Red Roses Mean Love by Jacquie D'Alessandro Read Free Book Online Page A

next. He'd be a fool not to take advantage of his situation. A plan formed in his mind.
    "I have no family," he said, and felt a twinge of guilt when Hayley's eyes immediately filled with sympathy.
    "How terribly sad for you," she whispered, taking his hand and gently squeezing it.
    Stephen glanced down at their hands. Hers looked capable and sturdy, yet soft, lying on his. Warmth spread through him, and he wondered why. No doubt because such familiar gestures were foreign to him.
    "Surely there is someone you wish to contact?" she asked. "Another gentleman? A friend? Or perhaps an employer?"
    An employer? She clearly believed it possible he was from the working class. Under normal circumstances, Stephen might have been amused at the very thought. His valet would have bristled like a spitting cat. But these were not normal circumstances.
    He quickly weighed his options. While he didn't want anyone to know his whereabouts, he needed to trust someone, and only one person had his complete trust. His best friend and brother-in-law, Justin Mallory, the Earl of Blackmoor.
    "Actually, I would like to contact someone."
    "Excellent. A friend?"
    "Yes. Someone I used to work with."
    "Where are you employed?" she asked, her eyes alight with curiosity.
    "I am, ah, a tutor," he improvised swiftly. "For a family in London ."
    "A tutor? That's grand! What subjects do you teach?"
    "Ah, all the usual ones. The classics."
    "Mathematics? Latin?"
    "Of course."
    A broad smile lit her face. "Lingua Latina ? Vero?"
    Stephen barely suppressed a groan. Damn it all, the woman spoke Latin. He'd studied the language, of course, but he'd never excelled at it and hadn't attempted to speak it in years. He desperately conjugated a few verbs and hoped for the best. "Caput tuum saxum immane mittam."
    Her smile faded into a puzzled frown. "Why would you want to throw an enormous rock at my head?"
    He forced himself not to wince. Apparently he hadn't said "I'm delighted to make your acquaintance." "You misunderstood me, I'm sure." To divert her attention, he cleared this throat several times. "May I have some water?"
    "Of course." She handed him a goblet.
    He took several swallows and gave it back to her. "Thank you."
    "You're welcome, Stephen." A blush colored her cheeks. "I really shouldn't call you Stephen. What is your surname?"
    Without thinking Stephen answered "Barrett," and wished he was physically able to kick his own ass. So much for protecting my anonymity. He coughed several times then added, "Son. Barrettson."
    "Stephen Barrettson … hmmm … the name Stephen means 'victorious' and Barrettson loosely translates to 'brave as a bear.'" She flashed him a crooked smile. "Studying the origins and meanings, of names is a hobby of mine. Yours is a very noble name indeed."
    "For a commoner," Stephen added quickly.
    "Oh, but there's nothing common about you at all, Mr. Barrettson. One need not be a peer of the realm to be a noble man."
    "Indeed," Stephen said softly, wondering if he imagined the sudden bitterness he detected in her tone when she said "peer of the realm." If she harbors a low opinion of the nobility, I'm doubly glad I didn't tell her who I am. "Hayley is an unusual name. What does it mean?" To his surprise, a bright blush suffused her cheeks.
    "It means 'from the hay meadow.'"
    For the life of him Stephen couldn't imagine why "from the hay meadow" would cause the hectic color suffusing her face. He tried to recall the last time he'd seen a grown woman blush and realized he never had. Until now. All the women he knew were sophisticated, worldly, and more likely to set fire to themselves than to blush.
    Unable to squelch his curiosity he asked, "Why are you blushing?"
    Her color grew even more pronounced and she bit her lower lip, the corners of her mouth tilting up in a smile. "Am I blushing?"
    "Profusely. And you look amused as well. Believe me, I could use a good jest. Why does 'hay meadow' cause you to bloom like a rose?"
    "Perhaps I'll