A Simple Case of Seduction

“Nothing.”

“Can you not try to look happy for them?”

“I am.”

Daphne sighed. He’d been cold and distant since leaving the coaching inn. Hostility radiated from every fibre of his being. Heaven help the person who made eye contact or dared strike up a conversation.

What had happened to the kind, considerate gentleman who’d held her in his arms, soothed her fears and banished her nightmares? Where was the passionate man who made her heart skip a beat?

He was buried, hidden, lost beneath this austere shell. But why?

As they followed the procession from the church, he kept his head bowed. Outside the sun shone. The birds sang a pretty tune. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves on the trees. Nature chose to celebrate too, yet Daniel looked like Satan waiting for a perfect opportunity to spoil the party.

While Anthony and Sarah rode in a barouche with the collapsible top down, the rest of the party, all except the elderly matrons, strolled back to Elton Park. As expected, Daniel insisted they walk at the back of the procession, a good ten feet behind the stragglers.

“Are you going to tell me why you’ve suddenly developed this black mood?” Daphne placed her hand in the crook of his arm as they continued along the winding country lane. “It’s going to be a long day if you continue to sulk in the corner.”

He shot her a sidelong glance. “Sulking is something people do to gain sympathy. Trust me, that’s the last thing I want from these people.”

These people? Of course, he meant the aristocracy.

“Why do you detest them so? Is it because of what happened to you at school?”

“I find their morals lacking.” An ugly sneer formed on his lips. In that brief moment, he appeared as a stranger to her. “To them, money and status prevail over love and loyalty.”

Could he not hear the hypocrisy in his words? His income came from the very people he despised. Then it struck her. Daniel played the peers like pawns in a game. He used and manipulated them for information, enjoyed playing master and having them at his mercy.

“There are good and bad examples of people in every tier of society,” she said, still struggling to understand his motive. “To judge a group as a whole based on past experience is … well, it’s foolish and ignorant.”

“I have my reasons.” The bitter words told tale of a secret. “It is difficult to focus on anything when we have work awaiting us at home.”

Finally, an explanation she understood. “Last night sorrow filled our hearts. Finding Thomas’ watch opened old wounds. But we must move forward. We must find the person responsible and learn to put the past behind us.”

“And conversing with these people will make a difference how?”

Lord above. If it were possible to shake stubbornness from a man, she’d grab his lapels and not let go. But the complex nature of his character could not be unravelled through conflict. She had to break down the wall, speak to the passionate, sensual man inside.

“Despite all your attempts to disguise the fact, you’re a gentleman, Daniel, not a cutthroat with a grudge. Integrity and logic form the basis of your actions in everything you do except for this.”

“Like most people, I lack the capacity to be consistent.”

The odd backward glances from the people walking in front told her now was not the time to pursue the matter. A different approach was necessary if she had any hope of dragging him out of his depressed mood.

“Then let us pretend we are the only people here.” Daphne squeezed his arm, caressed the bulging muscle she longed to see in the flesh. “Let us use the opportunity to further our acquaintance.”

Daniel glanced at her, his raised brow and half-smile roused optimism. “After what occurred between us yesterday, I’d say we are more than mere acquaintances.”

The fluttering in her tummy returned at the thought of being intimate with him again. “Then perhaps I did not make myself clear. While here, there will be plenty of opportunity to indulge in a few private moments of pleasure, to pursue our obvious connection.”

“A few?” This time his smile reached his eyes. “Madam, I shall be grateful for one.”

“Then you understand that a lady must be mentally stimulated if a gentleman is to receive the reaction he desires.” That should give him something to contemplate. “Conversing with a grump hardly leads a lady to have amorous thoughts.”

Daniel raised a brow. “Are you bribing me?”

“Of course not. I catch criminals not imitate them. No, I am merely offering insight into the workings of a woman’s mind.” And if the idea of bedding her didn’t drag him from his melancholic mood, she didn’t know what would.

“To succeed as an enquiry agent, one must be a master of manipulation.” From his playful tone, it was evident she’d achieved her goal. “And you, I believe, are the best.”