Free A Risk Worth Taking by Laura Landon Page A

then stepped to the side while Mr. Blackmoor helped her alight. He towered over her. His height, which should have been intimidating, was instead somehow comforting. She placed her hand on his outstretched arm and felt the hard muscles beneathher grasp; then she looked up. Their gazes locked, the jolt to her emotions unexplainable.
    “You have nothing to fear, Lady Anne. Adam will take good care of you.”
    She lowered her gaze. “I’ll try to get this done as quickly as possible so I am not an imposition.”
    He raised his eyebrows and cast her a sidelong glance. “There is no hurry.”
    “I regret Freddie made such a demand on your friendship,” she whispered as they made their way down the walk. She did not want to be overheard. “Once I’m settled, you may walk away with a clear conscience.”
    He stopped, the look on his face hard. “Only dead men have the luxury of a clear conscience, my lady.”
    His words shocked her. She could not think of anything to answer him, so she turned her head and moved with him down the walk and up the steps that led to the Earl of Covington’s town house.
    She thought he staggered on the first step and she tightened her grip on his arm to keep him steady. But perhaps she’d been wrong. If he noticed, he gave no indication.
    The door opened and a butler wearing the Covington maroon-and-silver livery admitted them. He took their coats and hats and handed them to a waiting maid.
    “Fenwick, would you inform the earl and countess their guest has arrived?” Mr. Blackmoor said.
    “My lord and lady are on their way down, sir. I am to take you and my lady into the sitting room, where refreshments are waiting.” Fenwick led the way through the spacious foyer.
    Rich oak paneling and beautiful marble floors enhanced the room, while elegant tables laden with fresh-cut flower arrangements added a homey feeling that was welcoming. When they reached the third door on the right, Fenwick stepped back for them to enter.
    Anne couldn’t stop the quiet intake of her breath when she saw the beautiful room, done in shades of rose and blues, set off by deep oak woodwork.
    A servant followed them into the room, carrying a tea tray and a plate of sandwiches and cakes. “I will return later,” Fenwick added, pointing for the servant to place the tray in the center of a nearby table. “Then show you to your room after you’ve had some refreshment. Lady Covington thought perhaps my lady would like to rest a bit before dinner is served.”
    “Thank you, Fenwick,” a deep voice said from behind them.
    Anne turned to see the Earl and Countess of Covington enter the room. She tried not to stare, but it was impossible.
    She’d seen the earl before, of course. They were neighbors, although Lord Covington and Mr. Blackmoor had never visited Brentwood Manor. Because one never knew what condition their father might be in, Freddie went to visit them.
    Today was the first time she’d had to compare the two brothers. The difference between them was striking. She hadn’t noticed it when she’d seen the two of them at Freddie’s funeral, but she could not help comparing them now.
    Mr. Blackmoor’s hair was a deep mahogany while the earl’s was blond and thinning on top. They were bothhandsome in their own distinctive ways, and had the same startling blue eyes, but the earl’s gaze had a penetrating hardness that was absent in Mr. Blackmoor’s. There was also a certain aloofness in the earl’s countenance that Anne found more off-putting.
    “Lady Anne,” the earl said. “Welcome to our home.”
    “Thank you, my lord. It was so kind of you to invite me.”
    The earl nodded, then turned to the petite blonde woman at his side. “Allow me to introduce my wife, the Countess of Covington. My dear, may I present Lady Anne Carmichael.”
    The Countess of Covington stepped forward. Anne greeted her formally with a slight curtsy, then breathed a sigh of relief when the countess smiled. Her smile was warm