The Bachelor Bargain (Secrets, Scandals, and Spies) - Michaels, Maddison (an ebook reader TXT) 📗

“Well, don’t tell anyone,” he gruffly replied. “I do have a reputation to maintain.”

Livie laughed at the look of consternation on his face. And in that very moment, she realized she was starting to fall a little bit in love with the man. A little bit in love with the most unsuitable man she could have ever possibly chosen. And the feeling rocked her to her core.

She couldn’t fall in love with him. She mustn’t fall in love with him. There could never be a future for them together, as much as a part of her was starting to desperately wish otherwise. No one would accept such a match. Not her family. Not Society. Not even his people in the Rookeries.

Everyone knew a duke’s daughter could never marry the most notorious bastard in London. But her heart didn’t seem to want to listen, beating as it was like a drum, as she soaked in everything about the man.

Oh dear. She was in trouble now. A great deal of trouble.

Chapter Thirty-Five

“Ride to the train station and alert my man there that I have need of my private carriage and train, ready to go within the hour,” Seb told his carriage driver, Baxter, as the carriage came to a halt twenty minutes later in the curved driveway of his residence.

He stepped down from the carriage and turned to face the interior to help Livie down.

“You have a train you can simply order to be ready at this hour of the evening?” Livie asked, taking his hand in hers.

Seb felt an instant jolt of awareness tug deep in his gut. “Yes. One of the benefits of being a majority shareholder in several railroad companies.”

“Very impressive,” she replied steadying herself on her feet with the assistance of her cane. “And where are you going?”

“We, Livie. We,” he replied, leading her to the entrance of his residence, a massive edifice in the Georgian style, with white column pillars lining the marble entrance stairs, which led to one of the grandest properties in London. Part of the reason he’d wanted the property, it was in the heart of the richest area of London and was the sole residence on a quarter-acre block, surrounded by hedges. Which, of course, he’d then secured with a perimeter of ten-foot-high steel fencing. The perfect fortress for him. Some of his most trusted men were currently patrolling the place to ensure their safety, especially after the events of the evening.

Seb was taking no more chances with either Charlotte or Olivia.

Without asking her, he swung Livie up into his arms and took the front steps two at a time.

“I’m perfectly capable of walking up some stairs.” She looked beautifully disgruntled, which he knew she would be. The woman was independence personified.

“I know you are,” Seb assured her. “But you’ve taxed your leg greatly tonight, and it’s best you rest it when you can. Isn’t it?”

She blew out a breath. “Yes, I suppose so.”

“Good girl.” He couldn’t resist winking.

But instead of the eye roll he’d been expecting for saying such a thing, her lips brushed softly across his check. It was the briefest of touches; soft and gentle against his skin, but it nearly took his breath away. “What was that for?” His voice sounded gruff, even to his own ears.

“To thank you,” she murmured. “You have a good, kind heart Sebastian Colver.”

“You’d be the only one in London to think so.”

As he reached the top step, the front door was opened swiftly by his butler, Simpkins.

“All went well I hope, sir?” Simpkins asked, not even raising an eyebrow at Sebastian carrying a lady in his arms, even though Seb had never brought a lady to his house before, well, except for Charlotte on a very few occasions. But Simpkins had been trained too impeccably to let even the littlest hint of emotion show on his countenance.

Seb had inherited Simpkins, along with the rest of his household staff, when he’d taken possession of the property after its previous owner, the Earl of Newell, had lost it to Seb in a high-stakes game of dice.

Initially, most of the servants had wanted to hightail it out of the service of the Bastard of Baker Street, not wanting to tarnish their future job prospects in other grand houses by working for someone with his reputation. At least they had, until he’d looked over the household accounts and seen just how deplorable the wages the earl had been paying his staff were. As soon as he’d made it clear what their new wages would be, the entire lot of them stayed on, and were now the best paid servants in London.

“Yes and no,” Seb replied. “Simpkins, ensure the staff continue to stay vigilant. A man who has a definite grudge against me got away, and I daresay he will be trying to attack me at some stage soon.”

“I shall ensure everyone continues to remain alert.” The lines around Simpkins’s pale, almost translucent, blue eyes crinkled in concern. “Can I get either of you anything?”

Swinging Livie gently to her feet, Seb straightened. “A picnic basket filled with food and some flagons of water to take with us would be helpful.”

“Very good, sir. A picnic at midnight is just the thing after such a night,” Simpkins replied in a droll voice.

The man’s tone and facial expression were completely neutral, making it extremely difficult to tell if he was being sarcastic, humorous, or simply chastising Sebastian for not disclosing more details.

Seb suspected it was probably a combination of all three. “We shall be leaving for the train station shortly, Simpkins, heading to my country estate.” Knowing that that was probably what the man was wanting to know all along. Simpkins did pride himself on the effective running of Seb’s household, after all.

“And shall you require any additional staff to travel with you, sir?”

It was still taking Seb some time to get used to all the protocols of having servants, and that traveling