“Nonsense,” the woman exclaimed. Her welcoming smile didn’t waver. “Lady Belhaven won’t be expecting you back for an hour at least. Please, do sit.”
When Rocky hesitated again, a bullish expression crossed the woman’s face. She pointed to the sofa. It was an order, not a request. Besides, Rocky wanted to hang around so she could see who would get the lily bouquet.
Reluctantly, Rocky lowered herself to sit on the edge. Her snowy outerwear probably wet the upholstery. Catt shucked his greatcoat, hat, and gloves before sitting on the opposite end of the sofa. He laid the articles in his lap. He appeared every bit as uncomfortable as Rocky.
Lady Montrose frowned. “What, are you strangers? Sit closer together!”
Catt and Rocky exchanged a glance. They sat slightly closer. At the woman’s insistence, they moved closer still, until Catt’s thigh pressed against Rocky’s and the heat of his body seeped into her side.
Pleased, Lady Montrose murmured, “Now, let’s see what’s in these bouquets.” She hummed cheerfully under her breath as she unwrapped the first to display the carnations, baby’s breath, and coneflowers inside. Without looking at Catt and Rocky, she pronounced, “Lovely. I like to give out a few flowers to each of my clients.”
Clients? This woman lived in Mayfair. Wasn’t she a peer like the others who lived in this neighborhood?
“You can have one, if you’d like,” Lady Montrose said as she unwrapped another bouquet.
“No, thank you,” Rocky said, gritting her teeth. How were they supposed to figure out who the flowers were intended to go to now? “Do you have particular clients in mind for each bouquet?”
“I let the clients choose which ones speak to them.” Lady Montrose unwrapped the bouquet with the lily in it and frowned. “This one isn’t up to your usual standards.”
Rocky shot a look at Catt. Apparently Lady Montrose didn’t know about the code, but one of her clients must. The question was, which one.
Lady Montrose set the bouquet aside. “Would you care for some tea? I just put on a pot.”
“Thank you, but we can’t possibly stay so long.”
At this protest, Lady Montrose appeared to ignore them. She unwrapped another bouquet. “Oh, daisies! My favorite. Such a simple flower, but often the simplest things are the most splendid.” She plucked one long-stemmed daisy from the bunch and laid it on her lap, claiming it. Without looking at them, she asked, “How long have you two known each other?”
“Not long,” Rocky answered.
At the same time, Catt said, “Years.”
They glared at each other. We’re supposed to be botanist and assistant, remember? Apparently, it had escaped his mind.
Lady Montrose frowned. “Oh, dear. You two aren’t on the same page at all, are you? I understand why Lady Belhaven sent you to me.”
“I believe she sent us to deliver the flowers,” Catt put in. His voice was even, but his posture was stiff. The tension in his body seeped into Rocky’s, knotting her muscles. She shifted in place.
“That, too,” Lady Montrose agreed as she uncovered the last bouquet of flowers. “But if you don’t start compromising and communicating, this union won’t last long at all.”
Oh, dear. Had the tension between Catt and Rocky been that obvious? She’d known it wouldn’t be easy to work with him so closely, but if Lady Belhaven had picked up on the fact that they were so often at odds, their position might be more dire than she’d assumed.
“To what union are you referring?” Catt asked, his voice tight.
Glancing up, the woman batted a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Why, your upcoming nuptials, of course.”
Panic spiked through Rocky, the code all but forgotten. She exchanged a glance with Catt. He looked about as pleased at the notion as she felt. Somehow, someone had come to a misunderstanding.
Upcoming nuptials? With Rocky? Catt’s eyes widened as he glanced toward her reflexively. He braced himself for her inevitable outburst, sure to be a vehement denial. She said nothing.
Could she be considering it? Of course not. It was preposterous! He cleared his throat. “I believe there’s been some mistake. We work together, nothing more.”
Nothing? Only the other day, he’d almost given into temptation and kissed her.
