A Lily Among Thorns(31)

She looked at her hand and smiled crookedly. “You’re too knowing by half. But—yes.” She took a breath. “He says he’ll let me alone if you just go. I’m sorry, but I can’t risk it. You may not have seen Bedlam, but I have. One of my protectors was keen on that sort of thing.” She actually shuddered.

A flood of stupid relief washed over him at the regret in her voice. Perhaps she’d meant to ask him to stay after all. That would have to be enough, because thinking of Serena in an asylum made him—actually, he preferred not to think of it. It didn’t matter what he wanted; it mattered that she was safe. “I understand,” he said, surprised at how calm he sounded. “I’ll find the earrings another way.” She was already turning to leave, not meeting his eyes, when he said, stumbling over the words now, “I . . . Good-bye, Serena. I—it’s been . . .”

She turned and fixed her gray eyes on him. He straightened his shoulders and tried to look stoic. He must have been failing because she got that annoyed look she always got—Solomon was beginning to realize—when she felt guilty. Now there was something else in it, too: fear. That bastard Blackthorne should be strung up by his thumbs.

Her next words took him by surprise. “Solomon, don’t go down any dark alleys for the next month or so, will you?”

His eyes narrowed. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing,” she said with absolute assurance and just the right undertone of amused impatience.

Two could play at that game. “All right. It looks to be a fine day, don’t you think? Maybe I’ll go for a walk along the river tonight.”

She gazed at him for long moments. “My father says he’ll have you killed if you stay here.”

“What?” It was Solomon’s turn to stare at his hands and, no doubt, look rather bleached. “R—really?”

She nodded.

“Do you think he would?”

She smiled unpleasantly. “I think he would, but I somehow suspect that he won’t.”

“And I somehow suspect he didn’t change his mind out of Christian charity.”

“Ah, the wisdom of Solomon! No, you are quite right. I told him that if he harmed you I would have his throat cut.”

“And he believed you?”

“I think so. But he may have thought it was an empty threat.”

He frowned. “Wasn’t it?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Of course not. One empty threat can damage a reputation more than twenty direct admissions of weakness. Now, will you be leaving? I think it the wiser course.”

He thought it over. He thought about eating mince pie alone at night. He thought about leaving her to deal with Sacreval on her own. “No.” He gave her a half smile. “I think I’ll feel safer here where you can keep an eye on me.”

She relaxed a little, and he felt warm. He’d lost all sense of proportion. Serena’s shoulders moving an eighth of an inch shouldn’t matter more than a direct threat to his life, but at the moment, it did. “Very well,” she said. “If you will excuse me, I’d better go and spread the word that you’re not to be touched, and put some arrangements in place. Watch your back, will you?”

He caught her wrist. “Don’t do it.”

She turned on him with a mocking smile. “And break my word? Have you no thought for my honor?”

“I mean it, Serena. I’m not worth becoming a murderer for.”

She gently removed his hand. “I’m afraid our opinions are destined to differ on this point, as on so many others. I’m damned if he’ll hurt you.”

He sighed. “A year ago I wouldn’t even have been afraid.”

“What do you mean?” she asked sharply.

“A year ago I would have been tempted to go walking by the river anyway.” He wouldn’t have done it, of course, but he would have thought about it. Never again waking up thinking, I dreamed Elijah was dead, and then realizing it was true. Never again finding himself standing in the middle of the room crying and not remembering how he got there. And not even having to do it himself—it would have sounded rather appealing. The sharp stab of fear he’d felt a minute ago had surprised him. He had felt, for a moment, almost like a traitor.

“Don’t even think about it,” Serena said in a biting tone of command, and he looked up in surprise to see that her eyes were blazing. “Don’t ever think about it. I wish your brother were here, too. He’d tell you not to be a fool. But I’m happy to do it for him. I meant what I said. If you’re hurt I’m damned.”