“I don’t know darling, but I am most definitely going to find out. One thing is for certain, if it isn’t Miss Emstridge, then it has to be one of the staff. Until I can find out which one it is, I want you to trust nobody, understand?” His sharp grey gaze met and held hers, demanding her total agreement.
“I suppose,” Cecily replied warily.
“I mean it, Cecily. If these people have been using that storage room for some time to store stolen goods, they are dangerous, and won’t take kindly to having their source of income disrupted. Who knows what they could do. You must not, under any circumstances, take chances with your life. No wandering off by yourself, and no going anywhere with any of the house staff, especially Miss Emstridge, understand?” He hated to frighten her, but he didn’t want her naively thinking that she was safe amongst people who had been here for many years. They were people she still didn’t know and, if he was honest, even he didn’t know as well as he had once considered he did. Although they had been retainers for many years, he wasn’t in a position to vouch for their honesty, and that irked him given that they were in his house.
As far as he was aware, nothing had been taken from Melvedere, except for the books. That meant the items in the hidden room could only have come from someone else’s house and that meant theft on a large scale. Whoever the burglar was, he or she, had gotten greedy, and reckless, and clearly gotten wind of the fact that Cecily knew about the passages. Had they been trying to scare her out of them? Or had they more sinister intentions on their mind that she had thwarted? Jamie couldn’t lose the image of Cecily stumbling around on the sun terrace with blood pouring from her head. Although she had caused the injury to herself, the last thing he wanted was to have brought her to a place of safety only to find that it isn’t all that safe after all.
Stifling a yawn, he nudged her forward and reluctantly pushed to his feet. He would have been more than happy to spend the rest of the evening like that, and was looking forward to the day when they were married when they could spend more time sitting in front of the fire. For now though, he had to be patient. He eased away from her and hauled her up to stand before him.
“I am off to bed. Lock your door and don’t open it to anyone. Warren will be here at 9 o’clock tomorrow morning with your breakfast tray. I am sorry it is early, but there is much to do and I need to get an early start. It is better if he brings the trays up together, and rearranges your room before the maids start work. He will instruct them to leave the fire in your room until later and that they are not to disturb you. Apparently, you are feeling a bit poorly from your head injury.” His lips quirked ruefully and he shared a conspiratorial smile with her. “Until then, stay in here.”
“What are we doing tomorrow?”
Jamie mentally winced at that question. He hated the fact that she was ready to get herself involved. He could see the eagerness in his eye and knew that she wasn’t going to be put off easily. Briefly considering fobbing her off, he reluctantly acknowledged that the last thing he needed was for her to go off investigating on her own. Although she was likely to stay away from the passages, she would go poking around in the library and, if Miss Emstridge was indeed guilty, who knew where that would lead?
“I have a special job for you to do tomorrow. It is a bit laborious I am afraid, but I will tell you more about it in the morning. Meantime, get some sleep. I will see you in after breakfast.”
Rather than turn to leave, Jamie drew her forward until she was flush against him. Cecily placed her hands on his chest, glancing down at the small curls of coarse hair that tickled her fingertips. She jumped guiltily when one large palm landed firmly over hers, halting her progress.
Her mouth was captured with ruthless hunger. The hand over hers clenched and drew her arm up and over his shoulder. Her fingers locked in his hair. She was helpless to do anything but tip her head back and allow him to plunder. This kiss was unlike any other he had given her. This was a deeper, more intense seduction with a hidden intent that was driven by only the deepest desire. He widened his stance and drew her closer, knowing she could feel the physical effect she had on his body. He wanted her think about what she did to him, and what was going to come next.
