Evelyn groaned.
Royce laughed. "Haven't you noticed this unreasonably warm weather? I'll bet it's no colder than a brisk spring day out there. Now hurry up. We have some spying to do. I'll just wait outside. That is, unless you'd like me to stay and help?"
Evelyn was still frozen in place, but managed to move her hand and point toward the door for him to leave. Peeking around the covers she watched his beautifully dressed form walk away.
"Oh, I almost forgot." He turned around again and winked. "I love your hair that way, down and curved around your shoulders. Makes a man wish he could take a peek under that sheet."
"Out!" She threw a pillow at his head, but he had already shut the door. His laughter boomed down the hallway.
How in tarnation did he even get in her room without her maid having an apoplexy or her butler shooting him? He must have sweet-talked her maid somehow, or bought her silence with one of his devilishly handsome smiles.
"Cad," she mumbled to herself and went to the washbasin. If her father was out with Mrs. McArthur again, it could only mean one thing. He had found a woman he could possibly love. Her daddy played for keeps and wasn't the sort of man to waste his time tinkering around. When he got an idea in his head, he followed through with it. And it seemed the object of his affection and thoughts lingered on Royce's mother.
****
Royce sat at Evelyn's breakfast table and drank a cup of hot tea, letting it soothe his rattled nerves. Of course, he had seen plenty of women in bed—women dressed with French lacy things that left nothing to the imagination. Yet seeing Evelyn in her cotton nightgown was enough to send him into a frenzy, abandoning all rules of propriety and falling to his knees right then and there. The poor girl almost had him proposing before she had even opened her mouth.
Shuddering at how close he had come to ruining all his best-laid plans, he took another lingering sip and paused. Footsteps neared the room, so he straightened his jacket and rose to greet Evelyn.
"Are you better now, sweetheart?"
She paused, looked down at herself, then back at him. "Yes. I believe I am, now that I'm fully clothed and wide awake." She raised an eyebrow and poured herself some tea. "Since you've interrupted my sleep and nearly frightened me to death with your unexpected presence in my room, what exactly do you have in mind for our little spy game today?"
"I thought you'd never ask." He sipped some more tea and waited for her to sit before he explained. "They're going to have a picnic here. Then the plan, if I heard it correctly, was to attend the Worthington's Valentine Ball tonight."
Evelyn sighed. "I dislike balls."
"And I dislike wind, but it doesn't mean I sit and pout about it."
"I'm not—"
"You were, don't deny it. No pouting. Just think of it as another one of our spying adventures."
"Our adventures?"
Royce grew suddenly nervous and cleared his throat. "Yes. Well, I… I was hoping we could attend together." Long awkward pause. "As a couple. After all, this is your first Valentine's Day in New York, is it not?"
Evelyn blinked, making the silence deadly to his self-esteem. How many times had she blinked before answering?
"That would be lovely."
"Brilliant!" Royce realized he hadn't been breathing and would have probably passed out had she not answered when she did. "Shall we conclude our breakfast and find a comfortable hiding place outside whilst we wait?"
Evelyn eyed him speculatively, and then grinned. "Agreed, but…" she pointed at him, "if you touch my warm chocolate this morning, or my pastry, I'm kicking you out."
"My dear, I wouldn't dream of it. I even took the liberty of having the pastry heated up for you. Seems you took awhile to better yourself, though I must admit you looked ravishing earlier this morning. No matter. I had the cook take it back while you finished your morning rituals."
"Saints be praised," she mumbled, sipping her warm chocolate with a look of absolute ecstasy.
"Wish you would look at me like that," he muttered, reaching for his own pastry.
"Pardon?" Evelyn peered up at him, all clear-eyed and beautiful.
"Nothing." He reached for his napkin and became captivated again as she daintily ate her morning meal.
The words lovesick, ridiculous, fool, floated around in his head throughout the morning, but he didn't mind. Not with Evelyn in the room. She had a way of making everything brighter—happier. The connection with her was more than just physical. It was as if by sharing the same air, he was able to feel more like himself, something he hadn't felt since his father died.
Chapter Eleven
They sauntered to the back of the large house and sat beneath a tree hidden from the rest of the outside area, where the makeshift tent was already set up for her father and Royce's mother. They had a basket of food and a bottle of wine. Royce also insisted on bringing playing cards, so he could teach her how to play the civilized game of whist.
"Whist? However are we going to keep an eye on them, if we're playing games the entire time?" Evelyn put her hands on her hips, drawing Royce's eyes down the long slender line of her body.
"I…" He was a complete blank.
"You what?" she invited.
Royce wasn't sure what had come over him, but in the morning light with the sun beaming down on Evelyn's face, he was certain he had never seen a more beautiful woman in his life. "That is to say, I think if they try to make a run for it, we'll notice."
Evelyn seemed satisfied with his response and sat on the blanket, exhaling loudly. "So, when are they coming?"
"Right about now." Royce pointed across the lawn to both of their parents, slowly approaching hand in hand. They laughed as they settled beneath the tent and smiled sickeningly at one another whilst a servant poured wine for them.
Not wanting to be outdone, Royce pulled out his own bottle of wine and poured glasses for Evelyn and him. When he was finished, he took out a deck of cards and began shuffling. He yawned once, suddenly realizing how utterly exhausted he felt. Shaking the tiredness from his head, he rubbed his eyes and took a healthy gulp of wine.
"You're tired." Evelyn shifted towards him.
"Maybe." Shrugging, he put down his wine and leaned against the tree.
"Why don't you close your eyes for a bit? I'll keep watch."
Royce rolled his eyes. "And go down in history for the worse adventure partner ever? No, that's okay. I'll stay awake."