Another mistake? She couldn’t believe that Lachlan would be so careless—and that she should be so lucky.

Her pulse quickened, eager to be rid of her company. “Thank you, Bess. I can finish the rest myself. You must be exhausted.”

The girl gave her a quick bob. “Thank you, my lady. I will see you in the morning.”

Joan’s door closed, and a few moments later, the outer door closed as well. She turned to the ambry and pulled open the door. “That was fast, Fath—”

She stopped, shocked mute when Alex—not Lachlan—slipped out of the darkness. His expression was so dark it almost didn’t look like him. When she managed to find her tongue, the word came out as a question. “Alex?”

“Expecting someone else?”

She hoped the room was too dark for him to see her face pale.

But the lapse was only momentary; she quickly got herself back under control and responded without hesitation. The ability to think of a lie quickly was one of the things that had made her so successful—although it wasn’t anything to be proud about under the circumstances.

“Aye, I did,” she said calmly. “I thought you were Fiona.”

He looked at her quizzically.

“The girl that keeps the brazier lit for Alice at night,” she explained. “It’s a game we play. She likes to hide and try to scare me.”

The lies that fell so easily from her tongue filled her with shame. God, she hated this. What once she’d not given much thought to now made her want to squirm.

Alex frowned. Not wanting to let him think too long—or ask any questions about a girl who didn’t exist—she used another tactic: making him be the one to hold up the shield and not her.

“I think I’m the one who should be asking the questions. What are you doing in my room, Alex? Spying on me while I undress?”

The tactic worked. Some of the darkness in his expression was replaced by sheepishness. From the way his gaze seemed to be avoiding anything below her neck, it was very clear that she was not the only one aware of her reduced state of clothing.

“I needed to see you. I’ve been waiting for hours. Christ, it must be midnight. Where the hell have you been?”

Joan’s eyes widened at his tone and the blasphemy that seemed to surprise even him.

Good Lord, whatever was the matter with him?

Suddenly, she realized what was the matter. Realized what he thought. Realized what had caused him to lose his temper and blurt out the accusation. For that was exactly what it was. He thinks I’ve been with another man.

Given what he’d seen before, and what she’d let him think, maybe it was fair. Maybe it was reasonable under the circumstances.