He dipped his head down and Sasha silently cursed herself when she felt greatly disappointed.

His lips did not land on hers.

It playfully traced her jaw until he reached her ear.

The shiver that ran up her spine, spreading outward to the tips of her fingers, was quite powerful that she almost stumbled and fell if not for his arms and his entire length in front of her.

"Is it then safe to assume that you are treating this a game?" he asked, his lips brushing against her lobe, his hot breath soaking her skin with fresh sensations.

Sasha pursed her lips, refusing to answer.

"Do you wish to play it then?" he asked. "Since you seem to claim you are quite good at it."

"I did not—"

"I do accept the challenge." He leaned back, his gaze descending back down on hers. "I am quite proficient in teasing as chess is not the only game I play."

Sasha's breath was snatched out of her and questions erupted in her muddled mind. He was at an advantage, she thought. As a man and as a duke, he must know how to win. He must have never experienced losing.

She saw the challenge in his darkened gaze, igniting her own, feeding her pride. "You simply have to provoke me at every turn, do you not, sir?"

His lips twitched. "As you do, my lady."

Suddenly feeling strong enough to flatten her hand on his chest, Sasha managed to push free from his hold. Taking a step back, she stuck out her chin and smiled at him. "Then consider the challenge spoken."

A wicked grin stretched his lips. "You will lose the very moment you make the first move."

Oh, he didn't know, a voice whispered in Sasha's mind. Her lack of experience might be her advantage after all.

Sasha sighed. This man was not aware that she was unfamiliar with the touch of a man's lips against hers. How did he expect her to initiate one? She matched his grin with her own. "I believe otherwise." Looking straight into his eyes, Sasha willed herself to lift her chin in a haughty mien. "May the best player win, sir."

With her legs shaking, Sasha walked to the door.

Holy blazes, what had she gotten herself into?

*****

After the Garden Ball, Sasha made certain that she recovered from Willoghby's wicked actions and the man she encountered in that dark room.

For it was a different man.

It was not West.

It was a different side of him she had never seen before.

"Are you quite all right?" Prince Albert's voice asked, drawing her back to the present and back at the game of chess. She stared at the pieces before her.

"You are going straight for my queen."

"Is that not the purpose of the game?"

She shrugged. "But it is a game still. It is more fun with a little bit of teasing from each side. We take as many pieces as we can. Make the opponent sweat a little."

The prince's deep blue eyes studied her for a long time. "Something troubles you."

Sasha rolled her eyes in frustration. Everyone was saying the same thing. Iyana had pointed it out during breakfast. Ruby, Gabrielle—everyone thought she was in trouble.

And she was. In many different things. She was drowning in them.

"Is it Blackwood?" the prince asked nonchalantly, taking her knight with his pawn.

Sasha had to be careful. He may be trying to extract information she ought not to tell him. "Perhaps. I have not found anything more about him, I am afraid."

Prince Albert shrugged. "I care very little about that matter at the moment. I am only here for chess."

It was a lie, of course. He could play anywhere he wanted, with anyone he wanted.

His lips twitched knowingly. "You do not have much experience with men, do you, Sasha?"

"You know where I came from, Your Highness."

"Address me as Albert, Sasha. I am your gentleman, am I not? I know that Belcourt considers no one above them, even the king himself."

Sasha sighed and looked at her remaining pieces. She was losing this game.

"Since you are obviously not in the mood for chess, should we do something else?"

She blinked. "What?"

"I shall teach you the ways to a man's heart, my dear."

Sasha scoffed. "Whatever do you mean?"

The prince looked at her in the eyes. "Lust is one thing a woman can use to control a man, but love, my dear, is more potent. Has no one ever told you that?"

She shook her head. Love. It was unheard of in Belcourt, for things were done with loyalty.

The man before her sighed. "This may prove to be a very challenging lesson, after all."

"I can barely summon myself to act like a proper Belle, Albert. How do you expect me to make a man fall in love with me? And West Blackwood at that!"

His chuckle echoed around the still room. "You disregard your own capabilities, Sasha. You are not just a Belle, do remember that. You are not just a Belcourt lady." A knowing smile tugged at his lips. "You are a woman."

"You are not the first to tell me that."

"Because it is true. And a man like West Blackwood, however calculative he may be, however cunning, can fall in love. And when a man is trapped in love, my dear, he can do things he would otherwise not do."

Sasha swallowed. "And how do I do that? How will I be able to make him fall in love with me?"

He shrugged. "That is up to you."

