Page 37 of His Sinful Touch

“Alexander. Yes, you’re right.” Alex smiled and bowed to her. “You know Con?”

“We are acquaintances, nothing more.” She offered him a tight smile. “Pray forgive me. I did not mean to intrude on you and Miss Blair.” She nodded politely toward Sabrina and started to turn away.

“No, wait!” Sabrina finally broke from her paralysis.

“Yes, please,” Alex agreed, smoothly drawing the woman aside to the relative seclusion of a potted palm against the wall. “We would very much like to talk to you.”

“I’m sorry,” Sabrina told her earnestly, reaching out as if to take her arm, then dropping her hand. Hope and fear churned in her chest. “Please. I... Obviously I should recognize you.”

“Recognize me!” Their visitor goggled at her, red rising in her cheeks. “I should think so—we’ve been friends since we could walk!”

“Miss—” Alex began. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know your name.”

She quirked an eyebrow but said tersely, “I am Miss Holcutt.”

“Did you by any chance write Miss Blair a letter, inviting her to visit you?”

Miss Holcutt gaped at him. “Yes, of course I did. I always do—” She swung toward Sabrina. “Sabrina, I don’t understand. What is going on? Why are you—”

“Miss Holcutt.” Sabrina took a deep breath. “I know how bizarre this must seem, but the thing is, I don’t remember you. I don’t remember anything. I had no idea what my last name was until you just called me Sabrina Blair. The only reason I knew Sabrina was from my locket.” Her fingers went instinctively to touch the gold locket at her throat.

“Your mother’s locket?”

Tears sprang into Sabrina’s eyes. “Is it? It belongs to my mother?”

“Yes. Mr. Blair gave it to her when you were born.”

“Then that is my birthdate.”

Miss Holcutt gazed at her for a long moment. “This is real? It’s not...some sort of jest?” Her eyes went to Alex.

“No, it’s not a joke,” he told her. “I promise. Whatever you may have heard about Con and me, neither of us would play such a prank. And to what purpose?”

“I—I see.” It was clear she did not. “But how... Why—”

“I don’t know,” Sabrina said. “I don’t know anything. We think I hit my head somehow. Whatever the reason, I remember nothing before a fortnight ago.”

“But this is so...”

“Preposterous?” Sabrina offered with a wry smile. She had no recollection of Miss Holcutt, but she instinctively liked her and felt at ease with her. It was not difficult to believe that the woman was her friend. “I know. It’s even more preposterous to be living it, believe me.”

Miss Holcutt smiled, visibly relaxing, and Sabrina thought that she had, finally, completely believed the story. “My name is Lilah—that’s what you usually call me.”

“Lilah.” Impulsively Sabrina took the other woman’s hand. “Oh, Lilah, this is wonderful! I have a million questions to ask you.”

“Of course. But I don’t understand. Why did Peter not tell me? I just spoke to him and his father as they came in, and he said nothing about you being here.” She paused, her forehead wrinkling. “And how could you not know your last name when Mr. Dearborn and Peter are with you?”

“Who is Mr. Dearborn? Who’s Peter?” Sabrina asked. An icy fear began in the pit of her stomach, and beside her she felt Alex stiffen.

“Why, your guardian, of course. Mr. Dearborn is your guardian. And Peter—”

“Sabrina!” A man’s voice cut through the noise of the party. “Oh, my God, Sabrina! Thank heavens you’re all right.”

They all turned to see a young man plowing through the crowd toward them, an older man in his wake. Sabrina did not recognize either of them, but the ice in her stomach grew, and she took an instinctive step back. She saw Lilah glance at her in surprise, and Alex moved forward, placing himself between Sabrina and the approaching men.

The young man stopped, casting an assessing glance at Alex before turning back to Sabrina. His eyes were intent on her face as he said, “Sabrina...Father and I have been looking for you all over.”

“Who are you?” Sabrina asked bluntly. His intensity bothered her, as did the way he looked at her, his eyes lit with significance, as if he were conveying some secret message.