Felicia's Spirits

by Marie Higgins

  As he approached his townhouse, the shadows played tricks on him... either that, or there was someone standing on the side of the house against the red-bricked wall. He dismounted his horse, tied it to the post before moving in that direction. As he neared, he could clearly see someone standing there.

  Then the person moved, and seconds later came a gasp. Then he noticed the woman’s bonnet, her gloved hands, and a shawl around her shoulders. Before he could fully identify her, she stepped into the light. Felicia wrung her hands against her middle. Immediately, he could see her gloves were not the tan color he’d first thought. They were a dirty white.

  “Felicia?” He hurried to her and took hold of her hands. “What are you doing here?”

  She laughed uneasily. “I snuck out of my aunt’s house. She went to bed earlier, and I was bored.” She shrugged. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you, and I wanted to find where you lived.”

  He blinked with surprised eyes. “You asked around about me?”

  Her smile relaxed as she nodded. “Don’t be upset, but I couldn’t get you off my mind.”

  His heartbeat tripped a few times. “I know exactly how you feel, because you’ve been constantly on my mind today, too.”

  “I’m really glad I found you. When I first arrived and nobody was here, I started looking inside your windows, to see if perhaps you were home but had already retired for the night. Then when you rode up, I thought you were the constable.”

  “Oh, so that’s why you were hiding in the shadows?”

  She nodded. “I’m vastly relieved you were not the constable.”

  “Me, too.” He slipped his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s go inside. You’re probably freezing out here.”

  “No, it’s not that cold.”

  He first started to head for the front door, but then he stopped. If his neighbors saw him bringing a woman inside this late at night, they’d gossip... and Felicia’s reputation would be ruined. Instead, he’d take her around back and through the servant’s door.

  Gently, he turned her around so they walked in the opposite direction. She peered up at him with curious eyes.

  “I’m trying to save your reputation, my dear Felicia.” He arched an eyebrow. “I’m certain you know this already, but unmarried women, such as yourself, shouldn’t be alone with a man, especially after dark.”

  “Yes, I know.” She shyly lowered her gaze. “You must think the worst of me now. But I wasn’t thinking that at all.” She peered up at him. “The only thing going through my mind was when I’d get to see you again. I enjoy myself with you, and you’re all I can think about. Forgive me for acting so... wanton?”

  Grinning, he caressed her cheek. “Felicia, my dear, I would never think of you as shameless. I’m just happy to know we share each other’s thoughts.”

  “Yes, and I’m sure they are as wicked as mine.”

  He threw back his head and laughed. Figuring out this amazing woman would take time, but he was determined to get to know her even if it took a lifetime. Felicia wasn’t a harlot, nor was she innocent. She was somewhere in between. If only he knew exactly what had happened in her life to get her to this point.

  Sebastian led her inside and then quickly found a lamp by the door. Once it was lit, he took her by the hand as he walked them into the sitting room. He gestured to the sofa, not having to say anything, because she read his mind and sat. He knelt by the hearth and had a blazing fire within minutes.

  He turned back to her. She had removed her bonnet, her shawl, and her gloves. Immediately, he could tell she wore a different dress from what she’d had on this morning. This evening she wore a deep burgundy gown with a square neck that displayed her very lovely cleavage. White lace trimmed the edge of the bodice.

  Felicia’s pretty brown hair seemed longer, but as he studied her ringlets, he could tell they weren’t wound as tightly as they had been this morning. As he gazed upon her beauty, a few words came to his mind. Alluring. Tempting. Sensual.

  Sebastian breathed in a deep breath as he removed his overcoat and tossed it on a nearby chair. How was he going to act the gentleman when she looked this way? Even her fascinating blue eyes wandered over his face and chest with great interest. Perhaps sitting on the sofa with her wasn’t a good idea.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked breathlessly.

  His heartbeat raced as he took slow steps toward her. “I don’t believe I should share that with you. Not yet.”