Lady Montrose, seeming to guess his thoughts, nodded in sympathy. “Workplace romances can be difficult. That’s likely why Lady Belhaven thought I could help. She’s somewhat of a matchmaker, you know.”
Catt and Rocky exchanged another confused glance. Had Lady Belhaven sent them there on purpose to try to push them together? Rocky tensed to stand, but he stopped her with a hand on her arm. If this was one of Lady Belhaven’s regular clients, they couldn’t afford to offend her and risk upsetting Lady Belhaven’s business. At the moment, they were the face of her enterprise.
Perhaps she hadn’t made the wisest choice.
Oblivious to Rocky’s anger, though Catt was not, Lady Montrose added, “I’m a pre-marriage counselor, you see.”
Lud.
“I help all sorts of peers in reaching equilibrium before they embark on the most exciting and frightening ventures of their lives.” Leaning back in her chair, the woman laced her fingers together across her stomach. “Of course she could be sending one of those grandsons. About time one of them got married and produced a great-grandchild for her. Well, that Stanley isn’t proper husband material but Lance has a nice position. A barrister I think. Then again, I’ve seen him lurking around some shady areas. Something sneaky about him. But anyway, back to the two of you. There’s nothing to be ashamed of in admitting you’re afraid. We can address it and go forward.”
Rocky gritted her teeth. “I am not afraid…”
He coughed into his fist to cover her words. She would only encourage the vapid woman.
Lady Montrose, beaming, added, “You have the same indicators of poor cohesion that I see in many arranged marriages.”
“We are not in an arranged marriage.” Catt struggled to keep his voice cordial. He didn’t know how well he succeeded.
“I see. Did you have a fight, then?”
When didn’t they fight? The muscles in Rocky’s forearm bunched beneath Catt’s restraining hand. She jerked free.
“We are not romantically involved.” Her voice was waspish.
Apparently, the thought of marrying him put her in a sour mood. He expected as much, but still wasn’t prepared for the way his stomach dropped. He took a deep breath and added, “If Lady Belhaven asked for your assistance, it must be in relation to our professional cohesion, not our personal one.”
Lady Montrose pursed her lips. She didn’t seem convinced. “The personal bleeds into the professional. If you’re having difficulty connecting in one aspect of your lives, it will affect the other.”
Surely she didn’t still think he and Rocky were a romantic couple?
Rocky stood. “Thank you for that advice. We will take it under consideration.” Given the tone of her voice, she intended to do no such thing. After patting down her coat, she cast him a glare and turned toward the door.
Catt stood and started to don his coat.
Lady Montrose called after Rocky, “Just a moment, dear. If Lady Belhaven did send you to me to help your working relationship, I should think you ought to stay and hear what I have to say.”
Frustration crossed Rocky’s face. She didn’t appear to be making any effort to hide it. With obvious reluctance, she trudged back to the sofa and perched on the edge.
Catt returned to his seat. He glanced at the bouquets. Maybe if they stayed long enough, they would run into the next client and discover who the code was meant for because surely it must be the next person Lady Montrose would council, otherwise it was too risky that one of the innocent couples would choose the lily bouquet.
Beaming, Lady Montrose said, “You say you have trouble working together. Why do you think that is?”
Catt exchanged a glance with Rocky.
“Because he’s pigheaded
,” she answered without hesitation.
He rolled his eyes. “That was my answer.”
She glared at him. “I’m your superior. You should be nicer to me.”
He gritted his teeth. This assignment from Morgan couldn’t be over quick enough. At least then he wouldn’t have to put up with jibes like that one. As it was, he couldn’t set the record straight. For the time being, she was his superior.
“Why don’t you respect each other? Do you find the other under-qualified for their job?”
“No,” they answered simultaneously. They exchanged another glance. Rocky pulled a face, no doubt realizing that she was in agreement with him.
“Do you think you might have trouble battling physical attraction while at work?”
Yes. Catt cleared his throat. “No.”
