I told him everything Saska had said, from it being only the stained children who were kept to the possibility that Saska might have been allowed to escape. But it was the imminent threat of an Adlin attack that naturally caught his attention.
“I’ll contact your captain immediately and warn him.” He thrust up then paused, dug into his pocket, and handed me a small vial of clear liquid and a carefully folded piece of paper. “This potion is fast-acting, so do not linger here once you have administered it.”
With that, he nodded and strode away. I put my glass down and unfolded the small piece of paper. It turned out to be a hand-drawn floor plan of the Harken residence, including X’s to mark where the guards were located and where Ewan’s suite was in relation to Pyra’s, Hedra’s, and even Lord Marcus’s. I slipped both it and the drug into the skirt’s hidden pocket, and then began the search for Ewan. I saw Trey first—he was in standing in one of the shadowed recesses not far from Hedra, a drink in his hand and something close to distaste in his expression. It cleared the moment he saw me. He blew me a kiss for those who were watching, then raised his glass, as if in toast. But one finger was pointing in the direction of the long outside balcony. It seemed I was about to have another round with the wild weather.
I downed my drink, whisked another from a passing waiter, and then headed for the balcony.
The rain and the wind were even fiercer here than they had been around Saska’s side of the building. I paused on the threshold, my gaze searching the drowning shadows. Surely even the most ardent Romeo would reconsider seduction in such atrocious conditions?
A blue-clad footman stopped beside me and bowed lightly. “Can I help you, m’lady?”
I hesitated. “I was actually looking for a Lord E. I was told he was out on the balcony.”
“Would Lord E be from the Chetwind house?”
“He would indeed.”
“Then he has taken refuge in the ramada. If you take the door to your far right, the covered pergola will take you there.”
“Thanks.”
He nodded and slipped away. I finished my second glass of wine, claimed two more, and headed for the door. To say the wind was bracing was an understatement. She whipped around me in utter glee, tossing the scarf layers of my skirt around and pulling at what little material there was in the cropped top. Ewan was going to get an eyeful without the benefit of undressing me at this rate. The wind laughed, but her teasing lessened. I headed down the long, flower-draped pergola. Goose bumps fled across my skin but the stone was at least warm under my feet. Whether the stone was actually heated, or it was simply Mother Earth taking pity on me, I couldn’t say.
At the far end, within the darkness of the ramada, a light flickered. In its pale glow, I could see the elongated outline of a man. It didn’t take him too long to see me.
“Lady N,” he said, as he stepped fully into the light. His gaze skimmed me and came up hungry. “You’re not who I was expecting, but you’re surely a sight for sore eyes.”
“You took the words right out of my mouth.” I slowed my pace, as much an effort to delay the inevitable as heighten his expectation.
“Am I to take it that you, too, have been stood up?”
“Perhaps.” I handed him the glass. I hadn’t yet placed the potion in it, simply because I no idea if Ewan actually drank wine. He certainly hadn’t been carrying a glass when he’d pursued me the first night. “And perhaps not. A woman doesn’t want to appear too eager to a possible suitor, after all.”
“Indeed.” He placed the wine on the nearby table and stepped closer. “And what must one do to turn the possible into a definite?”
“I don’t know.” I allowed my gaze to drop, skimming his body in much the same manner as he had mine. “It would depend, of course, on the offer.”
“And what should the offer entail for it to be successful?” He placed his hands either side of my hips, drew me close, and then leaned in for a kiss. I shifted slightly, allowing it to brush my mask rather than my lips.
“Someplace warmer would be a good start.”
“I’m sure we could create enough heat here to warm us both if we but tried.” His hands skimmed up my waist then under my crop top, and, after a moment, he brushed his thumbs across my nipples. They peaked, but it was an automatic response rather than one born of any real sense of desire.
“And I’m sure I’d be far more comfortable in warm surroundings.” I stepped back, away from his touch. “If that’s not an option—”
He laughed softly. “Of course it is. I was only teasing.” He swung to the side and offered me his arm. “Our carriage awaits.”
He escorted me back down the pergola and around the covered outside of the building. His carriage—a small brown vehicle not dissimilar to the one Trey had used—was indeed waiting. A soggy-looking man in silver stood by the open door, a sturdy umbrella held at the ready.
We quickly climbed in. As before, I took one side, Ewan the other, but the inside space was smaller, the benches harder and more upright. The footman slammed the door shut and, in very little time, we were underway.
“And where do we go, Lord E?”
“To my suite at the Harken residence. And please, call me Ewan.” He leaned forward and caught my hands—one of them gloved, the other not. “There’s been many a whisper about you. I have to admit, I am desirous to see what might lie under the pretty wrapping.”
“And what if it is something you don’t like, my lord Ewan?”
“Like what?” He slid his hand up my left leg, the material of my dress parting before his touch like a silken sea. “It’s not like you’re stained, my lady.”
My smile held a bitter edge, but he didn’t notice. “You have something against the stained?”
“No, but they’re hardly worth the waste of time or seed, are they now?”
“I think you do them a grave injustice.”
“Perhaps.” His touch paused when his fingers hit the knife scabbard, but it was anticipation rather than fear that began to ride the air. “The lady bares a stinger.”
“The lady also knows how to use it.”
The warning seemed to inflame his passion rather than thwart it. He chuckled softly, then leaned forward and tried to kiss me. Again I offered him only my mask-covered cheek.
“I think you play with me, lady.” His touch slid to the inside of my thigh. “Perhaps I should play with you.”
“Perhaps it’s more that I prefer to anticipate an event rather than simply dive in.” I paused, and took a drink of wine. “And perhaps it’s the fact that I prefer the taste of alcohol on a man’s lips.”
“Ah.” He pulled his hand away. “I’m a mead man myself. It’s rough and rustic, but it suits my palate.”
“Rough and rustic is more than suitable for this sort of occasion.”
The scent of desire became sharper. He knocked on the wall between the carriage and the driver and said, “Hurry it along, man!”
The vehicle slid forward fast but smoothly. Ewan didn’t say anything; he just watched me, his gaze hungry. I returned the look evenly and sipped my wine.
Within minutes we were pulling up to another grand house. The storm tore at the carriage as it stopped and the wind howled in fury. Not at me, not at what I was doing, but at something that was happening within the building. Curiosity stirred, but I couldn’t risk speaking to the wind or even investigating what was going on until Ewan was sleeping.
If he thought there was anything out of place or unusual about the sudden ferocity of the storm, he didn’t mention it. Maybe he was simply too enflamed by possibilities to hear her. The carriage door opened, revealing a long, metallic tunnel being pushed out toward us. Once it was strapped to the carriage, Ewan stepped out, then offered me his hand. I gave him my glass and then said, “Please, lead the way.”