As he finished lacing her up, she squared her shoulders. "Then I"ll make sure he does."
He couldn"t prevent a smile. For all her tears, she was stalwart, ready to throw herself into any fray. "I"ll need a list of your suppliers. And if you know anything about the operations of Allsopp and Ba.s.s, I"ll need that information, too."
"All right."
While they dressed, he dictated other demands, mostly to make her understand that this would by no means be easy. They would have to work hard to make it happen.
When they were both ready, he said, "I"ll walk you home."
"Absolutely not." Her voice was firm. "I won"t chance anyone seeing us together."
"But Annabel, it"s not safe."
She laughed. "I"m as safe walking Burton"s streets, even at this hour, as I would be in my own home." She nodded at the door. "You leave first, and try to get into the inn without being seen. I"ll follow shortly after."
He didn"t like it, but he could tell she was going to be stubborn about it. "Very well." He started for the door, then paused to glance at her. "When can I see you again?"
"In a few hours, at the meeting," she retorted.
He frowned. "That"s not what I mean, and you know it."
The color rose in her cheeks, but she met his gaze steadily. "Is ... seeing me again a requirement of your staying here to help us?"
"No, d.a.m.n it! That"s not why I asked."
She stared at him, as if to a.s.sess his sincerity. Then a soft smile curved up her lips. "In that case, you may see me whenever you like."
His heart began to pound. "Tonight? Same time? Here?"
Mischief sparked in her eyes. "If that"s what you wish, my lord."
"What I wish," he growled as he walked back to her and hauled her into his arms, "is to have you stop calling me my lord."
He took her mouth with his, glorying in how freely she gave herself up to it. He never tired of kissing her. Her kisses were like a drug to his senses, and he was fast becoming addicted.
She let him kiss her only a moment before pushing him away. "That"s enough of that. We have a long day ahead of us."
He eyed her askance. "I can see you"re going to be a stern taskmaster, Miss Lake."
"You have no idea." She reached up to smooth a lock of his hair. "Thank you."
"You"re welcome."
He left then, his heart and his steps light, feeling like some knight in shining armor. d.a.m.ned if it didn"t feel good to be helping someone. To be helping her.
He could easily get used to the thought of Annabel always in his arms. If he wasn"t careful, she"d have him wrapped around her little finger as thoroughly as Maria had wrapped his brother around hers.
He snorted. That was absurd. He was just doing a kindness for her. Not even a kindness-a business venture that made perfect sense, as long as he could control the variables. It was a way to boost Plumtree"s flagging sales; nothing more.
By the time he reached the inn, he"d almost convinced himself that was true.
Chapter Nineteen.
Annabel practically danced through the streets of Burton. It was ridiculous, but she couldn"t stop smiling. Surely the fact that Jarret had agreed to stay and help Lake Ale meant something.
Her rational mind told her it was daft to think he actually might care for her; her heart desperately wanted to believe it. Perhaps in time ...
She mustn"t torment herself with such hopes. Jarret hadn"t said one word about marriage or love. The only thing he"d wanted was to ensure that they could do that again.
As a heady swirl of temptation rose in her body, she chided herself for being so wanton. But really, she couldn"t help it. Who could have guessed that lovemaking really was so wonderful? She"d guessed that it might be, and she"d certainly liked all the parts that came before and after. But until Jarret, she hadn"t realized that the act itself could be so downright glorious.
She reached the house and unlocked the door, glancing around to make sure no one had seen her. Then she slipped inside and removed her boots so she could get to her room without making any sound.
"Where have you been?" said a sonorous male voice.
She froze, her heart stampeding into triple time. Not again. Oh Lord, not again.
Then she settled her shoulders. She was not a girl of seventeen anymore, to be cowering at the voice of her brother. Schooling her expression into nonchalance, she turned toward him.
Hugh sat sprawled in a chair in the parlor. He didn"t have a gla.s.s in his hand, but he looked weary, as if he"d been sitting there for quite a while. Pushing up from the chair, he came toward her with a grim expression. "Where have you been?" he repeated.
"At the brewery," she said.
That seemed to throw him off guard. "And what were you doing there?"
"I figured I"d better prepare for the meeting tomorrow. We had no time to gather information before, so I had to do it tonight." Thank heaven she"d spent a couple of hours before the dinner with Mr. Walters, pulling out files and laying out records they might need for the meeting. She could claim to have been going over those.
Lord, how she hated the lies. She hated lying to Hugh. She hated lying to Geordie. She hated lying about Geordie. She was sick to death of subterfuge and sneaking around. It would have to stop soon. She couldn"t go on like this.
"Why?" she asked. "Where did you think I"d gone?"
Hugh dragged a heavy hand through his hair. "I"m sorry, Annie. I thought perhaps you and his lordship ..." His shoulders slumped. "It was foolish. I ought to know better by now." He cast her a wan smile. "Don"t mind me. It"s been a long day, and I couldn"t sleep. When I knocked on your door, and you weren"t there, I got worried."
She remained silent. He was already so close to guessing the truth, she dared not let him guess any more. Or he would surely strangle Jarret with his bare hands.
"But you shouldn"t be going to the brewery late at night alone," he went on. "It"s not safe."
She eyed him askance. "I"ve been going there for years, and no one"s there at night anyway."
Hugh frowned. "If a man were to follow you in there, you could be hurt." He stepped up close to her. "Annie, I know that you"ve had to take up the burden of the place far too much lately, but that"s going to change. I want to do right by you and Sissy and the children. If even Geordie has noticed ..." He squared his shoulders. "I"m going to look after you all better, I promise. And that means no more going to the brewery alone at night, you understand? I would never forgive myself if something happened to you."
"Now, Hugh ..."
