by Rebecca King
“I think we have to plan how we are going to get home. None of us should walk about unchaperoned. We have to go in twos,” Monika warned.
“Well, that is you in trouble then, my dear, because you live at the end of the lane all by yourself. Anybody who has to drop you off will have to double back to get back to the village by themselves,” Gertrude replied. “It defeats the purpose of leaving here in twos.”
Monika nodded but her face turned militant. “I should like to dare them to try to kidnap me,” she thundered, slamming an uncharacteristic fist on her knee.
“I think it would be wise to go in twos to keep everyone safe. Don’t linger outside, and don’t answer your door to anybody when you are alone. Don’t forget that some of the kidnappings have happened in broad daylight.” Charity mentally winced when she realised everyone had gone perfectly still and now sat staring at her with wide eyes.
“I say, you do know something, don’t you?” Alice Brownlow prompted.
“If I did, I would tell you. I wouldn’t allow you to go out unchaperoned if you were likely to be snatched off the street. It was just a conversation I had with – my visitors,” she informed them. “They are old friends of my father’s.”
Charity mentally winced but worked hard to school her features in a credible attempt to hide the guilt she felt. Even so, the look she slid to the ladies was furtive enough to alert their suspicions about her dishonesty. She was lying, and everyone knew it. Strangely, none of them picked her up on it. Aside from a few worried looks, there was nothing to suggest the women didn’t accept her explanation. Unfortunately, Charity knew her friends well enough to realise they didn’t believe her and would ask her just as soon as they had decided what they wanted to know. That, she feared, was a conversation she would not be privy to.
“I say we meet here tomorrow night. I can bring the cake,” Alice suggested. “I don’t know about anybody else, but I don’t wish to spend my evenings sitting alone fretting at every odd sound I can hear outside.”
“Here, here,” the ladies cried.
“Oh, but I had made plans to go out tomorrow,” Charity burst out. She sighed when she tried to come up with a suitable venue for her imaginary outing but failed to think of a single place to go where the ladies wouldn’t want to accompany her.
“Where?” Augusta asked boldly.
“But you don’t go anywhere,” Alice retorted bluntly.
“Indeed, as far as I know there are no social functions on, are there?” Agatha asked her friends.
They all shook their heads.
“Might she be going to dinner with an – acquaintance?” Alice suggested, sliding a teasing look at Charity that left nobody in any doubt that by ‘acquaintance’ she meant ‘young man’.
Edwina pressed a handkerchief to her face to try to mask her titter. She wasn’t laughing at Charity but was trying to smother her excitement at the prospect that Charity might have a suitor. “Is it true? Is one of those men your suitor?”
“No!” Charity bit out. “Good God, no. Like I said, they are acquaintances of my father’s, that’s all.”
Suddenly, the clock chimed ten o’clock. Charity jerked and looked at it accusingly.
“My, is that the time?” she gasped, surging to her feet. She needed to quell the tension thrumming through her and began to hurriedly gather the plates and cups scattered around the room. “No wonder I am so tired. It is long past my bed-time.”
“I will help you,” Agatha offered with startling enthusiasm.
Seconds later, the women were washing pots and putting everything away with an industriousness that was impressive to see.
“Thank you,” Charity murmured when the last of the plates were returned to the dresser.
As she feigned exhaustion, Charity glanced surreptitiously at the kitchen door, mentally praying that nobody would knock on it. If either of the men turned up at this time of night – Charity quickly shoved aside all thoughts of the consequences she would face if someone like Angus appeared at her back door.
“Well, if you are sure you are going to be all right, we will be on our way,” Agatha murmured, patting Charity’s cheek gently before she retraced her steps into the sitting room.
Several long and very hectic moments later, Charity closed the door on the still squabbling ladies. She leaned her forehead against the door and allowed the blessed silence of her now empty house to fall about her. It was a little disconcerting to think that only earlier that day she had believed herself to be lonely and in need of adventure. After an evening like she had just had all she wanted now was a good night’s sleep.
“They are a handful, aren’t they?”
Charity screamed and whirled around. Her heart hammered wildly at the sight of Angus, standing in the kitchen doorway. He was so tall and broad shouldered he positively filled the narrow space. Dressed in black as he was, he was a commanding sight, the likes of which made her want to step back and away from the danger he presented. She would have done as well, if her back hadn’t already been pressed against the door.
“How did you get in?” Charity was proud of how steady her voice was when she spoke, but she couldn’t prevent her worried gaze from flickering nervously around the hallway. “I know the back door was locked because I checked it.”
“I know,” Angus said. “I came in earlier, while the ladies were talking.”
It had been enlightening to listen to their conversation. It had revealed a lot about their gossipy natures. It was obvious that they all cared deeply about Charity but were also overly protective. So much so, Angus knew the ladies were going to pose a significant problem if they ever found out he was in the property and Charity was unchaperoned.
“How long have you been in here?” she whispered, painfully aware of the thick tension between them.
