The brilliant scarlet coat of Colonel Burwell drew his attention as the man stopped in front of a shop and talked with a woman. Malcolm wouldn’t have bothered with his curiosity, but two small children stood by the woman’s side.
Kat!
Malcolm jumped up and moved to the window. Although the colonel had his back toward him, Kat smiled as she chatted with the soldier. Even from Malcolm’s vantage point, he realized the way she spoke with the other man was far different than before. Kat always had to touch the man, bat her eyes, and use her perfectly shaped lips to pout. But she was doing none of that now. Why?
After a few minutes, the colonel walked away, and Kat and the children moved on to the next shop. Malcolm had threatened her this morning to take special care of his children, and it surprised him she had actually listened. Even the maid walked behind holding Lizzy’s hand.
He raked his fingers through his hair and exhaled deeply. His mind hadn’t been focused since Kat had returned from her secret little holiday, and he didn’t like the confusion swimming in his head. It was as if she were a completely different person.
The chiming from the bell on the door pulled Malcolm’s attention to the front office. His friend stepped into view and pulled off his hat.
Malcolm smiled. “Broderick? What are you doing here?”
The younger man walked to the desk and sat on the corner, swinging his leg. “I followed your wife as you had requested, but I must say, there is something very different about her.”
“What have you seen?” Malcolm sat behind his desk again, linking his fingers and resting his elbows on the top.
“To begin with, she wouldn’t sit in the front of the buggy with me but insisted on being in the back with your children. Not once throughout the morning has she flirted with any men. When she walked past the soldiers outside the tavern, she just nodded and proceeded on her way.” Broderick shook his head. “I tell you, Malcolm, her strange behavior has me worried.”
“I think she knows we are watching her, so she is on guard.” Malcolm scrubbed his hand over his chin. “She is a great performer, but she will slip up one of these days, and I will be right there when she does.”
“What are you watching for?”
“I don’t believe she went to visit her sister. I’m more inclined to think she spent time with some soldier. It could have been Colonel Burwell, for that matter. I think she knows a vital piece of information that might help me find the true thief, but I’m going to catch her before she acts on her knowledge. For some reason—which I cannot fathom—I think she wants to bring me down. She wants me to fail and lose my reputation. Yet I don’t know why she would want that, since my wealth affects her as well.”
Broderick nodded. “I’ll be alert for any peculiar activity.”
Malcolm stretched his legs beneath the solid oak desk. Two things were certain: someone was trying to ruin him by stealing his drawings and selling them, and his wife was up to somethingthat was not good. His gut told him the two were related in some way. Already the people on his suspects list were Brandon Kennedy, Captain Wilkes, and Colonel Burwell. And Malcolm also suspected his competitor, Mr. Clarkston. That man had always been sneaky. He couldn’t help but wonder if Kat was the ringleader in this conspiracy.
Inwardly, he groaned. Thinking of that woman caused him more worries than normal. He hesitated in asking his friend one particular question, only because the subject made him irritable, but he had to know. “Broderick? Has she snuck away from the house to meet secretly with a man since she has been back?”
“No, not at all. And I have kept constant watch on her.” Broderick moved to the window and peered out.
Malcolm shook his head. “Something isn’t right, and it’s maddening.”
Broderick turned and looked at him. “I shall keep following her. I’ll not let you down.”
Malcolm smiled, but it wasn’t fully. “I know. Keep a sharp eye. She is a sneaky one.”
Broderick left the building, and Malcolm was thankful his friend was so loyal. Broderick had discovered Kat sneaking out of the house one week after she and Malcolm were married. She enjoyed charming almost every man she came in contact with—except her own husband. Sometimes Malcolm wondered why he repulsed her so.
Kat was very much like his first wife, Victoria, in that respect.
He groaned and slunk lower in his chair. Victoria, the sweet, caring, and tender mother of his children. The perfect wife… until it came to performing the wifely duties she abhorred. He tried to convince her making love wasn’t a chore, but a pleasurable, natural experience between husband and wife. Victoria didn’t see it that way.
At times during their marriage, he had felt less than a man, but he always stayed true to their vows. On her deathbed, she urged him to find another wife, a mother to raise their children. When he first met Kat—through her father—Malcolm thought she was the one. Just like Victoria, Kat had been innocent and shy, so he didn’t rush her. Within a week, he discovered from Broderick that Kat had been unfaithful. Even with Malcolm’s business partner, Brandon Kennedy, for goodness’ sake! After that, Malcolm hadn’t wanted to touch his wife.
He picked up his quill and concentrated on his sketches, but from outside, a woman’s sweet laughter rose above the hustle from the busy street. He lifted his gaze out the window. Kat skipped with his children down the street. For the first time since Victoria died, a smile highlighted his son’s face as he held on to Kat’s hand and looked up into her eyes.
The mismatched pair hurried across the street toward his office, and Malcolm’s heart melted. Quick as lightning, he cursed the feeling, reminding himself this was only an act. Kat wasn’t the loving and charming woman she portrayed, but a she-devil in disguise. He couldn’t allow himself to trust her.
Not now.
Not ever.
Chapter Five
Morning would soonbe here, yet Malcolm hadn’t slept. He moved to the window and parted the curtain. He couldn’t understand his wife and her actions of late, which had his mind whirling with speculation.
