Page 16 of Eight for Losing, One for Loving

“—who might abduct an Egyptian Water Sphinx,” the vicar finished.

“Quite so.” Vi gave him an encouraging smile, and the vicar sat back in his seat, contemplating the question.

“Well,” he said thoughtfully. “The kind of people who would be involved in such a despicable act are not often the sort who come to church, but…” he said, leaving the one word hanging there as he helped himself to another biscuit and chewed with a pensive expression.

“But?” Leo pressed, too anxious to let the fellow cogitate for long.

“Might I request you leave the question with me and return in the morning?” the vicar asked them with an apologetic smile. “The thing is, I do have a suspect or two in mind, but I should like to do a little, er… investigating before I go throwing accusations of kidnapping about or should that be catnapping?” he added reflectively.

Leo opened his mouth to protest, and Vi poked him. He closed it again, glaring at her, and Vi felt a sudden thrill of something she refused to name at the prospect of spending a night in the same bedroom as Leo. A blush crept up the back of her neck and into her cheeks and she feigned fascination with the tiny glass that held what remained of her sherry rather than look at him any longer.

“Of course, Reverend,” Leo said politely, resignation in his voice. “I am grateful indeed for your help. I confess I had hoped to have Mau back before nightfall, but I cannot expect miracles, I suppose.”

“Don’t lose heart, young man,” the vicar said cheerfully. “If they have taken the poor creature for ransom, one supposes they will keep him fed and watered. If there’s anything I can do to help you in your quest, I shall do it.”

“You are most kind, and if your help leads to the return of my cat, I can promise you a generous donation to your church fund,” Leo said with his most charming smile.

The vicar beamed at him. “Oh! Bless you! We desperately need a new roof so such a thing would indeed be miraculous from my point of view. I confess, I’ve been worrying about it, for Tadlow is such a small place and the people don’t have funds enough for such donations. There’s talk of moving me on,” he added sadly. “I shall retire if they suggest it. I’m too old to start over.”

“Then perhaps we can help each other,” Vi said hopefully. She knew Leo was a generous man and, if Mau was returned to him and Reverend Harbottle was instrumental in that happening, she did not doubt he would pay for the church’s new roof.

“God truly does work in mysterious ways,” the vicar mused as he bade them goodnight and escorted them to the door.

“Let’s hope so,” Leo muttered under his breath.

“If you need lodgings for the night, might I suggest the Queen’s Head in Wrestlingworth? My sister is the landlady there, so if you say Archibald sent you, I’m sure you’ll be well looked after. She’s a fine cook and keeps a clean, orderly place.”

“Thank you for the recommendation,” Leo replied, shaking the man’s hand. “Shall we come here in the morning?”

“No, no. Sit tight and wait for me at the Queen’s Head, for I don’t know how long it will take me to stick my nose about the place and see if anything smells off,” the vicar said confidentially.

He waved them goodbye with a cheerful smile and Vi turned to Leo as Norton climbed back onto his seat and they trotted away.

“I think he’s looking forward to playing detective,” she said ruefully.

Leo said nothing, and once again the prickling sense of unease crept over her skin.

“Are you still cross with me?” she ventured, after another five minutes passed in uncomfortable silence.

“Mad as fire,” he replied succinctly.

Vi swallowed. “Really, Leo. We’re grown up. So long as no one finds out, I really don’t see why you must be so missish about it.”

He shot her a volcanic look that made her wish she’d held her tongue.

“Missish?” he repeated, a hard note to his voice that boded ill. “I’m worrying about ruining you, Vi, for I know damned well you’ll still not accept me as a husband, no matter if the entire world thought you were my mistress.”

“We’re in the back end of beyond. A tiny village. Who is likely to see us?” she protested. “And I trust you to behave like a gentleman.”

“Oh, you do, do you? You’ve forced me to do the complete opposite of that by allowing you along on this farcical jaunt and refusing to be sensible and go home. I’ve treated you like I would a mistress by allowing you to remain at my side, not like a young lady in need of my protection. Why stop now?”

