Laura ran her fingers through his silky dark hair, breathing in his familiar male smell. She took a deep breath. “I suspect you’re overly protective like my mother.”
He gave a gruff laugh. “I’m like your mother now, am I? That can’t be good.” He kissed her nose. “Give me time, sweetheart.”
He’d never said that before. It gave her hope for the future. She nestled her head against his shoulder, enjoying the comfort and safety his strong arms afforded her. This tenderness, however brief, was what she’d always wanted from him. Frustrated, she wished he wouldn’t send her away, but she knew begging him would be useless. “I’ll miss you, darling.”
“I trust it won’t be for too long.”
“What is going to happen while I’m gone?”
His arms settled tightly around her waist. “I’m confident we’ll find Mallory’s killer and round up the rest of the gang. I suspect a member of the staff here at Wolfram.”
“Not long after he came here, I heard Mallory talking to one of the grooms down by the seawall when I’d gone for a walk at dusk.”
“Who was he?”
“I don’t know, but Mallory sounded like he was giving him orders.”
“We suspect he was, sweetheart.”
“You’re convinced Mallory was murdered?”
“The postmortem will confirm my view.”
“You promise to be very careful, Nathaniel.”
“I will.”
“Will you miss me while I’m away?”
“How can you ask that?” His thumb beneath her chin, he lifted her face, and with a deep intake of breath, pressed his mouth to hers. When he drew away, his eyes, which could be a steely gray, were a soft gray-blue like the Wolfram sky after rain. “Not having you here will be a penance.”
His kisses usually made her thoughts scatter, but at the word he used, her senses came alert. Did he believe he needed to be punished? For what? “Penance is an odd word.”
“The wrong word, perhaps.” Nathaniel rose and set her on her feet. “I could have done things differently. But I can still put much to rights given time. I’m keen to do so.”
He sounded as if he wished her gone already. She studied the ledger on his desk again. “I’ll visit Aunt Dora after I see my parents. Is Gateley Park leased?”
Nathaniel arched his eyebrows. “No.” He framed her face with his hands. “What is going on in that head of yours?”
“I’d like to see the property.” Could Gateley Park give up secrets about this enigmatic husband ofhers?
“Gateley Park was my grandparents’ home. My mother grew up there. I haven’t been back for a few years.”
She gasped. “Why not?”
His expression became shuttered, black lashes lowered. “I’ve had no reason to.”
“Is it in a good state of repair?”
“My man of business assures me it is.”
She ignored the warning in his voice and pressed on, determined to have her way with this at least. “It might be pleasant to spend a few days there.”
He rubbed his brow. “I’ve no idea why you would want to visit an empty house.”
She smiled. “Perhaps it’s more about not wishing to spend too long under my parents’ roof.”
His mouth twitched. He understood her feelings at least. “The carriage is at your disposal. Will your aunt accompany you? There’s only a small village within miles of the property. You’ll be thin of company.”
