He’d protect her in any case. She must save him from his own nobility of character.
Lars regarded her in silence for an uncomfortable length of time. Both his elf’s ears were peeking through his long brown hair, and she longed to reach over and kiss the tips of each one.
Finally he heaved himself to his feet in one swift, graceful motion and stood looking down on her. His face was without expression, other than that cold reserve she hated.
“We leave for London tomorrow. At noon. I’ll instruct your maid to pack all your new clothes.”
Without another word or glance he strode toward his horse.
Sophie sat silently for a while, using all her control to keep from breaking into a fit of desperate sobbing. Her warm, loving Lars was gone. The question was should she try to get him back? Or for his sake, should she let him go? Drive him from her while she had the strength?
Lying back, she gave in to a few sobs after all. She was miserable even at the thought of living without him. What would it be like if she killed her enemy and was finally forced to give up Lars? How would she ever bear a life with no Lars?
She had no choice. She was the only witness to her father’s murder.
She must avenge him.
Finding a nearby rock to help her, Sophie mounted her horse. Lars leaving her alone rather than touch her showed his determination, although she’d wager his mind was keeping track of her and making sure she followed. Swallowing her anguish, she firmed her resolve and rode behind him until they reached the stables.
He waited until she was safely there and then left her without a word.
She wasn’t sure she should try again to break through his steely tenacity to hold himself aloof unless she gave in. His “marry me or else” attitude seemed a mite intransigent to her. He surely knew she loved him to distraction. Why would he not at least consider her obligations and honor them by his understanding? She was in one hellish predicament, loving Lars and yet refusing to endanger him with her revenge.
Could that damned stubborn elf at least talk to her about her dilemma?
Chapter Seven
Lars dressed quickly and stormed to the stables. He must first take care of the formalities of charging Smythe and make sure the magistrate understood the seriousness of the charges. And to keep him safe until he decided exactly what he wanted to do with him. For now he’d concentrate on what the hell to do with Sophie.
One thing was clear. He daren’t be near her unless he gained control of himself. This meant he must not get in a position where he’d again show her his love. Not until she was ready to accept it. He’d have to stay away from her. Otherwise he’d grab her in his arms and carry her to his bed. Sex, which was constantly on his mind, wasn’t the answer. He’d have to concentrate even more on subduing his regrettable and instant erections whenever she came near. Actually, the thought of her was enough to turn his cock to stone. But nothing could be gained toward winning her until her problems were solved.
Killing Mallory shouldn’t be too hard, although it was imperative Sophie didn’t get there first. She was determined on revenge, and she’d gladly put herself in danger to achieve her ends.
He’d better go inform his mother of his plans. She’d get matters in motion for an immediate journey to London and his home there.
It was time to end this whole damned business. All he had to do was keep Sophie safe while he dispatched the chief villain—a relentless murderer who’d do anything to stop Sophie if he found out she was alive.
* * * * *
A rather groggy Sophie climbed silently into the coach the next morning. Lars might be able to get by on little sleep, blast him, but she’d stayed awake for hours stewing about the whole damnable situation. Her maid had awakened her and helped her dress, but she’d been too tired to eat. She could only choke down some tea and toast. She settled back into a corner of the carriage. Thankfully the countess was beside her and she didn’t have to feel Lars’ strong thigh if they rounded a sharp corner. He sat facing them both. Looking impossibly handsome with no sign of fatigue on his gorgeous face. She would have openly snarled at him were it not for his mother smiling at her.
“We’ll have such fun in London, my dear. Naturally you’ll have to be presented at court. As Lars’ bride and his new countess it will be expected. Don’t worry about it, dearie. We’ll have to have a court dress made for you, and that’s so elaborate it will take some time. My, you’ll look so lovely with plumes in your beautiful hair. You’ll take everyone’s breath quite away.”
She beamed so happily Sophie was speechless.
How was she ever going to avenge her father without ruining the happiness of this darling woman? With a sigh she settled in the corner of the seat, leaning against the luxurious squabs. Just before she closed her eyes she saw Lars shoot her a sympathetic glance.
Swallowing audibly, she determined to at least be quiet until they reached London. Why did he have to understand her so well? At least most of the time?
