He kept going over everything Glynn and Larson had told him last night, and his anger kept rising He gritted his teeth, not being able to tolerate the confusion in his head, but mostly, he couldn’t stand the pain in his heart from the doubts.
Was she the thief? Was she the enchanting woman he had gotten to know—or the fairytale character that had two sides?
A sharp knock sounded on the office door, and Ashton’s elbow slid from the edge of his desk, and he pitched forward, nearly hitting his head on his inkwell. “Enter,” he said. Collecting himself, he sat on his chair and tried to remove his dazed expression. He busied his hands, rearranging papers that littered his desk.
Mr. Wiggins opened the door but didn’t step into the room. “Mr. Lee, Miss Bastian is here to see you. Are you available?”
Ashton caught his breath as his body froze momentarily. What is she doing here? “Yes, I’m available. Please show her in.”
Ashton pushed away from his desk and stood, adjusting his waistcoat and cravat. Would he act like a smitten schoolboy as he had done lately whenever looking upon her? Yet the doubts he’d had since his dinner party clouded his judgment.
When Nicole sauntered into the room, he held back a sigh. As always, she was breathtaking. Today she wore a pale pink gown with white lace over the bodice, which cascaded halfway down the dress. The neckline was modest but showed him her delicate throat...skin that he wanted to caress with his lips. Her hair hung down her back in loose ringlets instead of being piled on top of her head. He liked seeing her light-brown curls circling her neck and shoulders instead of the fancy styles many women had taken to wearing.
He shook away the thought, wondering how he could get rid of those ideas for good. Trying to act his best under the duress circumstances, he smiled and stepped around his desk to greet her. “What a pleasure to see you again, Miss Bastian.”
Her face beamed when she met his gaze, and once again, stars danced in her eyes. He wished his heart wouldn’t hammer so fast right now.
“Mr. Lee.” She came closer to him. “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“Not at all. I’m always happy to see you.” He glanced behind him at Mr. Wiggins and gave him a nod. “That will be all.”
The other man returned the nod and closed the door.
When he looked back at Nicole, her face was more relaxed. It was going to be nearly impossible to resist her charms. But he must if he needed to discover what she was hiding from him. “What brings you by my office today?”
“I was out for a stroll this morning, and I knew I must come to find you to thank you again for saving my life.”
He gave her a sheepish smile. “I must admit, I was extremely worried during those few moments when you were choking. I’m glad you recovered without any complications.”
“Yes, thanks to your quick thinking.”
“The others were helping me too, you know.”
“They were?”
He nodded. “Well, Glynn and Mrs. Browning were telling me what to do.”
She chuckled. “Then I’m grateful for their instructions.”
He motioned to the empty chair in front of his desk. “Would you like to sit down?”
“I suppose...as long as I’m not a bother to you.”
“Of course not.”
She sat on the brown leather chair, and he sat on the edge of his desk, folding his arms across his chest. “Did you enjoy yourself last night—other than when you were choking?”
“Oh, yes. I had a wonderful time.”
“I’m happy to hear that.”
“Although—” Her voice trailed off, and her attention fell to her hands folded on her lap.
“What?”
“Well, I had hoped...” She lifted her eyes and met his. “I had hoped we would have found a private moment together. After all, wasn’t that the original purpose for your dinner party?”
Slowly, a grin pulled at the corners of his mouth. He just couldn’t stop it this time. “Yes, that was the original plan.”