"I mean it. Swear to me you won"t be traipsing off about town alone. It"s not safe, even in Burton. Promise me."
Frustration knotted her insides. Why did Hugh have to choose now to remember he had a family?
She wouldn"t be able to meet Jarret if Hugh was going to prowl the house late at night, watching for her. But he"d taken her in, and given her son his name. She couldn"t repay that by shaming him or Sissy.
She sighed. "I promise."
"Good," he said, flashing her a hesitant smile. "Good." He held out his arm to her. "Now come, we should get a little sleep before we have to meet with Lord Jarret. Don"t want to let him get the better of us in this bargain, eh?"
A hysterical laugh bubbled up in her throat that she swiftly squelched. If Hugh only knew how close they"d come to not having a bargain at all. Yet another secret she must keep.
As she slid into her bed later, it dawned on her that she"d have to tell Jarret about the change in their plans. Pressure built in her chest. What if he changed his mind about staying?
No, she mustn"t think that. He"d said that being with her was not a condition for his help, and she believed him.
A shaky breath escaped her as she stared up at the ornate plaster ceiling medallion. She wanted to see him again. Wanted to feel his body meld with hers, feel his heart beat against his breast. She fell asleep remembering the touch of his hand on her cheek.
The next morning was a frantic one. She"d thought of a way to see Jarret alone for a few minutes, but other than that, she had little time to prepare for the meeting. By ten o"clock, when they all a.s.sembled at the office in Lake Ale, she was exhausted.
Jarret looked as tired as she felt. He mentioned playing cards late into the night to excuse his weariness, but she could hardly look at him for fear of giving something away.
Like how it felt to be in the same room where they"d last embraced. How it hurt to see the little door leading to their private meeting place and know that it had been their last time together.
"As I told Miss Lake at the dinner," Jarret said, "I"d like to see Lake Ale"s books before we go any further. I need to be sure that you have the capacity to follow through on your proposal."
Hugh"s startled gaze swung to her. "Annie, you didn"t say anything about his wanting to see the books."
She feigned bewilderment. "Didn"t I? I could swear I did. I"m sorry, last night is a bit of a blur. I got little sleep."
"I dare say." Hugh glanced over at Jarret, who was watching them both warily. "My fool of a sister came up here to work on gathering information for you, my lord. At night, alone. I told her it"s not safe, but she doesn"t listen."
She forced a smile. "My brother was waiting to chastise me when I came in the house. He"s so solicitous of my welfare."
Jarret"s eyes gave away none of what he was thinking. "I can see that," he said noncommittally.
"I"m not sure if I like the idea of your seeing the books, my lord," Hugh said. "You"re our compet.i.tor-"
"Who is soon to be a partner of sorts. I need more information before I can make an informed decision on how we should structure this arrangement."
"I see no reason for his lordship not to look at them," Mr. Walters told Hugh. "He"s offering us an opportunity we can"t afford to pa.s.s up. And we have nothing to hide."
Hugh pursed his lips, then sighed. "I suppose not. Very well, we"ll have to fetch them." He frowned at Annabel. "I wish you"d told me before. I would have brought them with me. Now we"ll have to go back to the house, since they"re in the safe."
Exactly. "Do you want to take Mr. Walters? He can help you carry them."
"One of the footmen will help me."
"They"re both at the market with Sissy. We needed several things after having been gone so long." And she"d suggested to Sissy that this would be the perfect time for that.
Hugh"s eyes narrowed as he glanced from her to Jarret. "You"d better come, too, Annie."
"Don"t be absurd. I can begin discussing some of the material with his lordship. And it"s not as if he and I need a chaperone." She gestured to the window behind them. "We have at least twenty men working in the brewery who can see us at any given moment."
Her brother hesitated, then conceded the point with a faint nod. "All right, then." He rose. "Come with me, Walters. We"d best go fetch those books."
As soon as they were gone, she slid into the chair behind the desk opposite where Jarret was sitting. "We only have a few minutes," she said in a low voice.
"I wondered if you engineered this." His eyes filled with concern. "Your brother caught you sneaking in last night?"
"Yes. And he made me promise I wouldn"t come here at night alone anymore."
Scowling, Jarret settled back in his chair. "I see."
"It"s not what I want, either. My brother has his faults, but he and Sissy treat me well, and I can"t shame them by having them think I"m ... well ..."
"Letting me bed you."
She nodded. "If Hugh even guessed the truth, he"d call you out. And that would do none of us any good."
"So we can"t-"
"No. I don"t see any way." Unless Jarret chose to court her, which he wasn"t going to do. And even if he did, she couldn"t marry him. What would she do about Geordie? "It"s probably just as well. When you leave, it will end anyway."
"It doesn"t have to," he said.
She stared at him, her pulse jumping into a staccato rhythm. "What do you mean?"
Eyes the color of the sea locked with hers. "You could come to London with me. I could find you a position at Plumtree."
Her heart sank. "A position at Plumtree? Or a position in your bed?"
His gaze grew shuttered. "Both, if you wish."
"You"re offering to make me your mistress."
"No, I ..." He glanced away, his jaw tightening. "I"m offering you a chance to get away from your family. To have your own life. You"re a fine brewster-you could brew at Plumtree. And from time to time, if you wanted to ..." He met her gaze again, his face a picture of belligerence. "You wouldn"t have to be my mistress, but why not take a lover if you wish?"
She fought to hide her disappointment. Of course he would offer that. When had he ever offered more? "I don"t need a lover, Jarret. And I have no desire to get away from my family or Lake Ale."
He leaned forward, then caught himself, glancing behind him at the brewery. "How much can they see from out there?"
"Why?"
"Because I want to touch you, d.a.m.n it."
And she wanted him to touch her. How hopelessly foolish she was. "They can"t see below your shoulders," she admitted.