He answered on the heels of Rocky’s no. She glanced at him and he steeled himself for her usual venom. Instead, she looked guarded. His breath seized for a moment as their eyes locked. He couldn’t read her expression behind her spectacles. Could she be lying as well?
It was ludicrous. Madness. They didn’t get along and never had. If, after years, they suddenly developed a tendre for one another…
No. He hadn’t kissed her, and he wouldn’t. He couldn’t. It would turn Catt’s life upside down.
Though perhaps his life was too boring as it was.
If Lady Montrose noticed Catt’s lie, she didn’t call him on it. Instead, she said, “Communication is the key to getting rid of the tension between you. If you tell the truth, everyone’s feelings will be out in the open and there will be less of a chance of a misunderstanding.”
Catt was not going to admit that he’d thought of kissing Rocky recently. Several times. He didn’t understand the urge as it was, and she would only use it as a means to attack him.
Fortunately, Lady Montrose seemed to sense that neither of them would be cooperative. She moved on.
“I’d like you to each say something good about the other person. Positivity, more so than negativity, will help to heal the rift between you two.”
Did Catt really want it healed? Even if it might help with their pursuit of Monsieur V.
At this point, he would do whatever sped along this session and allowed them to return to the mission at hand.
“Decisions come easily to her. She always knows what to do and rarely has to think for long to find a solution.”
Rocky, her mouth open to say something, shut it again and looked at him. Inwardly, he cringed. He half expected her to rub in her position of superiority in Lady Belhaven’s townhouse, regardless of the fact that it was only a cover. However, she didn’t speak.
“Good,” Lady Montrose said. “And what of you? What do you admire about him?”
Given the way Rocky narrowed her eyes, he expected her not to answer or to give a negative trait instead. She took a moment to ponder her words before she answered.
“He’s cool under pressure.” Glancing to him, she added, “You never seem to agonize over what needs to be done in such a short time, you work and do what you can and always keep up a cheerful outlook throughout it.”
“Brilliant.” Lady Montrose beamed. “See? I feel as though we’re making progress.
Catt certainly hoped so. Although something in his chest warmed over the fact that Rocky admired something about him, he was eager to be away from this conversation.
Even more so when Lady Montrose said, “When you two are working, what is the one thing you find most irritating about one another? Perhaps if we address that, we’ll be able to put you on the path to a smooth relationship.”
She meant working relationship, didn’t she?
Catt didn’t need to think in order to give the answer. “Rocky constantly talks to the plants.”
“I do not!”
He raised an eyebrow. “You do. Nonsensical stuff mostly, about the weather or the latest book you’ve read. Oddly enough, it’s never the same conversation. You have an inexhaustible number of topics. It’s quite astounding, when you think of it.”
She glowered. “I don’t do that…”
She didn’t realize that she chattered under her breath while she worked? Perhaps he shouldn’t have brought it up.
“You’re making it up so you could stop me from answering.”
Why would he do that? Lady Montrose seemed bent on allowing them each an equal turn. To the older woman, he shrugged. He didn’t rise to Rocky’s bait and engage with her in yet another futile argument. If she wanted to believe she spent the work day silent, he would let her believe that.
Now and again, she voiced something that he actually found interesting.
“Instead of refuting his claim, perhaps you ought to offer something in return. What does he do while working that irks you?”
“He’s pigheaded.” Rocky crossed her arms, leaning back into the sofa.
Catt gritted his teeth. That, right there, was precisely why he couldn’t entertain the notion of kissing her. He could only imagine how much worse his life would become should he befuddle what little common ground they had.
Gently, Lady Montrose pointed out, “That is not a habit in specific.”
Rocky sucked in her cheeks. After a moment, she answered, “He discards my ideas based solely on the fact that I am a woman.”
What? Was she touched in the head? “I do not do that. If anything, it’s the other way around!” More likely than not, Rocky got her way.
She glared. “If you would only accept the fact that I am qualified—”
“I do! If anything, you need to learn that there are other methods of solving problems than only your own.”
