He held her gaze for three heartbeats, then evenly stated, “Because, should you remain under this roof, I seriously doubt I’ll be able to keep my hands off you.”
She stared at him, and stared, her features expressionless while she decided how to respond. Eventually, she said, “You’re joking.”
More an uncertain question than a statement. He shook his head.
Her lips thinned again; exasperation filled her eyes, still searching his. “You’re just trying to…bully me into doing as you wish.”
He didn’t shift his eyes from hers. “If you think I’m bluffing, by all means call me on it.” He paused, then added, “If you remain here, I can assure you that you’ll end beneath me in my bed or yours, whichever is closer at the time, within three nights.”
Penny managed not to gape. What she could read in his eyes, what she could feel reaching for her across the polished expanse of his desk…she could barely breathe. “You’re serious.” The faint words were more for her than him, a point he seemed to realize; he didn’t respond. She drew a tight breath. “I don’t think that’s at all fair.”
He smiled. Intently. “At least I’ve given you fair warning.”
Warning enough to prod her into running home to Wallingham—indeed. She’d have given a great deal to laugh lightly and assure him he was indulging in fantasies, yet after last night…
She refused to look away, to simply give in. “What are the reasons I should be at Wallingham?”
His menacing sensuality receded; she breathed a little easier.
“So we can mount a watch on Nicholas. In case it’s escaped your notice, he and I are the definition of antipathetic—I can’t turn up there looking for a drinking companion, or invite him out for a night of carousing, or even to put up our feet with a glass of brandy and swap stories of London and the ladies. Nicholas and I are never going to be that close. If you, however, are at Wallingham, then I’ll have a perfect excuse to haunt the house. Simple.”
She would have loved to blow a hole in his plan—for instance, by refusing in light of his declaration of moments before to have him paying her visits—but they were in this together. “Hmm. And I’ll be there even at night…I don’t suppose, now we’re certain he’s involved, that it matters if he suspects we’re watching him—it can only make him more nervous.”
“True. With you at home, we can effectively watch him most of the time, which will certainly make him feel crowded and cramped. If we can make him desperate enough, he’ll make some slip, somewhere.”
The more she thought, the more she favored the idea; if she was at Wallingham with Nicholas under her nose, Charles would find it impossible to edge her out of the investigation—she was well aware he would if he could.
And there was the not insignificant consideration that if she was at Wallingham, there would be far less scope for Charles to fan the still-smoldering embers—they should have been long dead but demonstrably weren’t—of their long-ago association into a flaming affair, an entanglement she definitely didn’t want or need.
Retreating to Wallingham could well be her best move all around.
She’d been staring into space. “Very well.” She refocused on his face, and caught a subtle shift in the dark blue of his eyes that had her rapidly reviewing all they’d done, learned, still needed to do…“You’re going to visit the Fowey Gallants tonight, aren’t you?”
Exasperation flashed through his eyes. “Yes.”
She nodded. “I’ll come with you and return to Wallingham tomorrow morning.”
“No.”
She opened her eyes wide. “You’ve changed your mind about me going home?”
His eyes darkened; she met his frustration with complete assurance, enough for him to growl, “I should pack you off to London.”
“But you can’t, so you’ll just have to make the best of it.”
After a moment, he sighed through his teeth. “Very well. We’ll call on the Gallants tonight, then tomorrow morning after breakfast you’ll be on your way home. Agreed?”
She nodded. “Agreed.”
“Now that we have that settled”—he rose—“I’m going for a ride.”
She came to her feet, swiftly rounding her chair to come between him and the door. “Where are you going?”
“You don’t need to know.” He walked toward her, toward the door.
She met his eyes and held her ground.
He kept walking.