* * * * *
To her surprise, Sophie fell asleep, not waking until the country roads gave way to the cobblestones of the city. They’d already passed some of the poorer sections and she could now see the larger buildings of greater London. Sophie and her father had always stayed in a boardinghouse when they’d come to the city for mathematical meetings and lectures. She’d been engrossed as always making sure her father presented the best possible argument for his latest premise. Since she’d usually instigated the new theory and conducted most of the research she’d found little time to sightsee.
She was fascinated by the sheer splendor of the taller buildings looming into the sky. The magnificent curving dome of St. Paul’s in particular caught her eye. Although of course the majestic Houses of Parliament could not be surpassed. Sticking her head out the window, she breathed in the rather foul air and thought it enchanting. So much here to see and to learn.
The carriage slowed in front of a huge home situated directly on the river Thames. The front was heavily fenced and little could be seen except the mansion positioned close to the street. On second glance, one could see how strong and dense was the fence and the gated entrance, and that a small guard house with a vigilant sentinel stood at one corner of the closed gate.
This huge edifice was more intimidating to Sophie than the gracious manor at Dover. The manor was as impressively large but had never seemed as forbidding and closed off from the world as this mansion.
Lars was watching her closely. “Welcome to Viking Hall,” he said. “Built and named by a long-ago ancestor who felt he needed to impress his neighbors. I prefer Alfheimer myself, but this place is useful for entertaining.”
Sophie said nothing. What could a girl who’d never even entered a home like this say? That the grandeur of it terrified her to her toes?
Lars leaned over and kissed her hair. When she shot him a surprised look he turned to look out the window and said nothing more.
When the crested carriage pulled up the guard immediately sprang to attention and hurried to open the gate. As Lars stepped down, the guard bowed and greeted him.
“Welcome home, milord. We’ve been awaiting your return.”
Lars’ smile made it plain why his servants felt free to greet him with a little informality.
“Good to be here, John. And as you see I’ve brought the present countess and also the countess-to-be. I’ll hand the ladies down, if you’d be so good as to inform the staff we are here.”
With a delighted smile at Sophie, John headed for the massive door, which swung open immediately. A man and a woman came out, both beaming, and Sophie guessed from their attire they were the butler and housekeeper. Lars ushered Sophie and his mother to the two, smiling with ease at them both.
“This is Mr. and Mrs. Banning, my dear. No man has ever been served more efficiently than by these two. And here are your current mistress and your future one.” He took Sophie’s hand, hooked it on his arm and smiled fondly at her. “My bride-to-be, Miss Masters.”
Banning bowed and Mrs. Banning curtsied to both ladies. Sophie smiled, she hoped with gracious enthusiasm, but once again she felt unable to say the words disavowing Lars’ statement. She couldn’t embarrass Lars or ruin the happiness of this darling couple. Not now, at any rate.
“We are so happy to have you back, milady,” Mrs. Banning said to the countess. “And it’s also an honor to have our count’s bride here, milady.”
She beamed and bowed to Sophie. Sophie felt like a cheat, accepting the address. But she couldn’t think of a way out of yet another false situation created by the miserable count. When they entered the soaring hall Sophie didn’t know which was more impressive—the grandeur of the mansion or the size of the staff drawn up in a line. As Lars presented her to each one she suddenly realized she had one advantage. Moving forward gracefully, she took the hand of each servant and, repeating their name, said she was glad to meet them. Her formidable memory would stand her in good stead here. She concentrated on finding some little characteristic to tie to the name, and stored it all away. The unusual hair color, a cleft in the chin, a once-broken nose. All went into her memory bank. She was confident she’d be able to call them all by name and surprise them.
As usual she thought Lars realized what she was doing, as he grinned down at her and patted her hand, which he’d kept anchored to his arm.
“Do you want to see your room, my love, the rest of the house, or the gardens? You choose the order or if you want to do any or all of these things. Do tell me what you want.”
She sent him a sideways glance. “But, Lars, my dear, you know my tastes. How can you ask? The gardens, please.”
His grin grew wider at the false sweetness of her tone. “Then let us go there at once. Mother, do you care to accompany us?”
The countess yawned. “Not really, Lars. I’m anxious for a nap and a bath. I’ll see you at dinner, Sophie. I don’t have the energy of you young things. Besides, I’ve seen it all before.”
