Viscount of Vice (Lords of Scandal 4)

Mr. Chase stopped, looking at his daughter. She gave a single nod, small and almost imperceptible. But Vice saw it and the tension knotting his stomach relaxed. She was sensible enough to know that his help was necessary. “That would be jolly good of you,” he said.

Ada glanced over her shoulder again, giving him another long look. This one did not hold irritation but…curiosity. Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she studied him. “Papa,” she said. “I’ll walk with Lord Viceroy for a moment.”

Victory sang in his veins. What had he just

done differently that she was responding to him? But before he could process, she slipped her hand into his elbow. “Thank you for being genuinely concerned,” she said softly, turning her head so that she spoke into his shoulder.

Ah. She wanted genuine, did she? He drew in a deep breath. He didn’t share his true feelings on anything very often. “You’re welcome.”

She flexed her fingers against the inside of his arm. “You needn’t feign interest in me. I’ve no desire to be stolen away by Lady Abernath. I’ll be careful.”

He winced. “Who said I was feigning anything?” But the truth was, he had a rather practiced set of rehearsed lines. Had for quite a while now. To say anything else was to risk…

She rolled her eyes dropping her voice down low mimicking his much deeper voice. “Your hair is like the sunset.” Ada gave him a pointed glare. “Please. Even I’ve heard that one.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, he sighed. “So you don’t appreciate my compliments?”

She paused for a moment as she once again nibbled on her lip. “I like compliments. I suppose I just like ones that are…” She paused and looked up, “About me.”

He cleared his throat. Most women did not care that his flowery words were generic in nature. They assumed that the compliments were specifically about them and basked in the glow. “For the record, your hair is like the sunset.”

She let out a huff. “I’m not even blonde.”

Vice stopped, turning to her. “I see color.” Then he reached up and for just a moment, touched one of the strands. The silky texture slipped through his fingers. The gesture was wildly inappropriate but he couldn’t seem to help himself. “And to clarify, I said your hair was the like the sunset, not the sun. Last summer, at the ocean, I sat in the sand as the sun set over the sea. The sky turned to a blaze of fiery colors. Then, just as the orb dipped down below the water, the colors softened to more muted shades of red, yellow, and orange. It was the most beautiful palate of color I’d ever seen and it only lasted for a few moments. That is the color of your hair.”

What he didn’t share was that the beach he’d sat on was on his family’s estate. He hadn’t been there since Camille had rejected his proposal. He’d taken her family there for a trip to the country in an attempt to woo her. He’d failed. The place was full of grief.

She stared at him, her mouth slightly open as that lovely color flushed her cheeks. It had tones of honey rather than a more classic pink but he found the shade so appealing. “I…you… that was…” She stopped trying to talk and just stared at him.

“Ada,” he whispered. “You had a reason you wanted to speak with me?”

She swallowed and then, taking a deep breath, straightened. “Yes, I did.” She frowned. “I think I might need your help after all.”

* * *

Ada was trying, and failing, to make her mind work properly. Vice had her all discombobulated. His compliment…it hadn’t been generic at all and it had been stunningly beautiful, the sort of words that had robbed her of thought and filled her with breathless excitement.

“What do you need help with?” he asked. “Besides the obvious?”

“The obvious?” They had begun walking again and passed through the front door, but they were moving slowly, her father and Grace well ahead of them.

He quirked one eyebrow. “Lady Abernath? Her attempted kidnapping of two of your cousins? That sort of thing.”

Heat was filling her cheeks. Again. Why did this man continually make her blush? And how did she regain the detachment she’d had in the church? When he gave her rehearsed lines, she could ignore how handsome he was. “Oh yes. That’s exactly why I do need help. If not for me, then for Grace. She doesn’t seem to understand how dangerous the situation is.”

He stopped. “You’re worried about her?” He looked at Grace’s back as she disappeared into the breakfast salon. “Not yourself?”

Ada looked down at the floor. “I am naturally more cautious.” She actually meant afraid. “But Grace seems to think that nothing bad will actually happen to her. If you are there, you can help me convince her to act with care.”

He frowned at her, his brows drawing together. “I am here to protect you. Not her.”

Well, that was both likely true and annoying and perhaps just a bit satisfying, but Ada didn’t need help. Grace did. “Fine, I shall follow Grace around tirelessly and you…” She gave him what she hoped was an angelic smile.

He seemed to understand the point, his eyes narrowing. “You are going to lead me on a Grace goose chase.”

His words made her smile but she tried to hold her lips in a straight line. She failed. “That’s a pessimistic way of viewing the situation but yes, I suppose I am.”

“Has everyone forgotten about me?” A deep, gravelly voice rumbled behind them. Without thinking, Ada tightened her hand on Vice’s arm, moving closer. When had she begun to rely on him for protection?