“No one does. He’s one of a kind.”
She nodded, her stomach twisting. His words didn’t rumble anymore, but she knew he watched her as closely as any tiger with a mouse between his paws. Finally, he spoke, his tone low.
“I am impressed. I never thought you could do so much without me here to back you.”
He’d been with her here every moment of every day. She was living in his home, therefore, he approved of her. She was working on his ledgers, therefore she had authority to ask questions. And if there was any doubt, Mrs. Hocking laid it to rest. The lord of the land approved of her, and therefore, she would be treated with respect. And from there, all she had to do was listen. It was a skill she’d learned young and had always stood her in good stead.
“How was your trip to London?”
He waved it off. “As expected. Stefan made his statement that he wants me as his guardian. It was witnessed by the most influential people I could find. I will be notified when the church court will hear the case as it directly conflicts with what his grandfather has petitioned.”
She nodded. She did not understand the legalities except in the most general of ways. “His mother cannot be guardian?”
“No woman would prevail in such a matter. Stefan is an earl now, and therefore important.”
“And his mother is not.”
He waved her comment away. “I don’t want to discuss blindness in the courts.” His expression turned dark. “I want to know about Baron Easterly. Were you his mistress?”
“Yes, but not in the way you think.” It had been a special arrangement created by her friend Amber Gohar, who was now Lady Byrn. The baron had not wanted a true mistress. He wanted a woman to talk to who would praise his virility. That was all, and it was something she was very happy to do. But given that the deal involved her never, ever telling anyone the nature of their arrangement, she could not share that information without betraying her benefactor. It was something she had sworn to uphold, and so she could not tell Lord Daniel the truth.
“What other way is there to be a man’s mistress?” he demanded. Unable to sit still, he pushed up from his seat and began to pace the narrow battlements.
“Many ways, my lord, but surely you know that.”
“I can, and every one is bad. Just horrid.”
She smiled. “Baron Easterly was very kind to me. I can say no more than that because I promised to be discreet. Surely you understand that.”
“I don’t like secrets.”
“No one does. And yet, I would wager you know several. Big secrets, harmless secrets, and everything in between.” She lifted her chin. “Did you think I have no past?”
“I know you do!” He spun around and glared at her, but he didn’t attack. His entire body rippled with fury, but he held himself away from her until he turned his back and gripped the battlements.
She waited, knowing that to say anything now would be to poke a tiger. She ought to run away. She ought to hide from his fury for fear of what he might do to her. But she didn’t move. More shocking still, she felt safe enough to sit and wait on him.
She wasn’t stupid. She knew she could be wrong about him. She might right now be making the stupidest choice of her life. But she believed if Lord Daniel were to hurt her, he already would have. His frustration boiled in the air around him, and yet he stood at the battlement and cast his anger into the night.
“If I demanded you tell me more about your relationship with Baron Easterly, would you tell me?”
She wanted to. She wanted to tell him everything, but she knew what lay down that path. “If I break my promise to him, what would stop me from breaking a promise to you? Even if I remained faithful to you, you would always question.” She shook her head. “Baron Easterly was always kind to me. I will not betray him or myself by saying more.”
All she’d done with the man was listen and play cards. She rarely spoke a word except in greeting. He talked about his life and his pains while she served him tea. That was all. But that wasn’t the point. The question now was whether Daniel would accept her as she was—with a past—or if he would demand he know every detail as if she were a ledger to be scrutinized for faults?
“Would you tell me about all your history? About your secrets?”
He turned back to her. “Ask anything you want. I’ve had lovers. Though the details might not be pleasant to hear.”
Probably not, which is why she wasn’t interested in learning about that. “My lord—” she began, but he cut her off.
“My name is Daniel.”
“Very well. Daniel. Why do all the stories about you end in a story about your brother?”
He jolted. “What?”
“I didn’t just hear about giants and piskies. I heard that you helped dig a well when you were ten years old, but that your brother—”