Free Deception by A. S. Fenichel Page B

He had seen her passion, and while she tried to make him think it was from the fight, he didn’t believe her. She’d just admitted as much.
    He stepped away and took care of his personal needs. When he returned to the clearing, he admired the precision of her fingers in braiding her long hair. When she had a long plait formed, she wound it around the crown of her head and pinned it up in a severe bun.
    Once they’d returned everything to the carriage, she walked away past the pond and into the trees.
    Of course, he followed. A deer path ran through the thick brush, and she followed it as if she’d done so many times before. A smaller clearing opened up and the standing stones she spoken of came into view. They were smaller than the ones at Stonehenge. These were no taller than a man.
    Lillian picked some wild flowers and stepped to the middle. Dried flowers rested on a flat rock. She brushed them away and placed the fresh ones in the center. Serenity softened her expression as she bowed her head.
    He followed her back toward the pond. “Whom do you pray to at the stones?”
    She shrugged and continued on the deer path. “It is only my way of thanking whoever protects us here. Maybe some druid god long forgotten by men. I do not know, but something protects this place.
    They climbed up and Lillian took the reins. She slowed at the edge of the woods, and they looked in every direction to make certain no one saw them exiting the safety of the hiding place. No one in sight, they drove onto the high road.
    “Where did you get those interesting blades of yours, Lilly?”
    “You have a great many questions.”
    “I suppose that is true. They are Oriental in origin?” The line of questioning wouldn’t expose all of Lillian’s secrets, but he longed for all the information he could get on any subject.
    “Japanese.”
    “Where did you get them?”
    “I won them in a billiards game.”
    A charming image of her leaning over a gaming table rolled through his mind. “Really? I do not think I have ever seen a woman play billiards. I had no idea you enjoyed gambling.”
    The roads had dried nicely, and she snapped the reins. The horses broke into a trot. “I do not. It is a rather long story.”
    “We have a long day of riding. Perhaps you might tell me what is sure to be a remarkable story.”
    Her luscious lips turned down. She returned her attention to the road. “Why is it that you do not like to be called by your title?”
    “Are we trading information?”
    One side of her mouth turned up. “I do not know, Dorian. Are we?”
    He longed to kiss her until all the sarcasm drained and all that remained was passion. “My father was the last landed marquis. He lost his lands at the start of the revolution. To keep his family alive we moved to England. He managed to carry our most valuable belongings out and with them purchased some lands here. There is no point in holding on to a title that has no value. The monarchy of France was overturned and no longer exists as it did in the past. I am not one to live in the past, Lilly.”
    Her frown deepened. “I was not expecting such an admirable response.”
    “You need not look so unhappy about your admiration.” He laughed.
    “I was hoping to find you flawed. A scandal associated with your name would have done nicely.”
    “Sorry to disappoint you.”
    She huffed and pushed the horses faster. A few strands of hair escaped her braid and her cheeks flushed. She was stunning. “When Reece and I took our first assignment, we were sent to London. Some shady types had rented space to a demon cell. In order to get close to them, we posed as gamblers. I won the sai blades from an Oriental man who thought my gender meant I could not possibly win.”
    “How did you learn to use them?”
    A slow grin spread across her face. “I won a week of lessons from the same man.”
    “You spent a week with a strange man of questionable character?”
    Lillian pulled the reins until the