Page 25 of A Rogue Worth the Risk

Corinna sighed and pinched her pretty mouth into a moue. “Lady Sewell, if you must know. I doubt she can climb the stairs to get up here, so it’s the safest place other than my bedchamber.”

Lady Sewell?

That surprised him. He’d expected her to say the Marchette and Haywood chits.

Stretching his legs out before him and crossing his ankles, Caspian too, rested against a chair. Only a few inches separated them. He gathered her hand and laid her palm atop his. “What has she done that merits such stealth?”

Corinna cut him a side-eyed glance then focused on their hands. She made no effort to remove hers.

“My, aren’t you the curious fellow?”

“I don’t mean to pry. Nevertheless, the Corinna Brockman I have come to know doesn’t let an elderly tabby intimidate her, let alone make her cower away in a hidey-hole.” He caressed the back of her hand along the fine blue veins visible through her pale skin.

“This is hardly a hidey-hole, and I am not cowering.”

Caspian made a noise in his throat, neither confirming nor disagreeing.

Corinna closed her eyes for a moment, her lashes creating feathery arcs atop her high cheekbones.

“She upset me, and I lost my temper. I called her a meddling, mean-spirited curmudgeon and said she had nothing better to do than to attempt to make people as miserable as she was.” Her expression turned contrite, but she thrust her chin outward. “I won’t apologize to her. She was simply awful.”

“What did she say?”

Even in the shadowy alcove, her hair shone, a bright beacon of fair curls. Could that cloud of hair possibly be as soft as it looked? Caspian longed to comb his fingers through the silky curls or wrap them around his hand and wrist.

Draw her to him and kiss that sweet mouth once more.

“I’ll not speak of it.” The merest hint of color touched Corinna’s cheeks, and she averted her gaze.

“Corinna?” He tilted her chin upward with a bent forefinger. “Was it about me?”

Her eyes wide pools of misery, she nodded. “Yes. And the fire. She said you killed your family so you could inherit the barony. And that I should stay away from you to protect my reputation.”

So that falsehood continued to be bandied around.

“I told her she should be ashamed of herself for repeating such ugly gossip, and she shouldn’t judge lest she be judged by the same standard she condemns others. I might’ve also suggested she’d spend eternity in an uncomfortably hot place, and she’d do well to find a quiet place to pray and repent for her sins.”

Oh, Lord.

Was there ever such an extraordinary woman?

Appreciation and something much more potent unfurled behind his ribs.

Corinna had defended him.

Envisioning Lady Sewell’s reaction, he chuckled. “I’m sure your response wasn’t well received.”

Pursing her lips, she pointed her nose upward. “I didn’t wait around to see.”

“Come here, sweet.”

Caspian drew her into his arms. She settled her head against his chest as if it were the most natural thing. Brushing his fingers over her upper arm, he kissed the crown of her head.

“There was an inquest after I recovered enough from my injuries to be questioned. I was found innocent. It wasn’t hard to convince the magistrate that I hadn’t willingly thrown myself through an upper-story window. I could’ve died.

“I would’ve had I remained in my chamber another minute or two.”

Corinna made a soft, distressed sound in her throat.