Free Edith Layton by To Tempt a Bride

it’s not at all what I expected. It’s lavish, elegant, and—”
    “And not what you’d think to find me in?” he asked.
    “Right,” Camille said.
    This time Belle’s sigh was heavy enough to send a toy sailboat across the pond in the park across the street.
    “I didn’t mean anything rude by that,” Camille added, looking at Belle. She hesitated as she considered how to answer his question more tactfully. His lodgings were in a house in a fine district opposite the park. She gazed around the splendidly furnished salon, taking in the tasteful display of antique figurines on the rose marble mantel over the hearth, the peach-colored stretched-silk walls hung with exquisite etchings, the celestial-blue ceiling with gold carvings at its margins, the priceless vase filled with hothouse roses on a fine French table by the window.
    Eric was a big, masculine man. She’d expected huge old chairs and stuffed elk heads, tiger skins on the floor, sporting prints and stray riding crops strewn about—the clutter of a man home from the hunt. This room was more of a connoisseur’s retreat, artful and filled with rare prizes. While not feminine, it was delicate and subtle in style. And yet it suited him perfectly.
    “No,” she finally said flatly. “It isn’t what I expected at all. But it’s grand. Who are you leasing the place from?”
    “You think I’m that much of a barbarian?” he asked, one brow raised. “But even the Vikings carried home loot they admired.” She looked so confused that he relented. “I’m not a tenant,” he explained. “This is actually my house. Drum advised me to buy a place when I came back to London. I’m grateful to him for it. Now my lodgings are not only for comfort, they’re an investment. Rental money goes out, never to return. When you own your home, you’re able to live not only with, but also in, your assets. I had it decked out the way I always wanted a house to look. The manor is stuffed with my father’s mementos. These keep-sakes are mine, picked up on my travels. I got something besides my malarial fever when I was abroad, you know. I got an education in the wayother people live and a taste for some of the finer things. Some of my curios are ancient and worth a mint, some only cost pennies, but they remind me of where I’ve been.”
    “I’m sorry,” Camille said, “I didn’t realize—”
    “No need,” he said quickly. “I surprised myself when I bought and fitted out this place.”
    Camille nodded, embarrassed by the sudden look Nell gave her. Because when Nell had asked about Eric in idle conversation, Camille had told the girl that though he was the only son, his father was just a retired army officer, and so he wasn’t particularly wealthy. She hadn’t lied, she just hadn’t known. She realized now that there were many things about Eric that she didn’t know.
    “It’s very lovely,” Nell said.
    Camille was grateful to her for saying something to break the awkward moment.
    “And I’m glad I had the chance to visit,” Nell went on, “because I finally have a chance to say thank you, Lieutenant—I mean, Mr. Ford.”
    “You’re welcome, Miss Baynes.”
    She cast her gaze down again. “But please call me Nell.”
    “Well, Nell.” He paused to grin and went on, “You’ve a euphonious name as well as a pretty face. You can make a poet of any man.”
    Camille stopped breathing until he continued more heartily, “At any rate, Nell, we hope to have good news for you soon.”
    Her gaze flashed to his.
    “Drum, Rafe, and other friends of ours in high and low places are searching for your relatives. There is no one of that name at the address you provided. Nor has there been, so far as anyone knows.”
    Nell’s eyes grew wide. “But that’s the last address I had!” she cried. “It was from some time ago, because it’s been a while since Mama could write, as I said. Oh, my! So that’s why they never answered my letter saying I was coming to