While their conversation was seemingly harmless, there was an infinitesimal web of expectancy between them that was confusing. Charity couldn’t make her mind up what it was that he wanted from her. While she wanted to believe it was the use of her house to spy on the Lawrences, a part of her couldn’t ignore the growing feeling that Angus’s interest in her was personal and had nothing to do with his investigation.
“For about an hour. I thought about knocking but saw you were not alone so decided to let myself in,” Angus warned.
“Do you make a point of walking into people’s houses without knocking?” She asked pertly. Charity wondered if she should be annoyed, worried or just plain scared that he had gotten into her house without her knowing.
Angus was also aware of how easily he had gained entrance into the house. It was a warning to him, and his colleagues, that at some point one of the Star Elite had to speak with Charity about securing her house properly. After all, if he could get in undetected, as he had, so could anybody else.
“I did knock,” Angus lied around a wry smile.
Charity squinted at him suspiciously but didn’t argue, not least because she couldn’t be sure he hadn’t given she had been immersed in conversation.
“Well, my friends have gone now, but I am afraid there is some bad news,” she warned.
“I know. They are going to come here every night,” he growled. “It doesn’t matter. I can work around it. My work will be silent because I am just keeping watch. They won’t know I am here unless they have cause to venture into your bed chamber. Just keep everyone downstairs and they will never know you are not alone. Aaron and I will come and go through the back door, and make sure to avoid the lady next door.”
Charity sighed. “You have seen her then, have you?”
“Jasper did,” Angus replied with alacrity. “He said she didn’t seem to miss much.”
“She doesn’t. I don’t wish to speak ill of anybody, but she can be rather grumpy at times, so I would be wary about speaking to her. She is also a terrible gossip, so please, please, please make sure she doesn’t see you entering or leaving here. My reputation will be destroyed if she does.” Deep in th
e back of her mind, Charity was aware that she was conversing far more freely with the man before her than she had ever done with her friends. Why?
It must be because we have a secret to keep, she mused, briskly and quite firmly ignoring the niggling voice of doubt that prompted her to be honest with herself. She refused to acknowledge that it might be because she felt any kind of connection to this powerful, extremely good looking stranger.
“Well, I haven’t had a chance to move my things yet. If you give me a few moments, I will leave you to it,” Charity sighed.
She hurried up the stairs, painfully aware that he had yet to move out of the doorway. She wasn’t at all sure she should trust him enough to leave him alone downstairs but had no choice. The alternative was being alone with him upstairs, and that was an even worse idea.
Hurriedly, Charity crossed her bed chamber and slid the shutters partly closed then lit a candle. She quickly gathered the clothing she would need for the next day or so, then turned to leave. Another scream escaped her when she was immediately met with a solid wall of black. Charity was so startled, she promptly dropped her small pile of neatly folded clothing all over the floor.
“Do you always creep about like that?” she gasped in annoyance. Charity swooped down to pick up her things, horribly aware that her hands were visibly trembling.
Angus knelt beside her and quietly began to help. He didn’t even look at each slippery, delicate object he held, he just placed it onto the pile in her arms until the floor between them was clear. Charity slowly pushed to her feet but with Angus blocking the door there was nowhere she could go. She was left standing hesitantly before him, waiting patiently for him to speak.
“I don’t creep about with any intention to scare you. I have just learnt the skill, that’s all. It will stand me in good stead to remain undetected when your friends are here,” he warned. “Tell me, Charity, do they always stay this late? I mean, for a social function the evening has only just started but to entertain a tapestry group this late – is that normal?”
Charity shook her head. “They were curious about you and tried to sit me out. I think they didn’t intend to go until they could make sure you weren’t going to come back.”
“It is good that they keep a close eye on you,” he assured her, his voice low and intimate.
Angus tried to reassure himself that he was talking softly purely because he didn’t want to scare her anymore. After all, he was a total stranger, alone, and in her house well after dark. It was understandable that she should be a little afraid of him. He had to move slowly and carefully and not do anything that would cause her any alarm or distress.
Unfortunately, the atmosphere between them began to shift and thicken a still lingering tension that had remained over them since their discussion earlier in the day. He wished he knew what caused it because then he would have a chance to get rid of it. As it was, he was left to contemplate the strange feelings that began to grow stronger and seemingly take on a life of their own whenever he was with her.
“Is it?” she whispered when she couldn’t tolerate him staring at her as intently as he was. It made her distinctly uncomfortable, as though he was seeing something about her she wasn’t aware of. She wished she had a hand free, so she could check her curls were still in place. As it was, they were holding tightly to her clothing, waiting for him to get out of her way so she could leave.
“I am sorry for invading your home like this,” Angus murmured gently.
“It’s fine. I have already told you that,” Charity replied.
“I have work to do, Charity, if I might call you that?” he began.
Charity nodded.
“I need you and your ladies to stay completely out of the way.”
“They are curious,” she replied, wondering why she felt the need to defend her friends.
“They are nice, gentle ladies who need to be protected. I don’t want any of them being in any danger,” Angus’s voice hardened. “We cannot risk them discussing anything we are doing here while they are on their travels.”