  She patted the seat next to her. “Are you going to join me?”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  He sat beside her, draping his arm along the back of the sofa. Her hair brushed against his hand, so he took a lock of her silky hair and rubbed it between his forefinger and thumb.

  “Tell me, Felicia, why did you really want to find me tonight?”

  “I told you.” She leaned the side of her face against his hand and brushed her cheek back and forth. “Don’t you believe that I wanted to see you?”

  “Oh, yes, I believe you. However, it’s dark, and at this time of night is not when an unmarried woman should wander the streets alone.” He tore his focus off of her long enough to glance out the window. “Did you bring a carriage?”

  “No. I hired a hackney.”

  “That’s still very dangerous, my dear.”

  “Then I suppose you will have to take me back home.”

  His heartbeat increased. “I thought you didn’t want me to know where you lived.”

  She leaned closer to him as her gaze dropped to his mouth. “Bash, I’m tired of keeping secrets in my life. Aren’t you?”

  Her question made him pause. What an odd thing for a woman to say. “Do you think I’m keeping secrets from you?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Are you?”

  He couldn’t possibly tell her the truth. He didn’t want anything to ruin his case, which meant keeping his mouth shut on the matter... even with this wonderful woman.

  Sebastian scooted closer and his arm circled her shoulders. He didn’t have to urge her closer, because she shifted on the sofa by herself, leaning closer to him. “The only secret I have at this moment is that my heart is threatening to jump right out of my chest if I don’t kiss you.”

  Her smile softened. “What a coincidence. That’s the same secret I have.”

  Stroking his knuckles down her cheek, he leaned toward her. “So, our secret is out. What shall we do now?”

  She placed her hands on his chest and slowly moved them up to his neck. “There’s only one thing we can do.”

  He pulled her close until she was pressed against him. “Exactly. We must satisfy our curiosity.”

  Her eyelids drifted closed and she breathed the word yes. But he captured her mouth with his before another word was spoken. Her body melted into his as she linked her fingers behind his neck. Their kiss turned passionate very quickly. This was so much nicer than when they were in the cleaning room. And, if he didn’t control the kiss, things would soon become intimate.

  He broke the kiss and trailed his lips down her neck. Sighing his name, she tilted her head back to give him better access. Perhaps he shouldn’t have done this, and for certain, she definitely shouldn’t have released a heady moan.

  “Oh, Bash. What are you doing to me?” she muttered.

  Her skin smelled like berries, and – he dipped his tongue in the crook of her neck, making her shiver – she even tasted like berries. His mind kept shouting for him to slow things down. Kissing her like this would only lead to him wanting more, and right now, he should get to know her first. Although they’ve talked several times in the past two weeks, he didn’t really know her.

  Reluctantly, he pulled back, but only enough to stare into her beautiful face. Her eyelids fluttered open and she met his gaze. A soft smile graced her face.

  “Felicia,” he said in a deep voice, “I want to know everything about you. I want to know about your family, about where you’ve lived all of your life.
” He swept his fingers along her jaw. “I want to know what kind of foods you like, and about what sort of activities you enjoy.”

  “Bash, that’s a lot to talk about in one evening.”

  He chuckled. “I know, but I can’t help it. I want to find out about the woman I’m falling in lo—” Sebastian stopped himself. What was he thinking telling her this already? No, he couldn’t fall in love with her this quickly.

  A surprised gasp exited her throat and her eyes widened. “You... love me?”

  His mind spun with ways to get out of this awkward situation. And yet, staring into her dreamy eyes and seeing her happy expression, he knew he couldn’t take back what he’d said.

  He licked his suddenly dry lips. “My dear, Felicia, perhaps it’s too soon to talk that way, so I’ll save it for another day. But know this now,” he gently cupped her face, his fingers delving into her ringlet hair, “I’ve never felt this way about any other woman before.”

  Tears gathered in her eyes and her breaths became ragged. “Bash, I can honestly say that I’ve never felt this way about another man, either.”

