Not given the two men sitting at their table. In particular, the one with his arms folded like iron gates over his chest.

21

Libby’s stomach knotted, her hands clenched, and she fought down the unreasonable urge to spin on her heel and run all the way back to the quay. “Bram! What are you doing here?”

Mabena clicked the door shut behind them—effectively cutting off her escape.

Her brother lifted one powerful eyebrow and kept right on glaring at her. “What am I doing here? I’d think that’s fairly obvious.”

She wanted to be furious, to channel all the churning emotions into some strong response, like Mabena would have made. Instead, all she could think was that she’d never disobeyed her brother before coming here. Never disobeyed their father before him. Not willfully. And this was why. That look.

Even so. If she obeyed him now, the other man sitting in her sweet little kitchen would be her whole future. She darted one quick glance at Lord Sheridan to remind herself of why that would never do. And lifted her chin. “I’m not going back. I’ve let the cottage for the summer, and I’m going to enjoy it.”

“Meow!” A tiny bundle of stripes came tearing from her bedroom upon hearing her voice and probably would have climbed directly up her skirt if she hadn’t bent down to scoop him up. Darling curled into his favorite spot under her chin, butting his head against her and purring loudly. At least someone knew how to properly greet her after an absence.

Bram had opened his mouth, no doubt to issue some command she’d have to ignore despite the churning of her stomach, but he huffed out an incredulous breath instead. “Has that thing been here the whole time?”

“That thing?” She stroked a hand over the kitten’s vibrating back, lest he be insulted. “His name is Darling.”

Bram sent his eyes to the ceiling, looking fully exasperated. “Of course it is.”

“And what exactly do you mean by ‘the whole time’?” There, finally, the kitten’s purring was infusing her with a bit of confidence. “How long have you been here brooding and invading my privacy? And how did you get in?”

“Please.” He nodded toward the closed door, which made the sun streaming in the windows glint off his honeyed blond hair. “Mother provided me with your landlady’s information when she gave me your address. And given that this so-called privacy was purchased with my money, though without my knowledge, I don’t think you get to complain about . . .” He trailed off, narrowing his eyes at something behind her.

No. Someone. “Who is—wait. Moon?”