She fisted her hands and set them in her lap, not wanting her brother to see how much she wanted to wallop him. “So, did you find anything at all?”
“Nothing. Mainly because the hallway was traveled a lot by his servants.” He blew out a frustrated breath and shook his head. “I’ll have to find another time to return when I know the servants won’t be there.”
She released a sarcastic snort. “And when might that be, pray tell? I wasn’t aware that you knew the schedule of Ashton’s servants.”
Gordon’s eyes studied her for a few moments while he shoved the scone into his mouth and chomped. He finally tilted his head to the side and raised his eyebrows.
“Ashton? When have you started calling him by his first name, dear sister? And why did your voice soften when you said his name?”
The irritation shooting through her was quickly replaced with panic. Oh, dear. What had she done? Why hadn’t she remained professional when discussing the railway owner—their main suspect?
Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself, to change back into that professional character she knew she could be. “I started calling him by his given name when he gave me permission to do so, of course.”
Slowly, her brother shook his head, still keeping his eyes on her. “And come to think of it, when I was leaving the house, I spotted you through the window looking upon Mr. Lee as if he was the most perfect man you had ever seen.” He paused and then frowned. “Oh, please don’t tell me you have feelings for him when I warned you a while ago not to get involved.”
“Of course, I don’t have feelings for him. Don’t be ridiculous.” She rose from the table, trying to do something to take her brother’s intense gaze off her.
“You do!” He groaned and rubbed his forehead. “Oh, Nicole, don’t you remember when I told you not to get involved with the suspects on a personal level? Can you not recall the few times I have made that mistake and had fallen for the woman, only to learn that she was the culprit? It is a pain in your heart you’re not likely to forget.”
“Really, Gordon,” she snipped as she brushed crumbs off her gown. “I have not become smitten with the man. I know very well of the consequences.” She wrapped her fingers around the edge of the high-back wooden chair where she had been sitting in. “But you never did answer my question. How will you be able to find out when his servants aren’t going to be there?”
“I’ll figure it out, I assure you.” He sipped his coffee.
Grumbling, she turned to leave the room but heard him say, “Nicole, you had better stop your feelings for him now, or you’ll have your heart broken.”
She scowled as an ache pierced her chest. Without answering him, she walked out of the room. What did he know, anyway? They couldn’t prove that Ashton Lee was the thief...although it was definitely starting to look as though he might be. Nothing made sense. Why would he purposely want to ruin his own business? And if he were stealing the queen’s money, wouldn’t he try to hide the fact better?
She wanted to believe it wasn’t him mainly because of what pointed in his direction. Indeed, a true thief wouldn’t have been so careless.
Grabbing her cloak, she hurried out of the house. A walk in today’s pleasant weather would clear her mind and, hopefully, help her to think clearer. Last night was not only a failure for Gordon but for her as well. Because she wasn’t able to get a private moment with Ashton, how could she discover anything about the man he really was? The few times they had found intimate moments, she felt that he was a very honorable man—one she could trust.
Gradually, buildings loomed before her, and the street became busy with horses and carriages. She had to stay alert so as not to run into any of the people hustling on the walkway, as well. Since she was not in the busy part of town, should she make a surprise visit to Ashton at his office? His building wasn’t too far away from her.
Just the thought of seeing his face made her heart beat with renewed life. Her excuse for dropping in unexpectedly would be that she was still very grateful for him saving her life last night. Although, if he were ever to find out that she had just been pretending, he would hate her for sure. So, she must make certain he never found out.
The closer she walked to his office, the more nervous she became. Last night’s event couldn’t leave her mind, especially when she thought back on the questions thrown at her. Apparently, they were all interested in knowing about her family. Dare she arrange a meeting with Ashton and her father? Conrad Bastian was just as talented in the art of disguise as Gordon, so she was certain her father could create a character just for Ashton to see. Perhaps then he would trust her just a little more.
Out of the corner of her eye, a sign written in fancy ink on the lamppost drew her attention. She slowed her steps to read it. Liverpool’s first ever Butler’s Ball had been arranged and was advertising the grand event for servants only. She had read in the newspaper not too long ago that the servants had rallied together a few times, hoping to get their employers to give them more time off. She could sympathize with both groups of people. Although she had never grown up as a servant, as an undercover detective, she had played the part many times.
She came to a stop in front of the advertisement. It looked as if the rally had paid off. According to this announcement, the servants were allowed to attend the ball and would not be reprimanded by their employers.
The article also gave the date this event would take place...day after tomorrow!
Excitement leapt inside her. This would be the perfect time for Gordon to sneak back inside Ashton’s house because now they knew the servants would be gone.
Her thoughts stopped quickly. Why should she let Gordon do this when she could do it? She would have to watch and make certain Ashton wasn’t at home, either.
She tapped her finger on her chin. In order to make certain Ashton wasn’t there, she might have to create a secret meeting for just the two of them. Of course, she wouldn’t show up, and her excuse would be that her father was watching her...or something like that. She would figure out the details when the time came.
All she knew was that the night of the butler’s ball was the evening it needed to happen. With Ashton and the servants out of the house at the same time, there was nothing that could stop her from searching his study. Nothing at all!
Chapter Twelve
Ashton stared out the window of his office toward the street, looking at nothing in particular. Every little thing that had happened last night ran through his mind, keeping him from doing any work. The railway had already come across some issues this morning, which he had quickly fixed. Then, when trying to add up the columns in the weekly ledger, he had been absent-minded, forgetting to carry the eight to the next line. He gritted his teeth, not believing how careless he’d been, especially since he had always been so bright when it came to math.
He blamed his lack of concentration on one woman. Nicole Bastian.
Why had he allowed one woman to twist his emotions so quickly in such a short amount of time? It was obvious why he’d become fascinated with her at Lord Reynolds’ masked ball. Plain and simple, the woman was stunning, both in physical beauty and her personality. The times he’d met up with her after the ball was just as rewarding. She had somehow mesmerized him, and heaven help him, he enjoyed being in that mental state—as if he were always floating on a cloud.
