Page 20 of Hunted By the Guardian
Would it be acceptable, he wondered, to move some paintings from his own collection down here? Or would such a thing be inappropriate? He wasn’t sure exactly what this space had meant to the dowager, and he wouldn’t have liked to dishonor it. He might ask Williams these questions, he decided. The butler would certainly know whether or not it would be all right to modify the decor. He would just have to make sure the question was posed respectfully.
Beside the painting stood a small statue of a lion on a pedestal. To the right of that was a chair and a pile of towels that appeared to be freshly laundered. He picked one up and slung it around his neck. He would need it after he got out of the water. But before he went for the pool, he wanted to take a moment to really experience this place—this strange location that had been part of this house the whole time, but that he had never known existed.
He was turning in a slow circle, taking it in, when, from behind him, he heard the sound of a small splash.
He whirled, thinking there must be an animal or something in the pool—maybe a toad had gotten down here somehow. But what he saw shocked him more than anything he could have anticipated. It was certainly not a toad.
Someone was in the water. In the flickering candlelight, he saw a head and shoulders sticking up above the surface. A moment later, he recognized who they belonged to. Heat rushed into his face, and he spun back around, keeping his back to her.
“Lady Violet.” His voice was stiff. “I didn’t realize you were down here.”
“What are you doing here?” she demanded shrilly. More splashing followed—was she getting out of the water? It occurred to him that he was between her and the towels, and he hadn’t spotted whether she had put one next to her or not.
“I…just found out about this place,” he said. “I was coming to see what it was, but I had no idea I would find you here. Is this where you’ve been going every day? Is this why I haven’t seen you around lately?”
As he spoke, he moved forward and picked up a towel. Awkwardly, he tossed it behind him and heard it land on the stone floor with a muffled thump.
“You had better keep your eyes averted,” she said darkly. “I’m getting out.”
“I promise,” he assured her. And of course he would. He wouldn’t have dreamed of looking at her without her consent. But at the same time, as he heard the water move with her motions, as he heard the light slap of her wet feet on the stone, he was painfully aware that she was right behind him, fully naked, and that if he were to turn around, he would see her.
It shocked him how powerful the yearning was. He closed his eyes, knowing that he wouldn’t give in, but still taken aback by it.
“Why did you come down here?” she asked, her voice sharp. “Did you think that you’d corner me here and force me to talk to you? Is that it?”
“No, I just told you that I didn’t even know you were here,” he reminded her. “I didn’t come down here hoping to find you.”
“How did you find this place, if it wasn’t by following me?”
“Williams told me.”
“Williams told you?” Her voice rose in pitch. “How could he do that?”
“Well, why shouldn’t he?” Jonathan was flabbergasted. “I know you and I are in contention over it, but at present this is my house too, and I have every right to walk its rooms just as you do, Lady Violet.”
“You may have the right to walk the rooms, but you have no right at all to come here and corner me—to take me by surprise like this!” she said. “It’s an utter violation and you ought to be ashamed.”
“Can I turn around yet?”
“No. Wait until I’m finished dressing! I will tell you when you can turn around,” she said. “And I just don’t see how Williams could possibly…”
Her voice trailed off.
“Is something the matter?” Jonathan asked her.
Her voice was smaller when she spoke again. Humbler. “It’s just…I remembered that I had told Williams I was coming down here yesterday, but…well, but I didn’t tell him anything about coming down today. He didn’t know where I was.”
“Ah. So you no longer think that he was trying to betray you.”
“Well…but you still shouldn’t be here,” she said. “I’m here. You should go at once.”
“Perhaps you could give you a copy of your schedule before I do?” he suggested mildly. “So that I might know when it’s going to be my turn.”
She sighed roughly. “You are the most exasperating man in the entire world,” she told him. “I just hope you realize that.”
“It isn’t a secret that you find me so,” he agreed. “Can I turn around yet?”
“I told you that I would tell you when you could!” she snapped.
