Lifting his head ever so slightly, Alec peered over the edge of the tub. The scullery was awash in hide-and-seek shadows, the only light coming from a pair of windows on the far wall. But as he squinted into the gloom, he suddenly could make out a flicker of movement. It was only a vague shape at first, a blur of gray on gray hugging low to the ground as it wove its way past the mops and clothes mangles.
Alec frowned as it came closer and slowly materialized into a the form of a young lady…
What in the name of Hades was Miss Caro Sloane doing, crawling across the scullery floor?
Whatever the answer, he had a feeling he wasn’t going to like it.
Waiting until another slither brought her abreast of his bath, Alec shot out an arm and snagged her by the scruff of her collar.
“Mmmph!” She bit back a strangled yelp.
“Bloody Hell—” he began, only to have her twist free and clamp a hand over his mouth.
“Shhh!” she hissed.
Feeling the tension radiating from her palm, Alec made no further effort to speak but merely raised his brows in silent question.
Caro leaned close—close enough for him to see in her face that this was no silly schoolgirl prank. “Thayer has just entered the house by the back door,” she whispered. “Clearly he is up to no good, but I need to keep moving, and quickly, so I can spy on what is he doing.”
Thayer? Alec grabbed hold of her wrist and lifted her hand from his lips. “How—”
“There’s no time for explanations,” she exclaimed in a rushed whisper, trying to wriggle free of his grasp. “Let me go! We need to know what’s he’s up to.”
“Not we. Me.” Without thinking, Alec shot up out of the water…
Then just as quickly, he dropped to a crouch.
“Damnation. Find me some clothes.”
“There’s no time!” Caro repeated. She picked up the towel and tossed it at his chest. “For God’s sake, don’t be missus. I’ve seen a penis before. Lots of them, in fact.”
For an instant, gentlemanly scruples warred with practicality. But she was right—they couldn’t afford to waste a moment if they wanted to learn what mischief Thayer was intent on wreaking.
Out of the tub he stepped—naked as a newborn. He was taking her at her word that the sight of his pump handle wouldn’t frighten her into a faint.
“Avert your eyes,” Alec muttered as he quickly blotted the dripping water from his limbs and wrapped the towel around his waist.
There was an old adage about girding one’s loins for battle…
A glance showed she was still upright.
“Now, let us go see what game Thayer is playing. Which way was he headed?”
Caro had started to turn away, but at the sight of his lean body emerging from the tub, the chiseled planes and wet muscles glistening wet in the flickering light, she went very still.
It was wicked, it was wanton to let her gaze linger. A proper young lady should be shocked into a swoon.
But swooning would mean missing such a magnificent, masculine sight. Alec was like one of the breathtakingly beautiful marble statues she had seen in Greece of the classical gods—
No, he was better than a sculpted god of perfectly polished stone, for he thrummed with flesh-and-blood life.
An impatient flick of his hand brushing the tangle of damp hair back from his brow broke the momentary spell that held her in thrall. Forcing her eyes away, Caro suddenly realized she hadn’t responded to his question.
“He was creeping down the corridor leading to the main stairs,” she answered.
Alec was already in motion, his bare feet skimming noiselessly over the dark stone tiles. “My guess is that he’ll be looking for my bedchamber or the study.”
Fisting her skirts to keep them as quiet as possible, Caro hurried to catch up. “That makes sense,” she said softly, as he paused to check that the corridor was clear. Spotting a narrow door set discreetly into the dark wood paneling, she asked, “Wouldn’t it be better if we take the servant stairs?”