That was likely the most civilized moment of their ensuing argument. Rather than stopping them, Lady Montrose only encouraged the discourse in order for them to get their every emotion out in the open. When it was done, Rocky’s eyes glimmered with passion. Her cheeks were rosy. Her lips were plump after she’d bitten them so many times. Her chest heaved as she balled her fists. She’d never looked more captivating.
And that, if anything, led Catt to believe their conversation with Lady Montrose was more dangerous than he’d originally believed.
Nearly an hour later, Catt and Rocky managed to part ways from the persistent Lady Montrose.
Rocky turned to him in the street and whispered. “Lady Montrose’s next clients must be the spies the lily is intended for. We need to wait and see who it is.”
“I thought of that too, but we have no idea when those clients are scheduled. It could be tomorrow. And if we don’t get back soon it could raise suspicions and ruin the whole mission. V could be watching and if he thinks we’re trying to figure out who the recipient we’ll lose our chance.”
At Rocky’s sour look he added. “Morgan’s instructions were clear. Our priority is to ferret out the identity of Monsieur V. We can't risk it. Best we can do is pass along the information that Lady Montrose’s services are being used to pass along messages.”
Rocky glared at him. “See, this is exactly what I was talking about in there. You’re pigheaded and you don’t value my input!”
“It’s not that. We have to follow Morgan’s instructions. He’s the boss,” Cat said softly, but it was no use. Rocky had stormed off ahead of making Catt rush to catch up.
The return to Belhaven manor was made in silence. If anything, the atmosphere between them was more tense and charged than ever. Catt couldn’t glance at her without remembering how her eyes sparkled when she fought with him, even if the words cleaved by her sharp tongue were a good deal less alluring. He was going mad. It was the only possibility.
Rocky stormed past him as they entered the manor. She shucked her outerwear brusquely, though she didn’t snap at the butler, Lewis. Catt was more cordial as he relinquished his winter gear to the man. By the time he had delivered the items, Rocky was already storming off. He wiped his boots briskly and jogged to catch up.
Her strides were clipped. Her body hummed with tension.
He reached her elbow just as they turned the corner into the corridor toward the hothouse. Ahead, the hothouse door opened and a man slipped out.
Stefan.
Both Catt and Rocky faltered for a moment. He clasped her elbow and hurried her along, nodding to the footman as they slipped back into the hothouse. What business did Stefan have there? The deliveries had all been filled by this hour. He should have no reason to enter.
The moment Catt shut the hothouse door after them, the warm air enveloping him, Rocky rounded on him.
“Why did you let him walk away? We should have questioned him.”
Catt gritted his teeth. “What if he is V? Better he not believe we’re onto him. Besides, we have work to do if we’re to find which plants he tampered with.”
“He might have had a perfectly cogent reason to be in the hothouse, but now we’re going to have to waste time going after him.”
Had she developed some kind of tendre for the footman that he didn’t know about? Something hot and painful stabbed at Catt at the thought but he shoved the notion aside.
“It isn’t a waste. Everyone in the manor is suspect, until we learn otherwise.” Obviously, Stefan had had no reason to be in the hothouse at that hour, especially while it was otherwise unoccupied.
“Then I’ll go and see if I can discover why he was in here.”
That sounded like a bad idea. “We have to check the plants for tampering.” That alone would take the two of them hours. They might not finish in one afternoon.
“Then check them,” she said with a falsely sweet smile. “I wouldn’t want to irritate you with my incessant chatter.”
Catt gritted his teeth as she stormed from the room.
Chapter 9
Stefan was, quite possibly, the most boring footman Rocky had ever met. He polished the silverware in the dining room, begged sweets from Eliza who treated him with just as much frost as she did Rocky, and joked with Abby in the doorway of a room while she was dusting.
He delivered a sprig of baby’s breath to Lady Belhaven who was in the sitting room. Rocky hovered just outside the door.
Charming the Spy (Scandals and Spies Book 4) Page 7
