To tame an Earl (four hoydens #2)

Chapter 17

"Shite!" Ralph muttered under his breath as he lost his footing once more.

Scaling a building seemed so much more hard after two glasses of whiskey, he thought to himself as he made to climb again.

"Almost there," he said to himself, encouraged.

The window was slightly open and the blinds weren't drawn.

Once he reached the second floor, he peeped inside, holding onto the ledge tightly, secretly hoping that he'd caught Alice in the middle of her bath.

Sadly, she was on her bed. Fully dressed.

He made to jump in, but his right boot was slipping off. He bent down grumbling to himself as he corrected it.

And then he jumped in, only for Lady Alice Woodbury to put a dagger to his throat.

"I'm beginning to think you'd make a wonderful spy yourself, so quick on your feet," he said coolly.

Her stance immediately relaxed as she realised it was just him.

"What are you doing here at this hour?" she returned, her voice equally cool.

He turned to look at her as she made to lock the door. She was wearing her night gown. She hadn't wasted time donning a robe. Alice wasn't the sort to put modesty above her safety.

Sensible woman.

Her hair seemed damp as it hung about her fresh face. So she had taken a bath after all.

If only he'd arrived early.

"You don't look devastated or heartbroken. So sign of dried tears on your cheeks," he observed. And then he eyed the books by her bed.

She rolled her eyes before answering. "I'm no damsel in distress, Ralph. You said you didn't want to marry me, you hurt my pride. And I assure you, that was all that was hurt. It certainly didn't warrant your entry into my bed chamber in the middle of the night..." she was rambling. "You're a spy, alright. But you don't have prove it in such an irregular fashion."

"I know about Ralston," he interrupted.

For a second she seemed confused and then her face turned to stone.

She sighed then, signalling him to speak.

"So you're not going to deny it?" He asked, making himself comfortable on her bed.

He had to handle this very carefully, he realised. If he showed too much emotion, she'd lose it. And it was very important for him to know the extent of Ralston's damage.

"It's pointless. I'm not going to be all coy about it now," she said, coming to sit at the foot of the bed, eyeing him like a frightened bird.

"Do you still love him, Alice?" He asked casually, putting his hands behind his head.

"No," she chuckled, immediately reducing the tightness in his chest.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked, his voice low.

"Not physically, no. But I do bear the scars in ways I cannot express," she replied hoarsely. It seemed like her control was finally slipping.

"I understand," he murmured relieved, pulling her into his arms. Giving up on the pretence of being unaffected.

He rubbed her back as she simply rested her head on his chest.

"I don't know if I even loved him, Ralph. But I felt so cheated and betrayed. What did I do to deserve it?" she asked.