“I see,” he muttered. “Then I cannot help but pity the man who might have angered you.”
“I’m sure that no such man exists for I am not at all prone to anger,” she quipped.
“I think you’re in denial,” he said as he ran after her. “Either that or you actually find pleasure in being contrary all the time.”
Good God the woman was walking fast. This was more like a sprint than a stroll.
“And you are free to think whatever you wish, my lord.”
“Might we not be friends then?” he asked, rushing to keep up with her while dodging a man who was coming toward them.
“Friends? Ha! Friends do not make it their sole priority to belittle one another at every given opportunity. They do not consider themselves superior. So no, my lord, I am not your friend, and you are most assuredly not mine.”
“For someone who insists she’s not prone to anger, you certainly do sound rather agitated. Would it by any chance help if I apologized?”
Alexandra stopped walking so abruptly that Michael nearly crashed right into her. She turned to him with open astonishment, clearly not believing what she’d heard. Michael noticed that she was doing her best to hide a smile, but her efforts fell short just a fraction, in spite of the scowl she attempted to send him. “It might,” she told him haughtily, though her tone was clearly now one of amusement.
“Very well then,” he told her cautiously. “I’m sorry for the way I insulted you the other day—for suggesting that you are incapable of taking care of yourself, and that you’d pose a liability toward this mission. I spoke without thinking. After all, your display of swordsmanship in Rouen truly was quite impressive, more so now because you are a woman. And as loathe as I am to admit it, your skills at deception are quite remarkable as well. You had me completely fooled. So, it seems I have been too critical in my way of thinking. Please accept my humblest apologies for my gross miscalculation.”
Her crisp demeanor finally crumbled, and Alexandra served him a dazzling smile that almost made his heart stop, right then and there. “Nicely done, my lord,” she said, no doubt happy to have seen him grovel. What was it with women? “Now that is settled, you may accompany me.”
“I thought I was already accompanying you?” he remarked a little uncertainly.
“You most certainly were not, my lord,” she exclaimed with a mounting sense of humor. “You were imposing yourself on me, and in case you are not aware, there is a difference, you know.”
She really was a handful. A charming one in some ways, perhaps less so in others. Her attitude toward him certainly left a lot to be desired, but he was working on that. At least it seemed his words of regret had managed to placate her a little, even if he felt that he was equally deserving of an apology. He was willing to bet his entire fortune however, that the sun would rise in the West before that was likely to happen.
“Might I at least ask you where it is that you are going?”
She stopped then, turned to face him and offered him a stern look. “To find my brother,” she told him plainly. “If you will recall, that is our primary objective in coming here.” She turned away and recommenced walking.
After a moment’s shocked pause, Michael hurried after her. “It’s a large city, Lady Alexandra. Your brother could be anywhere.” When she failed to respond, he decided to try a different approach. “Have you ever been to Paris before?”
“No, never,” she admitted.
“Well, in that case there’s something that I really ought to show you,” he told her as he hailed a carriage.
“Whatever it is, it will have to wait,” she insisted. “William is my first priority, and I won’t—”
She wasn’t given the chance to complete her sentence before Michael had her by the arm and was practically shoving her inside the awaiting carriage.
She glared at him with unabashed contempt. “Are you always this gallant?” she asked, half-mockingly.
“Not at all, Lady Alexandra,” he told her with a wide smile. “You get special treatment.”
Without another word, she turned her face away from him and stared out of the window, and that was when Michael noticed . . . if he wasn’t mistaken, she was trying desperately not to laugh. Well, this was certainly unexpected. He leaned back against the opposite bench, a crooked smile playing upon his lips as he regarded her profile. In spite of everything, he’d somehow managed to break through her tough exterior and make her laugh. Loathe though he was to admit it, it filled his heart with warmth.
“Oh!” Alexandra exclaimed half an hour later as she looked out over the rooftops of the city below. “It’s so incredibly beautiful, Ashford.”
“I thought you might like it up here,” he murmured as he walked up beside her to share the view. “I came across this place on my last visit here, purely by chance. It’s a bit outside the city, so few people even come here, though I don’t see why that is. The view is really quite remarkable and the wine is excellent too. I’ve been told it’s made by a group of local nuns.”
Alexandra gave him a sidelong glance before brushing a few wisps of hair from her face with her fingers. “Hm . . . I wouldn’t mind a taste, if you’re up to it,” she said.
“Certainly, my lady, your wish is my command.”
“And what do you call this area, if I may ask? Surely a place this wonderful must have a name.” She shot him a smile that left him momentarily speechless. She truly was unbelievably stunning.
