Lottie instinctively drew back. Alec’s arm came around her waist and he pulled her close to his side, but she was rather grateful for this display of possessiveness. The men didn’t even try to hide their leers as they stepped closer. One gestured to her and said something that sounded complimentary to Alec in that joking tone men always use with one another. Lottie didn’t know a word, and yet she understood enough.

Men had shouted things at her nearly every day since her arrival in Italy. She didn’t like it, and one particularly aggressive flower seller had almost sent Mrs. Wetherby into a fit of the vapors on the Ponte Vecchio, but ultimately it was harmless. Lottie had experienced much worse behavior in London ballrooms from men who believed themselves to be highly civilized gentlemen.

Alec’s hold on her tightened. He did not respond, nor did he return the man’s grin.

The silence stretched between the four of them until it became painfully obvious that he would not engage at all. The larger of the pair’s face twisted in an ugly frown and he let loose a string of vicious Italian. Her shoulders tightened at the blows she expected Alec to unleash—men had dueled to the death over much less—but his only reaction was a slight tensing of his brow. The men hurled a few more words at him, which were met with the same grim silence until they gave up and walked away, already chattering on as if the confrontation had never happened.

Lottie hadn’t realized she was holding her breath.

“Come along.” Alec didn’t even give them a backward glance as he released her and headed up the stairs. The loss of his comforting hold was immediate. That she even noticed was particularly vexing.

“You should have joked back with them,” Lottie hissed when she managed to find her tongue. “They seemed very angry.”

He looked amused. “I assure you, I’ve been in far worse situations.”

By then they had reached the top floor. Alec stopped in front of the only door and fingered the edge of the key. “Besides, I wasn’t going to laugh along with those bastards,” he said softly.

Now she was curious. “What did they say?”

He watched her a moment. “They mostly discussed the various animals I was born of and what I could do with them.” He flashed her a smirk and Lottie let out a breath of laughter. Then Alec turned to the door and slid the key into the lock. “They managed to get one thing right, though,” he added as he pushed the door open. “You are very beautiful.”

Alec stepped into the room without waiting to see Lottie’s reaction. He would have readily said the same thing to any other woman during any other mission. Acting as the charming, carefree rogue had served him very well over the years. And it would do so once again.

The bedroom was a delightful surprise: large, bright, and airy with a set of doors that opened onto a small balcony. That obnoxious innkeeper hadn’t been exaggerating at all. The view really was magnificent. It looked out across the tiled rooftops of Pistoia, offering a glimpse of the bell tower of the Cathedral of San Zeno. And the bed was indeed one of the largest he had ever seen, with an elaborately carved headboard that would put Catholic church pews to shame. There wasn’t much else in terms of decoration, but the room didn’t need it.