Light to Valhalla (20 page)

Gently, almost reverently Alex set the knight back on
it’s
p
edestal
.
“Thanks for watching over her old friend.
”
A glimmer of warmth settled in his middle, just below his heart
.
Per
haps there was hope for him
and
Charley
after all
.

Alex
left the room and
followed
the tinkle of feminine laughter
down t
he stairs to the parlor
.
He rounded the corner
and
stopped dead in his tracks
, physically
struck by the sight
Charley
sitting on the gray stone floor before the hearth, arms wrapped about her knees in a decidedly unladylike fashion
.
Heaven help him she was a vision
so beautiful he ached
.
Wavy curls sprung loose from a
n
untidy braid, framing her perfectly manicured
,
heart-
shaped face
.
Skin paler than cream and decorated with freckles
glowed in the warm light of the room
.
Charley
gazed into the fire,
her head
cocked to the side, a
grin of pure joy light
ing
her face
.
The dancing flames
captured the
luminescence
of her softly slop
ing eyes, splashing
a dizzying array of
golden flakes
into the oblivion of those
bewitching
ovals
.

“Imagine Regina if she were to walk in on a scene like this,” Lady Grayson
teased
.

“Burning dresses, she’d surely swoon!
”
Charley
rocked
backward
,
fingers laced
together, arms
around her knees
.
H
er
musical laughter
swirled through
the room like gentle snowflakes on a wintry breeze
.

Burning dresses? 
Whatever
was she up to?

It didn’
t matter
.
Nothing mattered any
more
.
Not food or air because then and there Alex
lost a piece of himself to
her
.
In that moment he
knew the headiest sense of spinning complete
ly off balance and out of control
.
Like a curricle on an icy road
.
Never had he been so thoroughly struck by the sight of a wo
man and certainly nothing so
simple as a smile
or laughter
.
Oh, but it was
so much more than a smile
.
Sunshine and
magic and
a glimmer of heaven’s radiance shone from the curve of her lips
.
True happiness
lit her face
.
The brand of
joy men at war dream
ed
about… long
ed
for
…
  Alex knew that dream all too well.

“Alex!
”
Charley
glanced from the fire
, fixing her
enchanting
gaze on him
.
“I did not expect you
.
Did you sleep well?”

“
N—
,uh
, y
es
,”
he lied, not quite recovered
from the unnatural
attraction to
her.

Evelyn
turned to him and
beam
ed cheerily
.
“Would you care to join us?”

“Thank you, Lady Grayson.
”
He strode slowly into the parlor
,
careful not to look directly into
Charley
’s bewitching eyes, and
surprised at the forgiving nature his mother-in-law displayed
.
Once again he was reminded that the
Grayson
family values were
considerably different than the
appallingly competitive household
he
was raised
in
.
No perceived slight w
en
t
unnoticed or unanswered
in the
Coverstone
family
especially
where his mother was concerned.

Charley
watched him
,
expression shuttered
and thoroughly impassive
.
“Mrs. Kent made lemon butter scones.
”
She
waved in the general direction of the refreshment tray
.
“Are you hungry?”

Her indifference
after their scorching embrace
irked him
and hurt more than a little, but he refused to entertain that she may be comparing him to other men
.
“Famished.
”
His gaze fell to the modest bodice of her
gown
and his mouth watered, literally
.
B
u
t not for scones
.

“Wonderful.
”
Evelyn
clasped her hands warmly
.
“Come sit, we’ve a great deal to catch up on.”

Alex cleared his throat, chancing a quick glance
at
his wife
.
“Actually, Evelyn, would you think me terribly rude if I begged a moment alone with my wife?
”
He flashed
his most charming smile
.
“W
ith all the
cha
os
we’ve hardly had a moment to breath
e
much less speak privately
.”

“No, mama,”
Charley
blurted a little too quickly
, belying her cool exterior
.
“That’s really not necessary.”

Inwardly
—and perhaps more than a little perversely—
Alex relished
her discomfort
.
Good
.
It meant
that at this exact moment
she was unsettled
because of
him
, not Sidney
or some other lover
.

Evelyn
shot
Charley
a disparaging glare
.
“
It’s
fine, I insist, but b
efore I go I would like to
hear about your visit with the magistrate
.
The
fact
someone would want to have my daughter murdered
is… well, I really cannot describe how horrified I am by the prospect.”

“Of course.
”
Alex nodded solicitously
.
“I’m afraid there is not much to tell at this point
.
I informed Mr. Reilly
of the situation and he
promised to update us when he has any word
.
My suspicion is that
Johnston
and Halverson are halfway through
Scotland by now
.
At least they should be if they
’re in possession of
half
their wits and
a brain.”

“I do hope you’re right.
”
Evelyn nodded
.
“Take care not to
mention this in my husband’s presence.”

“Of course
.
I understand completely
.
How is Edmond faring?
”
Alex asked solicitously.

Evelyn sighed, the sparkle in her eyes dimming ever so slightly
.
“Better
.
More reasonable in any case
.
I gave him a bit of laudanum
.
I hate the stuff, but it seems to slow his mind and he’s much less paranoid now.”

“Lady Grayson?
”
George appeared in the parlor door
.
“Your immediate assistance is needed in the kitchen.”

“
My assistance?
 
Where is Mrs. Kent?”

“
I’m afraid no one has seen her for nigh unto an hour,
mi
lady.”

A red hot blush seared Charley’s cheeks
an
d
she quickly
turned her gaze into the fire
.
Amusement tugged
Alex’s lips
.
Give him three guesses
,
but he’d only need one…
h
e knew
exactly
why the housekeeper had disappeared
.
Call it pride, but he’d had that effect on women a time or two.

With a demure shake of the head Evelyn stood and glided toward the door
.
“
I don’t know what I’m going to do with that woman
.
George,
I’ll be there in
just a moment
.
You two en
joy a
little
quiet
time
.
”
She turned a sly half smile to
Charley
,
who merely scowled in return
, and winked
.

“Thank you.
”
Alex dipped his head respectfully as the countess slipped past him into the hall
.
W
hat he wouldn’t give to be privy to the details of that unspoken exchange
.
Perhaps he had an ally in Evelyn after all.

Evelyn Trent was a vibrant woman,
much
like Charlotte in many ways, and the fact she’d remained at Lord Grayson’s side for the last twenty-five years never
ceased to baffle him
.
Such gracious
, unwavering
commitment would never have occurred between his parents.

“So Mrs. Kent disappeared.
”
Alex chuckled, ambling slowly toward
Charley
’s perch before the hearth
.
“
Pity
the mere sight of me is enough to send women into hiding.”

The
pink in her cheeks blossomed,
a becoming rosy hue
suffusing
her
face
, ligh
ting a twinkle in her eye
.
“I’ve seen her husband.
”
Charley
’s gaze wandered playfully the length of him
, the left corner of her mouth quirked
, a lone dimple winking from her chin
.
“He doesn’t look anything like
you.”

“Should I be flattered?
”
Alex stopped before her, holding out a hand
, inviting her t
o sit with him on the sofa or
at the very least beside him in one of the chairs
.

Charley
lifted a hand, slipping her
fine
fingers into the crook of his palm
.
“
I should hardly think you need me to flatter you, my lord.
”
The tone was light, teasing, and Alex relaxed just a fraction
.
She tugged on his hand
.
“Join me
.
The fire is very
pleasant
.
”
Without releasing his hand
,
she scooted
closer to
the fire as though
proving
the
point.

“
Going to make a crip
ple sit on the floor,” he joked
, settling beside her on the rough stones
.