“Why indeed?” Vi retorted, her temper flaring as it always did when Leo vexed her. “Perhaps you treat your mistresses like sensible, intelligent women who know their own mind instead of like a silly child who needs constant chaperoning and watching over in case she does something foolish. That being the case, please continue.”

Leo’s eyes glittered, his handsome features silvered in the moonlight. He looked away from her, his jaw set, his profile the kind that ought to be stamped on a coin, for he looked like a prince or a monarch, all stiff pride and arrogance. “If you want me to treat you as my mistress, I shall be sure to do so, Vi,” he said, a dangerous note to his voice that set all the hairs on the back of her neck prickling, her blood thrumming in her veins.

Vi opened her mouth to demand exactly what he meant by that but thought better of it. Instead, she considered what it might like to be Leo’s mistress. The glamorous creature she had once seen had certainly seemed pleased with herself. The phrase ‘cat that got the cream’ had lingered in Vi’s mind for days afterwards whenever she had recalled the chance encounter. She had recalled it too, though she had refused to acknowledge why the woman had bothered her so. Leo was a grown man, and even a sheltered young woman knew that men had needs which they were entitled to indulge so long as they were discreet about it.

Vi was not exactly sheltered, an impossible state when brought up by the indomitable Kitty. Her adopted mama was a woman who loved life, and loved her husband passionately, and had no qualms in discussing subjects which other ladies of her station would have thought quite beyond the pale. Vi knew very well what happened in the bedroom, and she knew too that there was pleasure for a woman as well as a man, if the man was a skilled and generous lover. If she were being honest, she was dreadfully curious about what such pleasures felt like and admitted to more than an occasional pang of longing that she would never know the touch of a man’s hand, a passionate embrace, or kisses that made one giddy with longing. Mama had been enthusiastic about the raptures of a happy marriage, but then one only had to see Mama and Papa in the same room to know that they were still head over ears in love with each other.

Vi did not believe she could have that with Leo. He cared for her, that was true, she could even believe he loved her, in his own haphazard way, but it wasn’t the kind of love she could put her trust in. She had too much evidence to suggest his attention span was short, and he bored easily. At best, she believed she would see little of him. At worst, she feared jealousy and misery would plague her whenever she discovered he had taken a new mistress. She could not live like that. But perhaps if Leo really could be brought to treat her as his mistress, just for one night, she might know what physical love felt like. So long as he knew it was just for one night, that they would never be more than friends, she could not be accused of using him or leading him on, could she? Leo would be kind and generous, she knew, and she had no doubt of his skills in the bedroom. Sadly, she had heard gossip enough to suggest he was not lacking in that department, another event which had given her weeks of sleepless nights and unwelcome, unsettling dreams. Of course, he would be impossible afterwards. He would feel it his ‘duty’ to marry her after he had ruined her so entirely, but she would simply have to refuse him. He could not bully her into accepting him, after all, and Vi knew she was every bit as stubborn as he was.

There was the question of a child. It was a risk indeed, but Mama had assured her there were ways of mitigating the risk. Vi was aware of some, and felt certain Leo would know them all intimately. She glanced sideways at him, heat burning in her cheeks at the idea she might really take him into her bed tonight. For a moment, she wondered what it might feel like to touch what lay beneath the exquisitely cut clothes he wore, wondered what that hard, athletic body might feel like against her own.

She must have made a small sound, for he turned, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her.

“Have you come to your senses?” he asked curiously. “Ready to admit you’ve been foolish and ought to have gone home like I told you?”

Vi swallowed, forcing herself to hold his gaze. “Not precisely,” she replied, licking her lips nervously. His gaze shot to the movement and lingered on her mouth, giving her an odd, hot sensation low in her belly. Interesting. His gaze returned to hers and his eyes narrowed.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said crossly.

Smiling a little to herself, Vi bit her lip and wondered if her courage would hold out when they got to the inn.