His father studied the way he’d gotten trapped on the board—and the way she’d almost hidden the knight behind a rook, so that in his hasty, single-minded retreat, he hadn’t noticed until it was too late. “I’ll be damned.”
“It’s okay,” Blake said. “I felt the same way when I met her.”
Well, not exactly the same. He’d also felt arousal so intense it had jolted him back to the land of the living, when he’d thought himself almost past desire.
“Tell me your strategy,” his father said, in that imperious way he had that made people fall at his feet.
Erin shrugged. “You rely too much on your queen. Most people do. It leaves your king vulnerable.”
That earned her an eyebrow raise. Then his father turned to Blake. “She’s a lovely young woman. And smart too. Probably even smarter than you.”
“Definitely.”
“Well, you made a good choice. I wish you both a long and happy life.”
Blake’s chest ached, because he wanted more than anything for that to be the truth, for his father to be a stern and emotionally remote but ultimately good man. But he couldn’t ignore what Erin had told him. He deserved for her sake, for her mother’s sake—even for his own sake, to know the truth about what had happened here.
He lowered his voice. “Could I speak with you a moment?”
His father’s forehead creased. “Yes. In my office.”
“We’ll just be a few minutes,” he told Erin, hoping she’d understand why he had to leave her alone for a few minutes. He wouldn’t have left her with his father…not after reading her thesis. But he needed to get some answers.
Her pretty brows drew together. “Of course. Take your time. I’ll be here.”
“You can go upstairs and take a nap.” He doubted she would sleep, but at least then she could be in a somewhat private place while he was gone.
“Maybe.” Her smile was fleeting.
He didn’t like leaving her this way, with words left unspoken between them, but now was the time if he was ever going to confront his father about this. So he gave her a quick kiss on her forehead. “We’ll be quick,” he promised.
Chapter Fourteen
Erin
Erin stared at the empty doorway where Blake had just been. What was that about? He’d been quiet after lunch, sitting apart from them while they’d played chess. The Ice Queen had disappeared to “take a nap” after lunch, though Erin was beginning to understand that was the term used in this house for anything private.
Suddenly she heard footsteps. Was Blake back already? He’d said they would be quick.
But these didn’t sound like his footsteps.
Blake’s mother appeared in the doorway. The Ice Queen. Shit. She wished desperately that she’d agreed to take a nap when Blake had offered. Then she wouldn’t be sitting here like a…like a sitting duck, actually.
Which made Blake’s mother the hunter.
“There you are, sweetheart. Where are the boys?”
“I think they went to Mr. Morris’s study.”
“Oh.” Mrs. Morris moved deeper into the room, a faint smile on her face. “You know you can call him Jeb. And call me Bel.”
Erin knew their names were Jebediah and Belinda. Old names. Beautiful names. The people themselves were both old and beautiful—and intimidating too. She had no desire to be here, alone with Bel, with the Ice Queen, and maybe that was unfair of her.
Maybe the woman was good at heart, with hopes and dreams and fears of her own. Undoubtedly that was true. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had singled out Erin as her enemy. And something told her Bel was a dangerous enemy to have.
“You know, Blake suggested that I go take a nap, and now that I think about it, I am tired. I think I’ll go—” Erin stood up and gave a pretend-stretch to make the point.
“Stay.” Bel smiled again, sending a shiver down her spine. Her tone left no room for discussion. “You’re only here for tonight, after all. So little time to get to know you.”