Page 72 of The Bride Wore White

“Think about it. You don’t have to pretend that you believe I’ve got some actual psychic talent. I, in turn, know that for some reason you are scared to admit to yourself that you might possess something more than very good intuition. You could say we have aunique understanding of each other. Sounds to me like the basis of a great relationship.”

“A great relationship?” he echoed.

“For now,” she said.

“For now?” He was trying desperately to stay afloat in the riptide of her ridiculous logic. But he was floundering. Badly.

She reached up with one hand and gently patted his scarred face. “Think, Wingate. Use your amazing powers of reason. I’m a professional flirt. You don’t trust anyone, so you will never be able to make a commitment. Don’t you see? We’re a perfect couple. No illusions.”

He stared at her, frustrated and outraged. Unable to think of any reasonable verbal response, he resorted to action. He covered her mouth with his own and kissed her with a force that shocked both of them.

She responded immediately, throwing her arms around his neck. The kiss got hotter, wetter, and more intense.

The sound of the doorbell broke the spell. He raised his head, dazed.

“Oh, good,” Prudence said. She ducked under his arm and headed toward the door. “That will be our new clothes. I can’t wait to see what the hotel management thinks is suitable fashion for a lady conducting an illicit liaison here at the Burning Cove Hotel.”

Dumbfounded, he managed to get his mouth closed. He decided he should probably go take a shower. A cold one.

Chapter 33

Hotel management delivered two garment bags and two boxes. The bag markedP. Rylandheld a fashionable pair of waist-defining trousers in a rich coffee-brown color and a bronze silk blouse detailed with a flowing self-tie at the throat. The accompanying box contained a pair of sporty loafers and some dainty undergarments. There was a note in the box.Please contact the front desk immediately if you require other sizes or styles. If there are any problems with the fit, the hotel will be happy to send a seamstress to the villa.

“I could get used to living like this,” Prudence said. “I can’t wait to see what’s in your garment bag.”

But there was no response. Jack had already vanished into the bathroom. She could hear the shower running. She took the bag labeledJ. Wingateand the box into his bedroom and left both on the bed.

By the time she emerged from the bath, showered and dressed in the stylish new outfit, her washed, still-damp hair clipped behind her ears, she was in good spirits. Energized. Invigorated. Jack mightbe having difficulty coming to terms with what had happened between them last night, but she viewed it as a major turning point in her life, one that had changed her perspective on the future.

The living room was empty. The French doors stood open, allowing the fresh morning air off the sea into the room. Breakfast had arrived while she was in the shower and had been set up on the patio. There was a pot of tea and one of coffee. Jack was at the table, dressed in a crisply pressed shirt and trousers. He had a sheet of paper in front of him and several sharpened pencils. A cup of coffee sat close at hand.

She reminded herself that she was a modern, sophisticated woman, the sort of woman who could engage in an illicit liaison in a glamorous hotel without a second thought. She took a breath, summoned a breezy smile, and went briskly out onto the patio. Jack looked up from the sheet of paper.

“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” she said. She sat down and reached for the teapot. “How is the crime tree going? I imagine you have all sorts of new insights to add now.”

Jack watched her warily, apparently not sure what to make of her mood. But after a beat he took refuge in the job at hand.

“I contacted the hospital while you were in the shower,” he said. “They don’t keep logs of visitors, but the nurse on the late-night shift remembered that the Dover housekeeper came to see Clara after Rollins and Ella had left. Evidently Maud Hollister was in the room for some time. The nurse didn’t know for how long or if anyone else went into the room after that, because she got called away to an emergency in another room.”

“So Maud Hollister stays on your list of suspects.”

“Yes.” Jack glanced at the crime tree. “I want to talk to her because no one was more devoted to Clara Dover.”

“You want to know why.”

“Yes.”

Prudence thought about that while she nibbled on a triangle of toast. “The psychic circuit might have some background on that relationship. I can make a few calls after breakfast.”

“That would be helpful,” Jack said, excruciatingly polite. “Thank you.”

Prudence smiled. “You don’t have to act like you’re walking on eggshells. As you pointed out, I am hardly a delicate flower.”

He looked more wary than ever. “I shouldn’t have said what I did about your marriage.”

“Annulled marriage.”

“Right. I shouldn’t have said those things about your annulled marriage. It’s none of my business.”

---