate Everley.
Or maybe he’d been regretting that kiss.
The thought stung.
Or wishing he could take back his proposal.
That cut like a knife.
She fiddled with a ribbon on her gown and avoided looking directly at his furrowed expression. Of those options, she supposed she preferred the first so she chose to address that. “I will compensate you for your efforts, of course.”
He stilled in the act of reaching for his tea. “Pardon me?”
She licked her lips only to find that her entire mouth was as dry as the desert. “Perhaps I will have another cup of tea, after all,” she said, craning her neck as if she might find Mrs. Tate hiding behind the cupboard.
“You will pay me,” he said slowly, his tone incredulous.
“Er, yes,” she said, her voice pitching up at the end as though it were a question. She huffed in exasperation with herself. What was it about this man that brought out the worst in her?
Where were her cool, pleasing manners that she wielded so handily around gentlemen of the ton? She’d spent a lifetime perfecting the art of prudent flirtation and tinkling laughter, only to have it fail her whenever this brute was in her presence.
She cleared her throat, and tried again, with a small smile this time. “What I meant to say is…I realize that you were hired by Tolston for one particular job, and now you have been saddled with me.” She paused, humiliation threatening to stop her words altogether. “You went above and beyond the call of duty yesterday, and I would like to ensure that you receive proper compensation.”
His glower never wavered and then after a heartbeat of studying her a flicker of amusement broke through that dour expression and he burst out in a laugh that had her cheeks bursting into flame.
She kept her composure, however, as she clasped her hands in her lap. “I did not think I said anything so amusing.”
He gave his head a little shake. “You will pay me,” he muttered again under his breath, like he still could not believe it.
She opened her mouth to ask him just why he was laughing at her, but then she saw it.
A flicker of hurt beneath the mirth.
Oh drat. The words died on her tongue. She’d hurt his feelings.
She bit her lip. She should be used to this feeling. Her tongue had a tendency to sting, even when she wasn’t trying to be mean. That was why Prudence had been her only friend for a while there, until Louisa and Addie had decided to overlook her flaws.
Prudence never took her seriously. The others were learning not to.
But this man…a man who looked so strong and…well, untouchable really. She couldn’t have hurt this man.
Could she?
She scrambled to think of a good apology, but apologizing had never been her strong suit. “I only meant—”
“With what?” he interrupted.
She blinked. “Pardon me?”
He leaned forward slowly and she was reminded of a large cat, hunting its prey. “With what do you mean to pay me for saving your life and keeping you safe?”
“Uh…” She swallowed at the predatory look in his eyes. Not cruel, like Everley, just…disconcerting. She wasn’t sure anyone had ever looked at her with such intensity before, and certainly not a man.
Definitely not a man she’d kissed.
And there she went, thinking about that kiss again. Her cheeks must have been scarlet if the heat scorching her cheeks was any indication.
“You are right, of course,” she said with as much humility as she could muster.
It wasn’t much.
She looked down at her lap as his meaning hit home. She came from wealth. She’d been spoiled with every gift she’d ever asked for. She only had to tell her nurse or governess what she desired, and it appeared as if by magic.
But money…actual money…
Her only wealth was in the form of a dowry. “I, uh…I…” She swallowed. “I could marry you.”
His eyes flared wide, the amusement gone in a flash. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but she knew what she was thinking and it made her want to cry.
Was that why he’d offered to marry her the night before? Did he think he’d won himself a golden goose when he’d saved her life and potentially ruined her reputation?
Even as she thought it, she kicked herself for thinking it. The man had been nothing but kind to her, she ought not be suspecting him of mercenary motives.
Her gaze collided with his and she