  Taking deep breaths, Sebastian tried to calm the excitement bouncing inside of him. If he took her back into his arms and devoured her with passionate kisses, she would certainly wake up lying next to him in the morning. As tempting as that idea sounded, he was a gentleman. Well... sort of.

  “And that, my dearest Felicia, is where we shall end this conversation tonight.”

  Disappointment washed over her expression, but she nodded. “I understand.”

  “However,” he brushed his lips across hers. “We can still look forward to tomorrow evening.”

  “Tomorrow?” she asked, almost appearing dazed.

  “Yes. Are we not meeting somewhere for dinner?”

  She chuckled softly. “Yes, I had almost forgotten.”

  He kissed her one last time before pulling away. Although it was hard to do, he kept reminding himself they would finish things tomorrow. Or, if they couldn’t finish things, they would certainly take it further than what they’d done tonight.

  “Put on your bonnet, gloves, and shawl. I shall take you home.”

  “On your horse?”

  He shook his head. “I have a small buggy out back. We’ll use that, but I need to hook my horse to it first.”

  Smiling, she nodded. “I shall be ready when you are.”

  As he left the sofa and shrugged on his overcoat, he walked out of the townhouse with a song in his heart while wearing the biggest, and most satisfied, grin.

  SEVEN

  Morning came bright and early for Sebastian, waking up before the sun had. It probably had something to do with him not getting any sleep the night before. How could he get any rest with Felicia on his mind.

  He must be insane, because he actually imagined marrying her, and having children. They would make the perfect couple, strolling in the park while pushing a baby carriage. They would always gaze at each other as if they’d never seen anything so amazing. At least he knew he’d always look at her that way.

  After dressing for the day, he walked into the kitchen to fix himself some tea. From where he stood, he could peer into the sitting room and see the sofa he and Felicia had sat upon last night. Flutters stirred in his chest again. The evening had turned out so wonderfully.

  He withdrew his gaze to focus on making tea, but something in his mind bothered him... something he’d just seen in the sitting room. Leaving the water to boil on the stove, he moved cautiously into the sitting room. On the floor by the sofa, where Felicia had sat, red clay-like clumps were engrained into the carpet.

  Sebastian knelt to get a better look. He touched the clumps of dirt. Why was this on the floor? And why did it look like the red dirt that he’d seen outside the artist’s townhouse last night while Sebastian peeked through the windows?

  He hurried out of the room and into his bed chambers, looking for one object only. The boots he wore last night would tell him if he’d been the one to drag in the red dirt. However, he specifically recalled stomping the dirt off his boots before mounting his horse.

  Finding the boots wasn’t that hard, and he picked them up to study their soles. A few specs of dirt were on them, but nothing like the clumps that were still by the sofa. So if he hadn’t brought them in...

  Immediately, his memory returned to the moment he’d seen her standing in the shadows last night. Parts of her dress had been marked with dirt. Even her gloves were dirty. And he’d glanced at her shoes for only a moment, but his keen mind zeroed in on her shoes. Red dirt!

  Sebastian snapped alert. He couldn’t possibly have seen right. Why would she have the same color of red dirt on her shoes that was in the ground by the artist’s townhouse?

  Suspicion grew inside of him like a disease, twisting his gut painfully. He hurried outside and around the structure, only stopping at the area where he’d first spotted her near by the window to his study. He examined the area, and especially, the bushes. Branches were broken, and some had fallen to the ground. On the ground were spots of the red dirt that had been on her shoes. And his window... was slightly opened.

  Felicia had mentioned that she had desperately wanted to see him, but would she go as far as to break in through one of his windows? He thought not.

  Sebastian rushed into the townhouse and went straight to his study. He swept his gaze around the room, but he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Stepping closer to the window, he studied everything around the area, but still nothing looked out of place. Perhaps Felicia had tried to climb through his window, but realized she didn’t have the strength to pull herself up. That could explain why the window was cracked open.