The kiss on Sophie’s cheek, obviously meant to signify her approval of her son’s choice, kept Sophie silent once again. She took Lars’ arm as he led her through the magnificent house. She could see glimpses of beautiful rooms as they walked through the hall. Portraits lined the walls and open doors showed her what must be the main reception room, the dining room and a cozier room. It held comfortable chairs and some small tables and lamps. Sophie guessed this might be where the family gathered before meals.
She inhaled deeply when they emerged through double doors to the patio.
Gardens surrounded the patio and stretched along the high walls that continued the protective fencing. Then a beautifully green lawn swept down a slight slope to the Thames. The enclosed space was enormous, but flower gardens were cleverly spaced. Some hugged the house and the large stone patio, others were placed so they dissected the green area and rendered it less formidable. Guard houses were posted at each corner of the property and Sophie raised inquisitive eyebrows to Lars.
“Is your life in constant danger, Lars? This is more protection than I would think even an important nobleman like you would need.”
He smiled down at her and patted the hand still on his sleeve. She flushed and withdrew her grasp. She’d forgotten she was trying to dismiss the dratted man.
“To answer your question, no, I do not always feel the need for so much protection.”
“That’s all you’re going to say, isn’t it?”
He continued to smile but said nothing more. Still she forced the issue.
“But you have no dock or boats here. Surprising since you seem to like the water so much.”
Lars merely cocked his eyebrows.
Sophie said little, not sure how to force conversation from him. Lars gave her a resigned glance.
“Sophie, do not press the issue. If you insist on knowing, I’ve had an iron barrier sunken under the river’s edge. You may feel perfectly safe here.”
Suddenly she sighed. Feeling safe was not on her mind right now. She was in London and it was time to lay serious plans. Seeing Lars’s penetrating look, she began to chatter about the beauty of the grounds. Lars raised his expressive eyebrows but said nothing.
* * * * *
Sophie spent the next day in her room, going down only for meals and then pleading fatigue from the journey to return to her private planning. Her thoughts weren’t helped by the beauty of the suite she’d been given. The master suite occupied a corner commanding views on two sides, and she was again placed next to it. Her own rooms provided a sweeping view of the large expanse of lawn as well as the gardens. She spent most of the time looking out the window and thinking. She loved the informality of the gardens, with flowers clustered together in charming disarray. Somehow it made up for the distressing formality of the mansion. The countess made matters even worse by sending her a sweet note saying how much they’d missed her bright presence at dinner.
And as she watched out her window, she forced herself to concentrate and plot.
Finally an idea hatched. She’d find out when the next meeting of the Mathematical Society took place. Meetings were always held at the same building, one of the smaller halls at the University of London. Now she needed to know when it would be. And start making plans to escape Lars’ vigilance.
She began lingering over breakfast, waiting for a chance to read the daily papers. Naturally Lars noticed, and the next day papers were at her plate as well as his. The countess always breakfasted in her room, so she either talked to Lars or not at all. This morning she tried to assume an air of indifference, but he picked up the paper and started to read it. As usual, he smiled sweetly at her before disappearing behind the paper.
To her delight there was to be a meeting the next week. Sitting back in her chair, she began to plan. Pushing to his feet, he folded his own paper under his arm.
“I’ll study this later. There must be some really interesting news in it to have pleased you so. I have work to finish in my study, Sophie, but I should be done by early afternoon. I board a few of my horses in a nearby mews, and we could ride if you’d consent to use a sidesaddle. Not that I mind what you wear but my mother will have my head if I start gossip before she’s had a chance to introduce you to the ton.”
She tossed her head. “Then I’d rather take a walk. Can we do a long, long walk? I’d like to see more of the sights I’ve never been able to explore before.”
Lars studied her for a moment. “Suppose we compromise? Let me order the carriage and take you to some of the outstanding attractions, and then if you still feel energetic we can walk home.”
Her face lit up. “Really? Can we stop at a place or two? And maybe go inside? I’ve seen everything from the outside, of course, but never had time to wander around on the insides.”
He smiled at her warmly. “I’d love being your guide. Where do you want to start?”
“The Abbey? It looks so majestic and I’m sure the inside is equally impressive.”
“I think it’s even more so. And it’s huge. If we take in all its attractions and you still want to walk home I’ll be surprised.”
She laughed up at him, delighted with the teasing note in his voice.
“Then maybe I’ll surprise you, my noble sir.”