She scowled. "You told me you will teach me the ways to a man's heart."

"Ah, did I?"

"Yes."

"Then forgive me, dear. I meant that I shall assist you."

She frowned. "How?"

"Well, I do have certain powers to make things happen."

"Which are?"

"For one, do expect an invitation to a week-long ball where West Blackwood is expected to attend. Gather all your beautiful dresses and for God's sake, prepare a lot of confidence."

"That is all? An invitation to a ball?"

"Which shall last for a week, dear. Trust me, Sasha, he will find himself coming for you."

"Not when he is surrounded by people within his station. He would dare not be seen with me."

The prince winked. "Then make him come to you."

"How?"

Prince Albert stretched in his seat. "Has anyone ever told you about the power of jealousy?" Sasha merely blinked in confusion. "Obviously, no one did. Shall we begin?"

*****

"What does the villa look like? Can the windows be opened from the inside? Have you gone to the basement? And the doors! Goodness, are the doors with locks? You ought to demand for your own keys, my lady. And how about the footman—"

"Iyana, the villa is like any others," Sasha interrupted wryly.

The woman shifted in the seat across from Sasha. "I do not trust this flower of yours, my lady."

"But do remember, Iyana, that Belcourt trusts him to be a gentleman. He is simply odd."

Iyana looked out the window of the carriage. "And is that his valet standing in the doorway, grinning like a crazed man? He has an eerie air about him."

Shaking her head, Sasha reached for the carriage door and without Iyana's help, descended into the cobbled sidewalk. "I shall be fine, Iyana. And no, you do not have to step down," she added as she gently closed the carriage door.

Iyana poked her head out of the window. "We can wait outside, Bree and I. Is that not right, Bree?"

Briana leaned to the side of the carriage from where she was sitting in the driver's seat with a grin. "We can, aye. But we can also go home, have tea, and then come back for Lady Sasha."

Sasha nodded while Iyana sighed in frustration.

"He does not hurt you in any way, does he, my lady?" asked Iyana, light brown eyes fretful. "Do you know how to fight your way out of that villa if he ever does anything untoward? Oh, but what if you... what if you faint? What would you do then?"

"Fret not, Iyana, I am well whenever I am with him," she said, aware that she was partly lying. There was no moment she could think where she was with West and she felt utterly calm.

Iyana was scowling at something behind her. When Sasha turned, she found Darren still smiling, waiting for her by the open doorway.

Sasha sighed. "He is a nice young man, Iyana. You need not scowl." But Iyana could not be calmed down. Sasha could not understand why the woman was dissuading her just now after she had been to West's villa a couple of times. "Truly, this is ridiculous." She walked over to Briana and ordered, "Please be here by ten," and continued, walking near Iyana, "and if I do not come out by then, you can start to panic."

Iyana's eyes widened. "Do not take this as a joke, my lady! It is our responsibility to keep you safe—Bree!" Her maid was not able to finish her statement as the carriage began to move. "Briana!"

Sasha could hear Briana's chuckles as they drove away. With Iyana's screams of warning still audible, she turned and walked to where Darren was already waiting for him.

"Your servants are quite an interesting pair, my lady," Darren said moments later while he escorted her down the hall. "I have never seen a woman driver in my life."

"Oh, you have not seen enough, I tell you," Sasha replied.

"You must be quite content with them."

"I am beyond content. I should surmise His Grace feels the same toward you."

"Ha!" The valet hung his head back in mock laughter. "He has threatened to cook me in many ways you could a valet, my lady. I am quite certain he only keeps me because I know many of his secrets."

Sasha's eyed the valet's back with interest. "You do now, do you?"

"I do, yes," he said, nodding. He looked over his shoulder to reveal his grinning, proud face. "He picked me up from the streets when I was just a boy. Had me trained with his staff in his estate. And now here I am, making his days a torment as he would say."

"He must merely be jesting."

"Well, he might, but I would dare not push too hard in fear to find if he truly is."

"Then we should hurry. We cannot make him wait."

"Yes, of course."

"But are we not going to the library?" she asked when she noted that they were not taking the usual route.

"His Grace is in the garden, my lady. Please allow me to make the pardon. He must not realize it is freezing outside as he is naturally cold."

Sasha chuckled. "Then we must hurry before the shrubs completely wilt before they have their chance at spring."

*****

His valet's laughter drew West's attention away from his thoughts, causing his brows to knit together in a frown.