“Montmartre,” he replied, feeling quite flustered by his body’s helpless response to her. If only he could manage to slow his heartbeat to a more acceptable pace.
“Well, my lord, thank you for sharing it with me,” she said, looking back at the view one last time before turning to follow him. “I think I’d be very content if I had the freedom to sit and just look out over all those rooftops all day.”
Her response surprised him. He would have thought her the sort who might appreciate it for a while, but who would then surely tire of it for lack of excitement. It seemed as if there might be more to this woman than met the eye—a sentimental streak that she kept well hidden. It pleased him immensely to have discovered it.
CHAPTER NINE
They had lunch at a small restaurant where the wine was just as good as Michael had promised it would be. By the time they decided to make their way back to the apartment, it felt as if they’d known each other for years, thanks to all the stories they’d shared with each other. Michael could tell that Alexandra still held a grudge against him, but he was confident that with a little effort, it might soon be behind them.
Still, he didn’t want her to lose her edge. As exasperating as he’d found it in the beginning, he’d really taken a liking to their friendly banter and to his amazement, Alexandra had begun to show a side of herself that he never would have dreamed existed.
As he already knew, she was smart, witty, and extremely interesting to talk to. But she was also a very good listener, and this was something that Michael truly valued. Most women he’d known were so busy chatting about nonsensical issues of little importance, like who might be marrying who, which dress a certain lady might have worn to a particular ball, which children of their acquaintance were the best behaved, which were the worst behaved, and so forth. They had no interest in politics or in what might be happening outside of their own little confined universes.
Alexandra, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. She had no interest in any of the ridiculous topics that most ladies liked to talk about, but rather every interest in whatever they were discussing. Indeed, she was always completely focused on what he had to say.
As they walked along the River Seine later that afternoon, on their way back to the apartment, they talked about warfare and Alexandra told him about some of the military campaigns that her father had helped lead. She had a lot of in depth knowledge about the early years of the Peninsular War—the last war of her father’s career, the one that had injured his leg, and forced him into an early retirement.
From the tone of her voice, Michael sensed that she loved and respected her father greatly. She never mentioned her mother, however, and Michael didn’t feel comfortable enough to ask, though he was growing increasingly curious.
He knew that he was seeing Alexandra in an entirely different light than when they’d left the apartment in the morning. In fact, he suddenly realized with much surprise that he actually liked her. Not only that, but he couldn’t quite remember a more enjoyable time spent in anyone else’s company.
Perhaps, he ought to reevaluate his feelings and intentions toward her. Whatever the case, he certainly needed to think a few things over, because it was becoming increasingly clear that the woman who was presently smiling up at him had somehow, against all odds and to his complete consternation, managed to wheedle her way past his defenses.
After dinner that evening, Alexandra, Ryan, and Michael sat together in the parlor, contemplating their lack of progress in finding William. “I had a thought,” Alexandra finally said, looking from one man to the other. “William has always said that he prefers to keep close company with his targets. Perhaps, he’s actually staying at the Tuileries Palace as Bonaparte’s personal guest.” It was a long shot of course, but one that seemed as good as any other at that point.
“You know, you’re probably right,” Ryan told her. “It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he and Bonaparte are sharing childhood memories over a bottle of cognac as we speak.”
“Especially if they’ve come to some form of agreement,” Michael added.
Alexandra glared at him. The man didn’t seem to waste an opportunity to remind them that William might be a traitor. “Even if that is the case, I can assure you that William would only strike a deal with the French in order to help his country.”
“You seem very sure of yourself.”
“I’ve no reason to be anything else. Unlike you, I have known William my whole life. I know the sort of man he is.” She fixed her eyes on Michael’s. “I would trust him with my life, my lord.”
Michael strode across to the sideboard and refilled his glass. “And unlike you, Lady Alexandra, I am of an objective opinion.”
“No, you’re not,” Alexandra told him angrily. “You are determined to find William guilty, and I simply will not stand for it.”
“Alex,” Ryan cautioned her. “Ashford takes his job quite seriously, I assure you. He will not condemn William without proof. You have to admit that he has a valid point. We must not assume anything, Alex—doing so would not only be dangerous but indeed quite stupid.”
“Well, I see you two have come to quite an agreement,” Alexandra snapped. “How reassuring.”
Michael grinned.
“What the devil are you laughing at?” she fumed.
“Alex!” Ryan exclaimed, clearly aghast at his sister’s language and her lack of respect.