Charity tipped her head to one side. “What are you saying? What danger could they be in? What do you know that we don’t?”
“A lot.”
Charity froze. Her stomach dipped in alarm.
“Go on,” she prompted when he didn’t immediately tell her.
“Unfortunately, given the nature of the crimes we are dealing with, you have to be guarded now. If the culprit finds out you have helped us, and we lose him, you are in significant danger. While there is an unwritten benefit to helping us out because we offer our helpers absolute protection, you still need to be extremely careful. Aaron and Jasper have escorted the ladies home tonight, so they are completely safe. The ladies just don’t know it, and aren’t to be told,” Angus whispered. “Unfortunately, our presence will also cause you problems. So long as you don’t behave out of character, start to ask too many questions, or try to get yourselves involved in our investigation, nobody should notice anything untoward and you will be completely safe. However, because we cannot guarantee your safety, you have to do everything possible to stay out of danger.”
He had absolutely no idea why they were having such a hushed conversation. There was only the two of them in the house – alone – together. Nobody else was likely to interrupt them or be able to overhear what was being said. Even so, Angus refused to raise his voice. He had watched Charity slide the bolt on the front door closed and had secured the back door himself. Still, there was an air of intimacy, a strange sort of invisible bond he suspected any hint of loudness would shatter instantly. He didn’t want to damage it – not least because he needed Charity to be on his side and work with him.
She is, after all, my hostess. I must remember that, he warned himself.
While those thoughts echoed in the darker recesses of his mind, he couldn’t prevent his appreciative gaze from falling to her succulent lips which glistened teasingly in the moonlight. He knew venturing anywhere near this young woman would be a very bad idea, to his peace of mind, his libido, and his concentration. The last thing he needed was to be embroiled in even the suggestion of a dalliance with a spinster he had no choice but to leave behind when it was time for the Star Elite to move on, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t leave her with a smile on her face, confident in the knowledge that she was a very attractive woman.
“How old are you by the way?” he murmured suddenly.
Charity clutched her clothing tighter. It formed a physical barrier between her and the man before her that was somewhat reassuring.
“Six and twenty,” she whispered.
She waited for the inevitable question, and not for the first time in her life, felt shamed for having never married. When he didn’t speak, she ventured a closer look at him.
“Well, I have work to be doing,” Angus growled. He side-stepped around her and looked at the room. “Is there anything else you are going to need for tonight?”
Charity wondered what was going through his mind. He had changed suddenly. It was just as though somebody had struck a match and lit something within him that had turned on the cold, aloof investigator. Gone was the man whose voice had been soft and gentle only moments ago. It was such a swift change that Charity turned her attention to the room to stave off the questions she wanted to ask.
“I can fetch them in the morning if there is,” she replied.
“There are going to be three men on watch. Aaron, whom you have already met, and Jasper whom you said hello to outside, and me,” Angus informed her briskly.
“Fine,” Charity replied, unsure what else she could say.
“Please don’t light a candle,” Angus growled when Charity moved to the candle resting on the small table beside her bed.
“Why?”
“Because I need it dark in here, otherwise he will see me,” Angus growled around a heavy sigh.
“I was only asking,” Charity retorted crisply.
Despite his warning,
Charity wandered over to the window and looked outside. The street was dark and eerily empty. A thin haze hung over each darkened abode which skulked about on either side of the narrow, cobbled road as though waiting to pounce on the unwary. She was suddenly very glad she was in the warmth of her comfortable home, and not outside.
Angus followed her across the room. He stood far too close to her and met her gaze with a look of warning when she glanced over her shoulder at him. Quietly, he edged the shutter closed, but only partially blocked her view of the house opposite she had been trying hard not to stare at.
He couldn’t close the shutter completely like he wanted because it would be odd for it to be opened again in the middle of the night. It was ridiculous to have to explain it to her, though, not least because he suspected she would argue with him about that as well.
“Do you want to be any more blatant?” he murmured quietly. There was a hint of warning in his tone that was unmistakable – well, to him anyway.
“Nobody will think it odd that I wish to stare out of my own window,” she replied. “I do have window seats, you know.”
Angus tipped his head to one side as he studied her. He knew she was aware of him. He had witnessed that tell-tale shiver of awareness she had been unable to hide when he had touched her earlier. It was clear that whatever it was that shimmered between them was a mutual thing, and not just his imagination. It was something he had to continue to ignore, though, and because of that he had to do everything in his power to stop her coming into the room while the Star Elite were in the house.
“Look!” Without thinking, Charity suddenly grabbed the front of Angus’s shirt and hauled him to the place where she stood.
Their bodies slammed together. He became unbalanced and had no choice but to put a steadying hand on her waist. He glared at her – or tried to. It was difficult when his body suddenly felt as though it was on fire. Every fibre of his being suddenly snapped to attention and became locked firmly upon her, their closeness, the delicious scent of honeysuckle that teased his nose, and the delightfully tantalising curves pressed so innocently against him.