He was proud of the fact that she welcomed his kisses, and was now returning them with less hesitancy and more curiosity. Her actions copied his with surprising accuracy while her fingers found more and more of his flesh to explore. Goose bumps stood out on his chest, and he shivered at the icy hand that swept down his spine. His control was threadbare. It wouldn’t take much before he was tumbling her back onto the bed behind them despite the fact that he knew it would be folly to take matters that far right now, not when there were so many things left unsaid between them. But, his body was hard and aching and he wasn’t sure how much more restraint his self control could stand. Feeling far more shaken than he was familiar with, Jamie slowly eased back on the kiss, growling low in his throat when she merely tightened her arms around his neck and clung on.
Cecily knew she was playing with fire. He had tried to draw away yet here she was practically throwing herself at him. He must thing she was a wanton for her reckless behaviour. A tiny shiver of guilt began to banish the raging fire that had overset her. Slowly easing away, she gulped in a breath of air and willed her scattered senses back into place.
She didn’t need to look at him to know that he was studying her carefully. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. It was a struggle to bite back the apology that hovered on her lips. After all, he had started the kiss. She was just responding to it.
“Goodnight,” she whispered. Moving over to the window she took her time closing the shutters and the curtains. She didn’t need to look behind her to know that he remained standing where she had left him for several long moments before he grumbled a quiet goodnight. The click of the door closing behind him was all she needed to hear, and she sagged with relief, holding on to the curtain for dear life. Resting her head against the silken material, she fought the well of tears that threatened and focused on the cool material against her fevered flesh. Each time they kissed it was getting more and more difficult to let go. It seemed to reaffirm her need to get away from here, before she ended up doing something that they would both regret.
She tossed and turned that night. Whether it was because of the amount of sleep she had during the afternoon, or the wildly swinging emotions that refused to allow her to settle, she couldn’t be sure. At some point during the night she must have slept because sometime between midnight and dawn she became aware that she was cold – very cold. Tugging the covers up to her chin, she rolled over and burrowed down into the mattress. For a make-shift bed, it was more comfortable than the one in the guest room. She was about to doze off again when a faint tickle of cold air brushed against her cheek.
Her heart lurched. Her eyes snapped open and she stared into the darkness as she tried to take stock of her surroundings. Once again, a gentle yet freezing cold breeze drifted across her face. At first, she wondered if there was a secret passage that led to the room that they had missed. She was terrified of sitting up and taking a look for herself.
In the end, she lay and stared blankly at the door to Jamie’s room, unable to move and unable to go back to sleep. She wondered how many hours it would be before dawn. She watched in shock as the shadowy figure of a man glided into view. He moved to stand before Jamie’s door. Even with the room encased in darkness that was only lightened by the glowing embers of the fire, she could make out his shadowy form that was a silvery grey. Her heart pounded, and she blinked a couple of times just to make sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her.
She swallowed yet began to feel strangely calm. “Do you want me to follow you?” she whispered, glancing in concern at the door.
The spectre shook his head.
“What do you want with me?” Cecily slowly pushed herself upright, holding the covers in front of her to both protect her modesty and ward off the chill that always appeared
when he did.
The spectre merely smiled and looked at Jamie’s door. “Do you want me to get Jamie?” She asked, wondering what Jamie would say if she tried to explain to him that she had just had a conversation with his long deceased father.
Once again the spectre shook his head. He smiled gently at her, nodded once and disappeared through the door into Jamie’s room.
Cecily rubbed her eyes and stared at the now empty space. No sooner had the spectre disappeared than the temperature within the room began to climb back up again. She sat in frozen confusion wondering what it had all been about. Was she tired? Or, were the events of the past few days playing tricks on her mind? She didn’t know, but she eventually lay back down and pulled the covers up to her ears once more. Somehow she didn’t think that she would be getting all that much more sleep tonight.
She was right.
She didn’t.
Jamie had also had very little sleep. Having left Cecily last night, he had changed his clothes before heading out to search the passages again. He had retraced his steps to Cecily’s room but hadn’t found anything amiss. Without asking the staff, he couldn’t be sure whether any of the ornaments or paintings had gone missing. Even without knowing for certain, his gut feeling was telling him that there was something wrong. He had checked the boxes in the secret room again, but was fairly certain that they had remained untouched since the last time he had checked them.
