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“Tonight, here.” She waved her hand at their surroundings, tears freely dripping down her cheeks. “Was that a lie, too?”

Ian briefly closed his eyes. “I wish I could explain everything to you, Helen. But I can’t. Not now. I need to leave.”

“Just answer this one question,” she begged quietly.

Ian licked his lips. “No. That wasn’t a lie.”

She seemed startled to hear that admission. He didn’t know whether she believed him or not, but what he told her was the truth. And now he needed to leave.

The sounds of horse hooves outside of the house attracted his immediate attention. Damn.

“Helen, you need to go,” he said and took her by the arm leading her away.

“And what about you?”

“I will leave, too. But I need you away from me. Now.”

She twisted her arm out of his hold and rounded on him. “Are you afraid they’re going to hurt me?”

Ian pursed his lips. “They won’t hurt you. Your cousin cares for you, and he won’t let anything happen to you. But if you stay with me, they might miss and…” He didn’t even want to contemplate that possibility. “Go. Now.”

Helen narrowed her eyes at him, then bit her lip. “No.”

Ian started. “Pardon me? This is not a discussion, you’re leaving.”

She shook her head. “No. I don’t know who they are, and what’s going on, but if I leave, they might hurt you. Now, I don’t trust you. And I won’t forgive your lies, but I don’t want you to die either. So I am going to stay.”

“You’re out of your mind.”

“No, I am not. I won’t let them hurt you. And I can’t let you hurt Jarvis, either. So I am staying right here.” She punctuated the last three words with a stomp of her foot.

They were wasting time arguing. The rhythmic clopping of horse hooves came closer and closer still.

They wouldn’t come through the conservatory. No one ever did. They would either enter through the main house or through the servants’ entrance, but either way, it gave Ian some time. The time he needed to use to get away, not to argue with this obstinate woman.

“Fine,” he said through his gritted teeth. “Come with me.”

He took her by the hand, the feel of her warm flesh both comforting and disturbing at the same time. Disturbing, because by holding her hand, by keeping her close to him, he was putting her in grave danger.

He led her through the conservatory to the exit leading away from the house.

“I left my mount just outside,” Helen said, just as he opened the door.

Ian froze, the handle of the open door still clutched under his fingers, as his heart dropped to his stomach. “You left the mount outside? For everyone to see?”

“Yes, I—” She didn’t finish the sentence, as just then, Viscount St. John appeared from the shadows, a pistol in his hand.

Ian cursed under his breath and shoved Helen behind his back. “Lately it seems like every time I open the door, you’re there with a gun.”

“You brought it on yourself, wouldn’t you say?” the viscount asked evenly.

“Jarvis, please, don’t shoot,” Helen pleaded from behind Ian’s back.

“How can you stand by this man when all he’s ever done was deceive you?” St. John barked.

“As opposed to you?” Ian countered. “Can you honestly say that you have never deceived her? Or that your cousin never did?”

Helen stiffened beside him.