Haunted Hearts

16

The first hour of their journey passed in strained silence, heightened by an underlying sense of self-inflicted torture. At least for Rufus.

Because not only was he the one to invite Elphi, an act no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't dredge up a single ounce of regret for.

Rufus then seemed bound and determined to prove what a depraved muttonhead or glutton for punishment he was—perhaps both—by choosing to sit beside Elphi. All so that her right side rubbed his left with every bump and jostle of the carriage.

It was awful. And wonderful.

And with every passing mile, he dreaded the moment it would end.

When they hit a huge rut in the road that threatened to unseat them both and sent them knocking into one another, Elphi reached out a steadying hand and righted her position.

"Apologies. Had I known the roads were this terrible, I—"

"Would have worn a suit of armor?"

She turned to him with a look of surprise on her face and a cautious smile bending her lips, and suddenly Rufus was gripped by a keen sense of remorse, though he wasn't quite sure of its cause.

"Or insisted we wrap ourselves in pillows from head to toe before leaving," she murmured with a chuckle.

Rufus bit back a grin at the image. "We'd have difficulty explaining our appearance to Lord Waltham."

"Or you'd be called an eccentric and start a new trend that all investigators would rush to follow."

He scoffed and shook his head, then, after a moment, quietly teased, "Perhaps next time."

Elphi smiled, and they fell into companionable silence only broken several minutes later when she asked, "Do you frequently travel for your investigations?"

Rufus pursed his lips and slowly nodded. "I suppose so, yes." Then, he turned to her, "Are you trying to determine how many pillows we'll need?"

"No," she snickered. "Though I would recommend having some set aside strictly for the carriage."

"For secrecy purposes?"

"Oh no," she whispered, leaning into him and sending his already racing heart to a more frenzied pace. "Though now that you've brought it up, it's a sound point."

He grinned. "I'm full of those. They're one of my endless virtues. Perhaps you'd care to use the remainder of our time writing a new list."

She looked at him with narrowed, mischievous eyes. "I take it you believe this will be an extraordinarily long list full of fine qualities?"

"Indeed."

"Shall humility be the first?"

"Undoubtedly."

Elphi opened her reticule and dug around in it for a minute, then snapped it closed and tucked it between her skirts at her left thigh and the padded side of the carriage. Then, heaving a dramatic sigh, she turned to Rufus and gazed at him with eyes wide as saucers fringed with thick black lashes.

It took considerable willpower not to get lost in their chocolate and gold depths and concentrate instead on the words coming out of her mouth when she said, "Alas, I seem to have left my paper and pencil at home."

Rufus forced a swallow, somehow managing to choke out, "How unfortunate." He cleared his throat and glanced out the window in a frantic attempt to keep from giving in to the urge to steal a kiss.

He could feel her staring at him, the weight of her gaze all but boring holes into the back of his head until she shifted in the seat and let out a sad-sounding sigh.