This time though he had dug deeper into the boxes, and had located six books that looked suspiciously like they may have come from his father’s library. Unfortunately, without being able to locate the originals on the shelving, it was impossible to be entirely sure. Jamie couldn’t lose sight of the fact that the books could have also been stolen from somebody else’s house. A small voice warned him that the items could still have been old unused items from Melvedere’s past. It wasn’t inconceivable that he wouldn’t remember them from his childhood. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to look deeper into the curious Miss Emstridge.
He had discussed matters at length with Jonathan, who had agreed that Miss Emstridge did need to be monitored. Although they had yet to follow her, it was evident that she left the house late at night and rarely came back before dawn, just before the staff brought the house to life for the day.
They agreed that Cecily needed to be protected and arranged to keep a watch on the library between them. Jamie would take the days, giving Cecily the freedom to use the library should she wish to where Jamie could watch her too. Jonathan would watch the library from the passage, and monitor any activity around the secret room throughout the night. They agreed that the best way in and out of the passage was through Jamie’s study. It wasn’t anything unusual for Jamie and his guests, many of whom were from the Star Elite, to spend their evenings before the fire in his study. Nobody would think anything of Jonathan entering late at night and leaving at first light.
He had confirmed for himself that Miss Emstridge hadn’t spent the night in her own bed, but seriously struggled to accept that anyone so dour as the spinster could attract the advances of even the most amorous of men. Nevertheless, that was just his personal opinion. The woman could be working in disguise.
Frustrated at his own inability to get the answers he needed, and Miss Emstridge out of the way, Jamie was tired and grumpy by the time he crawled out of bed. He was used to getting by on only short cat naps and dozes, but not while he was at home. This should have been the time when he was busy sleeping the day away and getting as much food as he could, not creeping around in the night looking for devious librarians.
Rubbing a hand down his face, he frowned at his breakfast tray and shoved it aside with a grunt. What he really wanted, or rather who, was in the room next door and right now he didn’t have any answers as to how to get that problem resolved either.
One moment she was fine and returning his kisses with gusto and the next, it was as though someone had flicked the candle out and all of the passion he knew she had buried deep inside, suddenly disappeared. Shaking his head at the complexity of females, he briefly wished he back on duty undertaking another dangerous mission for the Star Elite. At least then, he knew that when he had solved all of the problems, he could go home where he would be safe and sound and take a well earned rest.
He jerked out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. Dragging his breeches on, he yanked the door open. The dark scowl on his face was enough to make Warren take a couple of steps backward and stare at him warily.
“Sorry sir, but this just arrived. It is marked urgent.” Warren glanced furtively up and down the corridor. “Given everything that is happening, I thought it best not to leave it on your desk.”
Jamie studied Warren carefully for several moments. “Anything happen?”
“Nothing, sir, everything is as it should be.”
Jamie wasn’t surprised. He had only come off his nightly prowl a couple of hours ago, there hadn’t been enough time for too much to happen. “When Miss Emstridge appears, can you tell her that I want to see her in the library?”
Glancing at the parchment in his hand, Jamie immediately knew who the missive was from, and was glad for Warren’s forethought. It was indeed urgent.
Tearing open the seal, he stood in the middle of the room and read the short note. He swore, tossing the parchment on the rumpled sheets of his bed in disgust. Rubbing a hand down his face, he sighed, and wondered just how much worse things could get.
Grateful that Warren had left, he moved to the connecting door and knocked, taking a few moments while Cecily answered to roll up the parchment and shove it in his pocket. He didn’t want her to read all of it. There were things in there that related to the Star Elite. Dreading what he had to do next, he drew his shirt over his head, ignoring his rumpled state and waited for her to answer the door.
