“Did she accompany you tonight?”
“No.”
“It is not safe for you to have come here alone,” Quinn pointed out.
“The risk is not all that great.”
“Knowlsbridge practically assaulted you. What did you expect, gowned as you are?”
She didn’t reply right away. They had passed several closed doors, and when Quinn halted before an open one, she peered inside. The lush, dimly lit interior apparently distracted her enough that she answered absently. “I could not visit your home in Berkeley Square for fear of being recognized. And here I could don a disguise.”
“That mask and turban of yours do little to conceal your identity.” Although they did hide her remarkable eyes and cover up her mass of rich, dark hair.
“I am surprised you recognized me, Lord Traherne.”
“I would know you anywhere.”
She gave him another quizzical look, but her attention was chiefly focused on the luxuriant scarlet and black furnishings inside the bedchamber.
“You were clearly in need of aid,” Quinn continued.
“Actually, I was not. I could have dealt with Knowlsbridge.”
He gave a knowing chuckle. “I expected a modicum of gratitude for rescuing you. At the very least, I thought you would want to avoid a public spectacle.”
Miss Stratham turned her gaze back to him. “You needn’t worry about me, Lord Traherne. I can fend for myself.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. And I have servants for protection.”
“Where are they?”
“Waiting with my carriage.”
“They won’t do you much good out there, will they?”
“I have a knife in my reticule.”
She held up the brocade purse whose strings were looped around her wrist.
“Let me see it.”
When she drew out a small blade perhaps five inches long, Quinn couldn’t help but smile.
“You find something amusing?”
“That is not much of a weapon.”
She took issue with his teasing tone. “Do you think I don’t have the skill to use it?”
“I trust you do. And I heartily approve of you carrying it. I taught my own sister to defend herself with various weapons.”
“I have a pistol at home also, but I did not believe I needed it tonight. I assure you, I could have wielded my knife if necessary. Paris streets can be hazardous for a woman.”
Her casual admittance made him frown. After the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, the British had flocked to France for the fashion and culture, but decades of war had left the country rather inhospitable, particularly to foreigners and former enemies. “Was your time in Paris so violent?”
She shrugged. “It is wise to be prepared.”