Now that is the understatement of the century, she thought wryly.
Everything within her was shaking with fear, trepidation, and shock, and it wasn’t just because of the mugging.
The memory of the fight she had witnessed hovered hauntingly before her. While she was appalled by it, the sheer brutality of it didn’t seem to have fazed Connor. He appeared completely unperturbed as he shifted closer. It made her wary of him. He seemed like a total stranger to her now, and it was enough to make her keep her distance from him. He certainly wasn’t the man she had grown close to in the ballrooms of the ton three years ago. That man had been smooth, debonair, and extremely charming. This man was someone completely different; hard, watchful, dangerous, and a little sinister. The Connor before her now was the epitome of masculinity. So much so that she was a little in awe of him, not least because he was so wonderfully good-looking. At the moment he was staring intently at her, and it was more than a little unnerving.
She shivered and wrapped her hands around her elbows. She had forgotten how tall he was. His sheer size seemed to fill the alley around them to the point that it felt a little claustrophobic. It was almost painful to have him so close. She thought she had forgotten what it had felt to be with him, but now that he was before her she knew she hadn’t. It was impossible to move; to think. Even breathing became difficult. Everything within her was suspended in this moment of time where nothing else existed but them.
Connor fought the urge to shake her until she told him where she had been, why she had left London, and where she was staying now. Over the last three years he had had most of his colleagues trying to find out where she had moved to. They had all come up empty handed. Her uncle had refused to even discuss her with anybody. When Connor had spoken with Henry Gillingham personally, Henry had suggested that Connor get on with his life and leave Tahlia and her ruined reputation alone. Since then, it hadn’t mattered how much Connor had tried, he hadn’t been able to discover even which part of the country she lived in. Once thing was certain, she didn’t live in London anymore.
He had to wonder why she was back. Whatever the reason, now that she was here he wasn’t prepared to let her go again.
“Tahlia,” he breathed in part accusation. “Where in the Hell have you been?”
Tahlia stiffened and tipped her chin up defiantly. The harsh tones of his voice irked her. She glared at him. She wished now she had left him to fight the attacker and gone on her way. As it was, it was too late to leave. Manners dictated that she thank him for his efforts in saving her.
“Pardon?” She demanded querulously. “I don’t see how that is any of your concern.”
Connor’s brows lifted. He cursed the notorious London smog which prevented him from seeing her more clearly. Stepping closer, he watched her shift her weight from one foot to the other and suspected she wasn’t comfortable with him being too close. Her wariness was a reminder of what had just happened. Of course she wouldn’t be too comfortable with men being close to her right now, she had just been mugged.
Sure enough, she glanced nervously toward the entrance as though desperate to get out of the alleyway. Determined not to let her vanish again, he moved to one side, effectively blocking her view of the exit.
“Well, thank you for coming to my rescue,” she said somewhat awkwardly, eager to be on her way now that she had respected her manners.
“You are welcome,” Connor murmured. “I didn’t realise it was you. I heard you scream and just came to help. Muggers usually take advantage of the weather when it gets this bad. Did he hurt you?”
He didn’t want her to go yet and desperately sought to find a way to get her to stay, at least for a little while longer.
“Let me escort you home,” he offered before she could answer. “It isn’t safe out at a time like this.”
“I will be fine, I am sure,” she protested.
She was horrified at the thought of him escorting her all the way back to her uncle’s house. Unfortunately, when she tried to take a step backward she realised that her back was already against the wall. There was nowhere for her to go. Tipping her chin up, she glared at him silently warning him not to step closer. Her objection to his closer proximity had little to do with fear, though. It was down to the awareness that had started to flow through her already, and he hadn’t even touched her yet.
“Thank you for your help,” she said woodenly.
“I am glad I was here,” he tried to smile only to wince when a particularly sore spot on his lip stung in protest.
While she wanted to make a break for the main street, she noticed that his face was covered in bruises. It galled her that she cared. Feeling anything for this man was dangerous, especially after everything that had happened between them. It worried her that she gave a damn that he was hurt in any way. To realise that she did was enough to reinforce her need to leave.
“I must go,” she whispered before she did something rash like touch him.
“Are you staying at your uncle’s house?” Connor stepped back, and escorted her out of the alley. Immediately, she began to relax now that she was free of the confined space.
“Pardon?”
Connor studied her closely. He was so immersed in her that he didn’t see a large, burly man
barrel out of the smog toward him until they almost collided. It was then that he realised how vulnerable they were. He glanced around warily.
“We need to move in case the mugger returns with friends,” Connor warned. “Let’s get out of here.”
Tahlia gasped and glanced worriedly around them.
“It’s alright,” he soothed when she physically jumped. All he had done was touch her elbow. It was a reminder of just how scared she had been, and still was.
“But I have to go the other way,” she protested when she realised they had turned away from the busy road. “My maid is around here somewhere.”
“I need to get you to your uncle’s,” Connor countered. “I take it that is where you are staying?”