Cecily opened the door and gasped at the sight of him. He was dark beneath the eyes, and his face was nothing short of weary. His hair was wildly rumpled and he hadn’t even bothered to tuck his shirt into his breeches. She wondered if he had just stumbled out of bed and, if so, what had put him in such a bad mood.
“What’s wrong?” Cecily stood back to allow him to enter the room.
Jamie walked past her, shut the door and locked it, before he drew her to sit on the edge of the bed.
“I have heard from Hugo,” he announced carefully.
Cecily’s heart lurched wildly before immediately dropping to her toes. The severe look on his face did not look good.
“Tell me,” her voice was soft, but was filled with hope and expectation for her sister’s wellbeing.
“I am afraid there is good news, and bad news,” Jamie replied, taking a deep breath. His mind was racing to find the best way of telling her, but he knew there was little else for it. He couldn’t soften the blow.
“The good news is that Hugo has heard from Archie. He, and Portia, are alive and well and currently residing in a place of the upmost security,” he paused only briefly at Cecily’s low cry. His lips twisted wryly at the smile and tears of joy in her eyes. Clasping her hands in his, he dropped to his knees before her, staring at the floor while she gathered herself.
Cecily fought hard to quell the many questions that tumbled through her until the gravity on his face made her pause.
“Are they both well?”
“They are fine but they cannot get in contact with you because they are due to move on to their final destination. When they have reached it, and are given the all clear, then Portia will be in touch. She is eager to see you too.” He had no doubt that was the case, although Hugo hadn’t said as much in his note.
“What is the bad news?” Her voice dropped. Her hands trembled with nerves. It was like waiting for the axe to fall. If Portia was indeed alive and well, there was no bad news, surely?
“I am afraid your father has been arrested for treason,” Jamie announced carefully. His eyes met and held her startled ones. His hands tightened on hers for several long moments. She
struggled to absorb the import of his words. Confusion warred with disappointment that was quickly replaced with wariness.
“He has been arrested for treason?”
“You know I was in Tissington because of the Star Elite,” he could see no reason to pretend otherwise.
“Yes, I am aware that you offered for my hand to get into the house.” Her voice was brisk and matter of fact. She was proud of the fact that it held no trace of the deep hurt she felt, and that helped her find the inner strength she needed to straighten her spine and return his stare.
Jamie remained silent. He wanted to deny the allegation. In all honesty, he wasn’t sure what had driven him to offer for her hand that day. Part of him had just known it was the right thing to do, even if he was glad when her father threw him out. But, the other part of him also wanted to be able to keep her. She had plagued him since the night at the ball, to the point that he had been unable to get her off his mind whether it was morning, noon or night. He had contemplated marrying her, bringing her to Melvedere and going back to his work with the Star Elite secure in the knowledge that his wife would be waiting at home for him when his next mission was over, and he had a wife of his choosing, who was beautiful, smart and endearing.
If only he knew then what he knew now, he would have kicked their father’s blasted door in and carried her off, he thought fiercely, wishing he had done just that.
“I had been sent to Tissington to help Archie look for information on French spy smugglers. The contacts we had been following led us to Tissington. There were a lot of stolen goods appearing in the area, and being smuggled ashore by someone near to Tissington. We discovered that those smuggled goods included spies.”
“You mean my father was involved in smuggling?”
“No, he was involved in accepting smuggled goods, handing them over to his business contacts who were selling them and making themselves a nice tidy profit. Your father was receiving his fair share of stolen goods and made a lot of money from it, some of which went to finance the French spies’ operation. I don’t know if your father planned to retire to France, or was amassing himself a small fortune from his share of the proceeds of the sales of the smuggled items, but it has gone horribly wrong. The spies have had a network of people who have helped to give them new identities, find them somewhere to live and been helping them to disappear into the English way of life. We have lost some of them, but have managed to take out some of the leaders like the one Portia killed in the church. He was the worst of them all.”
Lord Melvedere's Ghost Page 18
