Page 8 of The Rogue’s Offer

“If you’re referring to Lady Havenstock, then yes. We met last night at Melton House.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize she’d actually met you—” Elizabeth uttered a gasp of horror and covered her mouth. “Good heavens, no wonder Ophelia barely said two words to me on the way home last night. She must have thought you—”

“Lizzie, would you please go check on father. He’s suffering from another of his headaches.” At the sound of Ophelia’s voice, Mathias immediately stood up and turned toward the parlor doorway.

“It was delightful to meet you, Mr. Gilchrist.” Elizabeth said as she stood up and curtsied in his direction. Despite the furtive look she shot in her sister’s direction, there was a cheerfulness to her voice that made him smile.

“And I you, Miss Sheffield. Perhaps you’ll save a dance for me when next we meet.”

“That would be—”

“Lizzie. Now, please.” Ophelia’s command was quiet, but there was a raw edge to it that made the younger woman flinch.

“Yes, Ophelia.”

With one last smile in his direction, Elizabeth Sheffield hurried past her sister and left the parlor. As her sister disappeared from view, Ophelia moved to stand in the center of the room. The look she directed at him was one of cold fury, and the silence filling the space between them was riddled with tension. As the sound of her sister’s footsteps faded up the stairs, Ophelia narrowed her gaze at him.

“Why are you here?” A winter day could not have been colder than her voice.

“I’ve brought you a gift.”

“I want nothing from you, Mr. Gilchrist, except to see the back of you as you walk out of this house.”

Mathias ignored her icy reply and reached into his coat to pull out a small packet of documents from his inside breast pocket. Without a word, he offered her the papers. Ophelia studied him warily for a moment before she cautiously stepped forward to accept the paperwork from him. Papers in hand, Ophelia quickly put space between them again. The soft crackle of parchment echoed in the air as she reviewed the documents he’d given her. After a brief moment, she jerked her head up to stare at him in amazement.

“This is the deed to Marymont.”

“Yes. I told you it was within my power to return it to you,” he said quietly.

“And I presume you will require my signature on another document in exchange for your generosity.” The bitter sarcasm in her reply made his jaw tighten until it hurt.

“There are no conditions tied to the deed.”

“Do you actually expect me to believe your largess is without any ties at all, Mr. Gilchrist?”

“I do,” he said with an abrupt nod. Irritated by the question, Mathias clenched his teeth in anger. How was she to think otherwise? He clasped his hands behind his back and fisted his hands. “You were right to hold me in contempt last night. My behavior was less than gentlemanly, and I had resolved to visit my brother’s solicitor first thing this morning to arrange for the return of your property without any stipulations in an effort to apologize for my behavior. My brother, however, circumvented my efforts.”

“What are you saying?” Trepidation flashed across her face, and he saw her fingers tighten around the paperwork she held.

“While it had been my intent to be the one responsible for restoring your home to you, that honor belongs to my brother. Charles, who according to you has no moral compass, had already left instructions for our solicitor to transfer the property into your name and return it to you this week. I am simply the bearer of good tidings.”

Mathias held himself stiffly as he watched the varied emotions flitting across Ophelia’s features. Damn Charles for stealing his ability to fully redeem himself and advance his cause with her. The thought made Mathias’s entire body harden with tension as a voice in the back of his head shouted a cry of surprise and alarm.

What the devil had he hoped to achieve by restoring her home to her? The answer only served to make his body grow more rigid. He should have simply written a note of apology and sent it with the solicitor and the deed as opposed to coming here in person. Christ, he’d made a mess out of this entire situation. Eager to be done with the matter, Mathias cleared his throat.

“As I said, I deeply regret my behavior last night, and now that your home has been returned to you, I shall bid you good day, Lady Havenstock.”

With a sharp, perfunctory bow, Mathias turned and strode out of the room. Once he put distance between them, he’d soon forget the temptation the woman presented. Wild laughter exploded in his head at the lie. Ophelia was not a woman one could easily forget.