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Rosa jerked her hand to her chest, aze with smoky, dark eyes "You don’t?"

He shook his head and crossed to the tray on his desk, heart still thundering in his ears The world was gray, but soht within it, the sound of her own rapid heartbeat drawing his attention like the predator he was

Someone--Doyle, no doubt--had seen fit to provide him with blud-wein He poured a shot of it and threw it back, so aware of her that he could alue, Mrs Marberry I buyfactories--or what’s left of them" Blood that was taken in the blood taxes the Echelon had forced upon the populace for years He slowly stoppered the decanter "I don’t have the kind of living to support a thrall"

"But surely--"

"No," he replied firmly "I’ve never taken froathered himself and turned to face her Rosa still clutched her ar curiosity he often saw in her gaze

"You want to knohy," he said, and the gray washed out of his vision suddenly

Color flooded into her cheeks "Of course not"

"Surprising," he noted, almost to himself "You’ve shown little restraint in the past, unless it happens to involve yourself or unless you’re referring to me directly as a blue blood" He saw the little flinch she couldn’t hide and refused to give in to guilt "You don’t like to think of me as a blue blood" No shock this time, but he knew he’d hit a nerve "You make me very curious about your history, Rosa And your humanist tendencies"

The blood drained out of her face "My what?"

Interesting He picked up the glass he’d used and grabbed the decanter Taking a seat on the settee, he cocked his boots on the table and poured himself another Rosa still hadn’t h she were prepared to flee at any love as if it were a lifeline

"You read the pah to makeelse Very few hu of hemlock and its applications I would also suspect an incident in your past involving a blue blood"

Some color had returned to her cheeks "And ould you suspect that?"

"The pistol," he replied bluntly "Your fear of me and my men, the way you don’t like to be touched or locked in a shtened to be in the carriage together hen I ounded and therefore, in your mind, vulnerable"

She stared at him like a cornered animal "I’m not afraid of you"

Lynch cocked a brow

"I’

"Then you are wary And that makes ed her glove back on as if it were armor "My father was a blue blood," she told him "My er brother was born Unfortunately, she passed away; the streets were not kind to her and we had to learn to make do, which should explain the pistol Old habits die hard" Dark lashes closed over her eyes "My father found us when I was ten, so I have…a healthy respect for blue bloods and what they can do That is all"

The truth perhaps, but far from the whole of it If her father was a blue blood, that ht away; ti he knew about her said he would need to be

Lynch sipped at his blud-wein, knowing that the sight of it disturbed her "Your father hurt you--?"

"My lord," she replied icily, "I believe this is coht--"

"To poke and pry? Perhaps I share your curiosity, but instead of breaking into locked roo you"

The look she shot him was by no means friendly "I didn’t break in; the door wasn’t locked"

Lynch sat forward, putting his glass down "Now that," he said, "is a lie Though you do it so well I alestured to the seat opposite hi around?"

"I have work to do"

"I’ll very generously grant you a lunch hour"

Still she hesitated

"And I shall offer you a truth in exchange for one," he said, knowing that curiosity was her downfall He reached out and lifted the lid off the tray in front of hi a spread of small cucumber sandwiches, a plate of spiced cake, and a platter of biscuits A pot of tea steamed beside it "Besides, I didn’t request this food foryou since you started"

"I don’tup over the tray, "that you do not wish to tell me your truths" He watched the hthawks, Mrs Marberry Don’t make me too curious And I’ll warn you that you are h I doubt that was your intention"

She sat, though the stiff way she perched across from hi legs stretched out in front of hih answers about her, and every evasive response only gave hiry"