The soft sound of Rain's laughter drifted across the garden as Marcus walked down the length the following day. She had refused to remain indoors, claiming the fresh air and sunshine would make her heal better. He rather doubted the validity of the claim but didn't have the heart to deny her.

She sat at the garden table with Mr Russell from the Rose Agency. From Marcus's recollection, the man had always been quiet, but Rain had an ability to get anyone out of their shell, and the man was now smiling over his tea. They had better hope no one ever recruited her as an enemy spy because she'd have everyone spilling their darkest secrets in no time at all.

Claiming to have agency business to attend to—which was not untrue—he had avoided her most of the day, leaving her with Mr Russell. She looked up as he approached, a flash of something that could have been guilt crossing her face. It probably had not escaped her notice that he had withdrawn the previous night after her confessions. To hear it stated so plainly what she planned to do when free of him had been... Unpleasant.

She wanted to be rid of him so badly she would risk social ruin. He doubted there was anything he could do to change her mind if she cared that little for him. No amount of kisses would change that.

"Marcus." She smiled up at him.

Giving her a brief nod, he watched as the smile cooled. Mr Russell must have noticed too, as he stood and sketched a bow before retreating inside the house until his services would be needed again.

"Tea?" Rain asked.

"Please."

They sat in silence as she prepared him a cup. He saw her wince a little as she leaned forward to hand it to him, so he moved across to take it from her.

"Do not overexert yourself," he admonished. "If you expect to heal with no stitches, you must be careful."

She nodded. Taking a sip of her own tea, she watched him over the rim of the cup. "Did you seek me out for a reason or simply to give Mr Russell a respite from my chattering?"

"It did not look as if Mr Russell minds your chattering." Rather, the opposite. He could not remember having seen Russell smile as much before this assignment.

"He is a lovely man. Did you know he has twin daughters?"

"I did not." The private affairs of his agents did not interest him much, as long as it had no bearing on their work. It was, perhaps, not the best way to conduct business, but it worked for him. He was much more interested in the case files and accounting books than anything else. Winter was the one who knew their agents by full name and all of their details. To him, it came easy.

"Violet and Poppy." She smiled. "They sound absolutely delightful."

"Do you not want children?" The question slipped out without thought, and she froze, her teacup halfway to her mouth.

"Pardon me?"

He cleared his throat. "Do you not want children?"

"I did." Her gaze would not meet his as she put her cup down and stared into it. "But now I don't know."

Because she was married to him. She didn't want to have his children. He took a gulp of his tea and grimaced as it was still too hot. Pushing the teacup away, he tried to think of something to say, but no words came to him. At least none he wanted to voice aloud.

"I received a message from Winter," he said, changing the subject.

"Oh?"

"He is travelling to your sister's estate in Devon to investigate some leads. Your sister is joining him."

Rain nearly dropped her teacup, and her eyes widened. "She is what? They are not married. She cannot travel alone with Mr Winter. If anyone finds out... The scandal!"

"I do not believe your sister is very concerned about a potential scandal," he pointed out. "But the official story is that she is visiting your sister Jessica."

"How is Nathaniel allowing this?"

"As far as I understand, he is not aware."

She scoffed. "That makes sense. I cannot believe Nick is doing this." A brief laugh escaped her. "No, that is untrue. I can definitely believe she is doing this."

"I trust Winter to be a gentleman. Your sister will be safe."

"It is not Mr Winter I am worried about." Rain shook her head, but a smile played on her lips. He suspected she was correct. Nicola Howerty played by her own rules, and it was probably Winter who would have to be careful during their journey.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked. She looked well. There was colour in her cheeks, and her mood seemed good. At least when he wasn't around. He had watched her through the window of his study ever so often, unable to focus on his papers for too long at a time without the reassurance that she was all right.

"Not bad," she said. "My hand stings a little and my side is sore, but not nearly as bad as one might expect after being attacked with a knife."

"We were lucky that the assailant did not do more than nick you."

She shook her head, her eyes meeting his. "Not lucky. You saved me. Unlike me, you saw him approach, and you pushed him out of the way just in time."

"I wish I had been quicker."

Leaning forward slightly, she put her hand on his. "You did everything you could. Had you not been there, things would have ended much differently."

"Had you not been married to me, this would never have been an issue," he pointed out tersely. Would she be safe if she left him? He wasn't sure, and it was not a risk he was willing to take.

She shrugged. "You cannot blame yourself. It will only drive you mad."

"I wish I knew who was responsible. But it could be anyone. It might not even be related to the missing list." He sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. "Maybe I have angered someone else. I am not the most sociable person."

Her giggle surprised him. When he looked over at her, she quieted down, but her smile remained. "I am sorry," she said. "But that may have been the understatement of the century. I swear you would not leave the house if you did not have to."

She had him there. He enjoyed the occasional visit to his gentleman's club or a quick stop at the agency, but he was the most content when at home. Smiling reluctantly, he gave her a nod. "True. I cannot argue your point."

"I like it when you smile." Her admission seemed to surprise them both equally, as her eyes widened slightly after saying it. She smiled wryly. "You should do it more often."

"I'd like to." He truly did. But if she left him, he doubted he would. His world would remain the monochrome it had always been if she was no longer there to brighten it with her presence, her laughter. He didn't want that. He wanted all the colours. He wanted her.

"Another cup of t—"

"Would you like to have the sixth kiss?" he blurted out, like a fool, interrupting her question.

Her eyelashes fluttered. "Oh." She looked around, but they were alone in the garden, so she nodded. "We could. Or we could wait until tonight?"

"The sooner we get through them, the sooner you can leave me," he muttered.

"True." She pursed her lips as she watched him thoughtfully. "Let us kiss now, then."

"I will be careful," he promised as he moved across from his chair to sit on the bench next to her. "I do not wish to make your injury worse."

She looked as if she was about to argue, but nodded. He wondered what she had wanted to say. Lifting his hand to cup her face, he watched as her eyes closed and her lips parted slightly, awaiting his kiss. Tempering his desire for her, he leaned in and placed a soft kiss at the corner of her mouth. He had planned to leave it at that, letting her off easy like the previous night as he felt guilty about the aggressive fourth kiss, but Rain turned her head. Her lips brushed against his and he froze, torn between wanting to keep their encounter brief, and wanting more. So much more.

When he did nothing, she pulled back, a faint line between her brows. "Marcus?"

"I beg your pardon." He stood, removing himself from temptation. After realising quite how desperately she wanted to leave him, the whole deal simply did not seem as appealing anymore. Now was not the time, since he could not ensure her safety if they were not together. But once the threat had been negated, perhaps he should do them both a favour and grant her request. He would never stand up before his peers and admit to impotence, but there might be other options.

"Six," he murmured, and with a quick bow, he turned to leave. "I will send Mr Russell back outside."

~~~~~~