It was unknown if the pair ignored his presence in the lone chair of the tiny garden, or if they were simply immersed in their conversation to mind that they were no longer alone.

He took the opportunity to study Sasha as she murmured something to Darren whose laughter merely increased in volume and length. He caught a glimpse of the laughter in her face before it slowly ebbed away when her eyes met his.

As Darren continued to laugh and say something in between chuckles while they slowly made their way to West, Sasha's eyes never left his.

The glimmer of laughter was still there in her eyes, but a layer of something was there. Something curious and mysterious, something exciting. And it mirrored his.

The silent conversation between them was clear. The game was still on. It was in the air between them. He knew that at that moment, she could also feel the hundreds of strings pulling them together, searing them both with the flames running through them, slowly consuming and barely controlled.

"Your Grace, Lady Sasha has arrived," Darren's laughing statement announced.

"I can see that, Darren," he said, never leaving Sasha's gaze.

"Thank you, Darren," Sasha said to the valet, tearing her eyes off West to give the valet a sweet, gentle smile.

West scowled at Darren, wondering what on earth had he been doing with Sasha for him to receive such regard from her.

The valet bowed low and retreated from the garden.

"You scowl too much." Her voice drew his attention back to her. She was covered in a red cloak today, her hair tied behind her nape. She looked normal, more unassuming, and West found he rather liked it. "You are scaring spring away with it."

He scoffed. "What has caused you to share such heartfelt laughter with my valet?"

"Oh, nothing of import. We were merely talking about—the impending ruin of spring."

She was deliberately taunting him again.

"May I sit beside you?"

His entire body tightened. Without getting a response from him, she walked to the wooden bench and settled beside him. She looked around. "Spring is indeed on its way. You should consider putting more flowers to this place."

"I reckon I will find no use of this place in two months."

The gentle expression in her face suddenly disappeared. Her jaw tightened. She straightened her back and pulled her shoulders back. "Ah, yes, of course."

"You have not been answering my missives."

"I didn't think I should."

He snapped his head at her with a scowl. "You deliberately ignored them? I hope you have a good reason. One that produced results of the task I paid you to do."

She turned her head to face him, leaving merely a few inches of air between them. He saw her surprise at the close distance, but she did not flinch.

*****

She sat too near him, Sasha thought belatedly. Pursing her lips to fight the urge to look at his nose and lips and the other features she may have missed before, she said, "I have been visiting Belcourt in search of your sister. Your missives were ignored because you sent them too callously. For someone who procured a villa to escape my staff, you surely have not been discreet, sir."

His eyes wandered down her lips before trailing slowly up back to her eyes. "And what have you found so far?" he asked impatiently.

"Nothing. I need more time. As you may know, getting access to Belcourt records is not easily done."

"Your two months is running out, Sasha."

"Have a care, West, I am but one person searching for one woman amongst hundreds of others."

She was pleased when his eyes narrowed at her use of his name.

"What?" she demanded, arching her brow.

"You have not found anything of value since you signed the agreement."

She blinked. "Then pardon me, Your Grace, for I have been quite occupied of late. As you know, I barely had time to settle in Coulway before you gave me a proposition."

And where had she been before Coulway, he wanted to ask.

How many other flowers did she have there?

Then a thought occurred to him and he narrowed his eyes. "Are you, perhaps, entertaining another gentleman?"

Sasha blinked and shrugged, leaning away back into the back of the bench, adding distance between them. "That is not your concern."

"It is when I–"

"You must have read the contract you signed with Belcourt," she interrupted, frowning at him. "You should be aware that you are not the lone flower in the garden."

Something inside him was boiling and it was apparent in his eyes. "No wonder you have been incompetent."

"I have not been incompetent. I merely lack the time."

"Then demand for Belcourt to have this other gentleman transferred to another."

Sasha looked at him incredulously. "Whyever would I do that? He is naught but been good to me. I have no grounds to have him paired with another Belle."

His eyes were blazing even before she finished. "Good? Good to you? In what way? Paying you for whatever service you give him?"

"Oh, more than that, sir," she said, taking the chance to provoke him. "He also entertains me."

His eye twitched. "If you cannot do the task I am paying you to do, Sasha, you will have to answer to my attorneys."

"As I have told you, sir, I have been to Belcourt doing my search," she lied. As Gabrielle had said before, she could not go to Belcourt for now.

"Then prove it."

"Prove what?"

"That you have been coming there."

She blinked. "However would I do that?"

"Take me with you."

"To where?"

"Take me to Belcourt."