Page 84 of A Shadow Amongst the Roses

Thomas stilled. He did not pull away, nor did he advance.

He felt it.

“Be careful,” she whispered.

His voice was a low, steady vow. “For you, always.”

She released him reluctantly, the imprint of the moment lingering long after her hand fell away.

And as she slipped back into the passage, the house groaned once more.

This time, it sounded almost like approval.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Mr. Carter found Eliza just before noon, his expression tight with urgency.

“My lady… Mr. Hollis requests your presence in the West Wing receiving room. It concerns the Thornhaven supplies.”

The Thornhaven supplies.

Her pulse jumped. Her expression did not.

“Very well,” she said. “Lead the way.”

The West Wing was seldom used. Its corridors were colder, the windows drafty, the furniture shrouded beneath sheets. This wing never seemed entirely at ease within the house. The air there felt unsettled.

The receiving room held only three people: Hollis, an under-clerk, and a footman posted near the shuttered windows. A fire had been lit, though it offered more reassurance than warmth.

Eliza entered without haste. “Good morning.”

Hollis bowed. “My lady, the supply records from Thornhaven have returned incomplete.”

“Incomplete?” Her tone was mild. “In what way?”

He offered a ledger, familiar and well-kept. Not tampered with. One line left blank between dates.

Eliza read quickly.

“These quantities… timber, nails, pitch oil… are marked as dispatched with no confirmation of receipt at Thornhaven?”

“Yes, my lady.”

She turned another page. Same pattern. Dispatched. Not received.

Not sabotage. Not yet. But something was misaligned.

Before she could ask, footsteps sounded in the corridor.

Ashwood.

He entered with a polite bow, as though he had merely wandered in.

“My apologies for the delay,” he said smoothly. “I was told you summoned me.”

She had not. She did not correct him. “Mr. Ashwood,” she greeted evenly. “We were reviewing supply inconsistencies. Mr. Hollis brought this to my attention.”

Ashwood’s eyes flicked to the ledger, then to her face.