  Shaking his head, he marched back into the kitchen and took the kettle of boiling water off the stove. No longer was he interested in tea. Instead he needed answers. Immediately.

  He shrugged on his overcoat and placed the hat on his head before leaving the house. He saddled up his horse and quickly rode to the place where he’d taken Felicia last night. She had him stop the buggy in front of the house next door as not to wake her aunt. Felicia gave him a kiss and quickly exited the vehicle. He kept watch on her until she disappeared behind the house. But at least he knew where she lived. Hopefully, she wouldn’t get upset at him for calling on them without an invitation first.

  But what if he was wrong?

  He slowed his horse. What if his mind was jumping to conclusions? He really should just ask her about it. She’d tell him, and it was probably nothing to worry about at all.

  Groaning, he rubbed the throb starting in his forehead. Perhaps he was being too hasty. After all, that’s what he did when hunting for a suspect. Felicia wasn’t a suspect, so he shouldn’t treat her as such. If he confronted her now, he’d surely lose her respect.

  Decision made, he turned his horse around. But before moving very far, he stopped and glanced at her aunt’s house. He didn’t want to wait for tonight to see Felicia. Now it was his turn to have the desperate emotions of needing to see her, hear her soft voice, touch her creamy skin, and taste her passionate kiss.

  Indeed, he was smitten. But he enjoyed the lightness of his heart whenever he thought about her. If only he could dismiss these doubts.

  Tonight, he reminded himself. He would ask her questions when he took her out for dinner tonight.

  A coach pulled up in front of the house and stopped. The footman hopped down to open the door of the vehicle. A man, perhaps in his late thirties, climbed out first. He turned and assisted the woman down, who was heavy with child. Seconds later, three children, ages ranging from perhaps ten years to one year, hopped out of the coach. The father sighed heavily and folded his arms as he stared at Felicia’s aunt’s house.

  “Here we are, family,” the man said. “Welcome to your new home.”

  New home? Sebastian shook his head. What was the man talking about? This was Felicia’s home, not theirs. But as he watched in shock, the family entered the premises. Sebas
tian was able to get a glimpse inside. He sucked in a quick breath. The place held no furniture! If Felicia had been living here with her aunt, where was their furniture?

  Panic beat inside his head as confusion filled him, once again. Felicia hadn’t been honest with him about where she lived. And if she lied about this, what else had she lied about?

  Her words from last night rang through his memory. Bash, I’m tired of keeping secrets in my life. Aren’t you? Had she wanted to tell him something then? The quick beat of his heart told him she had wanted to confess, so why hadn’t he allowed her to do it? The desire he’d had to kiss her overrode all logic. And now he was paying for it.

  Angered, he pushed his horse forward again, urging the animal to ride faster. He needed to visit with one of his friends who worked for the Metropolitan Police. Hopefully, his friend would have information about Miss Felicia Hamill, or her aunt... although, Felicia never did mention the older woman’s name. He’d also check to see if he could track down Monsieur Durant.

  Two hours later, Sebastian headed home with no leads about the forgery case, or about Felicia Hamill. Frustration built inside of him, making him want to scream... or shake somebody. Mayhap both.

  As he rode up to his townhouse, two officers from the Metropolitan Police stood on his doorstep. Sebastian’s hopes lifted, hoping the police had found out more information about the artist.

  He dismounted and hooked the reins around the post before hurrying toward them. The men came toward Sebastian, meeting him halfway.

  “Mr. Sebastian Harrington,” the first man spoke, appearing to be the one in charge out of the two, “we need to search your house.”

  Sebastian’s mind came to a screeching halt. “Search my house, you say?”

  “Yes, Sir.” The second officer looked to be younger. With a baby face like that, Sebastian wouldn’t be surprised if the man had just graduated school.

  “You want to search my house?” Sebastian asked again, still not clearly understanding.

  “Yes.” The first nodded, wearing a stern expression. “We have reason to believe you have stolen some paintings from Monsieur Durant’s townhouse last night.”