“Richard,” she murmured, “kiss me again. I really think I’m getting the hang of it.”
For a moment, she thought he was going to refuse, the grand seducer refusing to seduce, but then she was in his arms, and he was kissing her with a passion that was savage and possessive and quite wonderful.
Chapter 15
The Serpentine had the sheen of glass, and Maria walked slowly by Archie’s side, enjoying the warmth on her head beneath her straw bonnet and the dappled shade from the trees in Hyde Park. It was an oasis of calm here in the center of the busy city. London was a bustling place, and she loved it, so why did she still long for the baked plains and cool groves of her homeland?
Maria knew in her heart that was the reason she’d never put down roots here, why she’d remained single and alone. She’d always pictured herself returning home to Spain. She still did.
“You said you were surprised that your mistress knew my master,” Archie said, breaking the companionable silence and returning to a topic of conversation they’d begun earlier.
“Yes, I was surprised. He is hardly respectable, and the Smythes are very respectable,” she said. “When Miss Smythe told me she and Mr. Eversham were acquainted, I was concerned.”
“You shouldn’t listen to gossip.”
She shot him an impatient look. “If her reputation is ruined, then she will never marry a gentleman. She will be a social outcast. You know how it is, Archie. You are no fool. My mistress’s reputation is all she has to offer to her husband, and if it is soiled, then she has nothing.”
Archie appeared uncomfortable at her reprimand, and she chose this moment, while he was off balance, to ask the question that had been niggling at her since they first met.
“Archie, was it Mr. Eversham who asked you to make the acquaintance of a member of the Smythe household?”
Her directness startled him and yet seemed to please him, too. “You are a very forthright woman, Maria,” he said admiringly.
“I do not like liars, Archie.”
He gave a grimace. “I’m sorry. Yes, it’s true I bumped into you on purpose. How did you know?”
She made a scoffing sound. “I saw you from the window, walking back and forth, waiting. It intrigued me so I went out to see what you wanted. And then I decided I wanted to know you better, to find out what you were up to. You see, I am a spy.”
He laughed at that as if he found it hilarious, while she glared at him.
“What is it, Archie? You must tell me the truth now or I will turn and walk away and you will never see me again. But perhaps that is what you want? Perhaps our friendship has never been more to you than a matter of expedience.”
She wasn’t sure her plan would work. Perhaps he really didn’t care whether or not he saw her again. And yet despite her misgivings and her doubts about their future, in her heart she knew she would be sorry if this was their last meeting.
After a long, anxious moment he sighed, and said, “I can’t tell you everything. There are reasons for that, and again I can’t go into them. But yes, you’re quite right, I needed someone inside Mallory Street so that I can discover why Miss Tina seems hell-bent on marrying Lord Horace Gilfoyle.”
Maria pursed her lips. “The Smythes are almost bankrupt; Lord Horace is rich. Draw your own conclusion.”
Again Archie was taken aback by her frankness.
“Well, that is what you want to know, isn’t it? What your master had set you to find out? But now you must tell me why he is so interested in Miss Tina’s doings. Perhaps he is in love with her himself.”
Archie snorted. “Mr. Eversham in love? Now that would be a turn up.” He grew serious. “Don’t believe everything you hear about him, Maria.
He has his reasons for what he’s doing but believe me it’s not Tina Smythe.”
Maria eyed him warily. “You almost make me afraid, Archie, and not just for Miss Tina’s virtue. What are his reasons? Please don’t tell me he is a fortune hunter! Because if he is, he’s chosen the wrong young lady.”
“He has plenty of money of his own,” Archie blurted out. “No, this is a government thing, Maria. A hush-hush thing. I can’t tell you any more, honestly I can’t, but he doesn’t mean her any harm. Mr. Eversham’s more likely to save her from danger than place her in it.”
“But—”
“No, you’ll just have to be satisfied with that. Now come”—and he slipped her hand through his arm—“enjoy the walk. Pretend we are without a care in the world, Maria.”
She looked like she might continue to protest, but then she changed her mind and relaxed, giving him a tight little smile. “Very well, Archie. But the next time we meet I will have more questions, you know I will, and you must find a way of answering them.”
They walked some more before she spoke again.