The shadow moved again. Someone was in there. Quickly, he jumped off his horse and crept to the back door. He entered and went straightway to his gun cabinet located in one of the side rooms. Remaining as quiet as possible, he loaded the pistol before sneaking toward his study.
He stopped near the doorframe and flattened himself against the wall. Holding his breath, he listened closely.
“Oh, for heaven sakes! Why can’t I find anything?”
He hitched a breath and then quickly snapped his mouth closed. What was Nicole doing in his house?
Trying to calm himself, he slowly stepped into the room. She stood by his desk. Her arms folded as one finger tapped at the end of her chin.
“Excuse me, Miss Bastian. Are you lost?” he said loudly, making her jump toward him.
Terror seized her expression, and her face was ghostly white. Her gaze fell to the pistol he pointed at her. For several long and agonizing seconds, silence stretched in the room. He kept quiet for now as he studied her. There was a slight quake to her stance, but he didn’t think she would swoon. She wasn’t the swooning type.
“Well?” he said. “Are you going to answer me?” He stepped closer until he reached the low-burning lamp on the side table. He turned it up, and seconds later, the light completely brightened the room. She squinted.
Her throat jumped, and she licked her lips. Slowly, she shifted her hands in front of her, clasping her fingers. “Ashton, wh-what are you doing here?”
“I live here,” he huffed, arching an eyebrow. “Or had that somehow slipped your mind as you wandered through my house uninvited?”
“Forgive me, but I entered your house, assuming you wouldn’t mind. I...um, I seem to have left my wrist purse somewhere, and I thought perhaps I had left it here when I came to your dinner party the other evening.”
He gradually lowered the pistol, mistrust still hanging heavy in his mind and especially his heart. “Then you should have sent me a note, and I would have searched for it. But instead, you waited until you thought I had left before sneaking in. Not only that, but when you were here the other evening with my friends, we all congregated in the sitting room, not here in the study. So now I wonder why you would think your wrist purse is in this particular room.”
She gave a weak shrug. “Pardon me, once again, for assuming because I had just supposed you would bring my purse in here to keep it safe until I came for it.”
His mind went back to that evening, but for the life of him, he didn’t recall her bringing a wrist purse. A niggle of uncertainty sneaked in his head. Perhaps he should give her a little leeway, especially since he couldn’t recall her bringing that item to the dinner party. “I see your reasoning. However, you haven’t answered my question on why you came to my house when you thought I was gone?”
She swallowed hard once more. “I had actually dropped by hoping you were home, but the lights were out. I knew it was late, and...and I really didn’t want to bother you with something so mundane. I thought if I could sneak in and just peek in your study, no harm would be done.”
She offered a charming smile, but he didn’t believe it this time. Why did she talk as if they weren’t supposed to meet at the fisherman’s shack this evening? He had play her game and see where it led.
“Miss Bastian,” he said, coming even closer, “do you make it a habit of going out after dark to visit men at their homes, and sneak inside when the lights are out?”
“Well, no, but—”
“Nicole,” he whispered her name and closed the space between them as he stood in front of her. “I have always wondered something about you from the very first time we met. I couldn’t quite understand what had me so perplexed, but I felt as if you were holding secrets.” He swept the fingers of his free hand along the curls by her cheek. “I now realize that you are not the woman you pretend to be.”
Her eyes widened, and he realized he’d hit a nerve. She was withholding secrets, after all. Why hadn’t he kept that in mind all those many times they were together? Perhaps then he wouldn’t be feeling his heart break as each moment passed.
“I-I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”
“Oh, my dearest, Nicole.” He shook his head slowly. “It is time to stop playing this game with me. I’ve suspected who you were for a few days now.”
She sucked in a quick breath. “You thought I had been lying to you?”
“Not at first, but the more we talked, the more I realized your charade.”
Anger lit her big, brown eyes. “I, sir, do not have a charade. If anyone has one, it is you!”
It was his turn to feel surprised now. Why on earth would she think that about him? “And how did you come to that conclusion, my dear?”
“Oh, come now. You cannot tell me that you haven’t heard the rumors.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Rumors? Of what, may I ask?”
She gave a laugh that seemed forced. “The railway robberies these past few months, of course. Have you forgotten about them so soon? Money has been stolen from your railway—money that the queen trusted to send on your train.”
Good grief. She couldn’t be serious... “You don’t have to explain about the robberies. Because I’m one of the owners, I know what is going on. But what does this have to do with me?”
