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Thorn smiled at me. “We can easily remedy that problem with a quick visit to the clothes market after we have met with my friends.”
I had only a few minutes to wait as we rolled through the large square and up a gentle slope. Elegant homes occupied the incline, with many sporting terraces gardens and flower beds in front of their Tudor-style mansions. The elegant beamed woodwork and whitewashed putty walls blended well with the natural yard layouts.
We parked in front of one of these two-story homes. Three terraces some twenty feet deep each featured meandering stone paths that wound their way through flowers and under vine-covered archways. They were interrupted only by the wide steps that led up to the wide stone patio, and from there to the front door.
Thorn was helping me onto the steps when the door opened and a man and woman stepped out. The man was slightly taller than Thorn and appeared to be about fifty with gray streaks in his temples. He wore a simple but elegant black suit with matching shoes. The man would have looked perfectly comfortable in a high-class salon except for the pair of ram-like horns that stuck out of his forehead. He also had a perfectly round scar on the back of his left hand that showed on the back and front.
The woman at his side was likewise dressed in a simple white silk dress with a high collar and long short sleeves. Her blond hair was done up in a braided bun behind her head whichframed her slim and beautiful face like a halo. She appeared to be only thirty, but there was something in her eyes that belied a much greater age.
They met us halfway down the stairs and the gentleman released his companion’s hand to hold them out to Thorn. “It’s been too long, Will.”
Thorn smiled and grasped their hands together. “I have only pathetic excuses for my absence.”
The woman stepped closer to me and I now saw she had the brightest blue eyes I had ever beheld. They seemed to look into my soul with a gentleness only an angel could provide. “And this must be your bride.”
Thorn lifted an eyebrow. “Did you hear that from someone?”
Lord Torch chuckled. “You have been gone too long, Will, to have forgotten that very little slips past my dear bride. But you look weary from your journey. Let us discuss these matters inside.”
Torch’s bride set her hand on my arm and smiled at me. “If you will follow me.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
I lether lead me by the arm up the stairs with the dragon men behind us, and her warm eyes studied me. “We haven’t properly introduced ourselves. I am Helen, bride to Lord Torch.”
“Rose. Rose Dumont,” I replied.
Her smile widened and crinkled her eyes. “A beautiful name. Quite like a song I remember from my youth.”
I looked her over. “You’re not my age, are you?”
She laughed and shook her head. “Not for many, many years.”
We stepped into the house and I found the white walls and carpeted floors a gentle welcome. Tapestries of hunting and rural scenes hung on the walls and large chandeliers hung down from the open-beamed ceilings to give light to every nook and cranny. The entrance hall acted as the reception and dining rooms, and a warm fire burned in the great hearth where numerous cushioned high-backed chairs were positioned. There was even a matching settee which was where the other woman set us while the men took chairs.
“Why did you ask if someone had heard about your bride?” Torch inquired as he settled himself onto the well-worn cushion.
Thorn nodded at me. “Someone gave a job to the Agency to take her from me.”
The woman beside me stiffened and I noticed Torch gripped the arms of the chairs with more strength than was necessary. His words, too, were tense. “I see. Do you know who is the culprit?”
Thorn shook his head. “Alas, no, but that’s why we’ve come here. I intend to discover the client’s identity.”
“And then?” Torch wondered.
Thorn met the gaze of our host with a sharp look. “You know as well as I, Alex, what fate awaits someone who dares to steal a bride.”
Torch cast a sorrowful gaze at the woman. “A prospect Helen and I know all too well.”
Helen stretched her arm out and set her pale smooth hand on his arm. “You have kept me safe these several years.”
He pursed his lips. “As safe as a bird in a cage, my love, which is no life for either of us to live.”
She offered him a tender smile. “Any life with you is a life worth living, dearest.”
“Then you never figured out who intended to steal her away?” Thorn questioned them.
Torch shook his head. “No clue other than the job was hired out through the Agency. I foundthatlair of scum, but those in charge had already fled before I arrived, taking with them the ledgers and books of their black guild.”
