Page 16 of The Gilded Lady
Tension rolled off him as he waited for her to politely decline the women’s invitation. As soon as they were past the group, he let out a huff of breath through his nose. “Whatever you call it, it was wrong and potentially dangerous.”
Glory couldn’t help but notice how several pairs of eyes lingered on them as they passed. Rumors would be flying soon if they weren’t already. At least no one knew that he’d spent the night in her room last night. Hopefully they’d find the perpetrator quickly and this would be over. “Well, as you can see, the children aren’t really that dangerous. I’m fine.”
He narrowed his eyes at her, letting her know that her attempt at levity had been a failure. “It’s not the children I’m worried about. It’s you. You are my only concern right now and I can’t keep you safe if I don’t know where you are. Whoever got into your office, could be there waiting for you, knowing that’s where you’d least expect it.”
She frowned. She supposed it made sense if she looked at it from his point of view; however, she also believed that he was making a huge jump from finding a letter attempting to extort thousands of dollars from her to her safety being imminently at risk. “No one is going to be waiting in a dark corner to jump out at me. I appreciate your concern and dedication, but right now we should be more concerned with keeping my past in the dark. Ireally don’t think my life is at risk. Yet.” She added that last part because she did believe that her life would be at risk if her past ever caught up to her.
He was silent as he followed her up the back stairs to her suite. The frustration pouring off him was nearly palpable. It warmed its way up her spine and wrapped around her in a way that wasn’t unpleasant. It meant that he cared, that he planned to do everything in his power to keep her safe, and while she might take issue with his methods, she appreciated that she could depend on him.
Stopping at the door that took her directly to her suite, she chanced a quick glance over her shoulder at him as she dug the key out of her pocket. His jaw was clenched and he was too busy looking at each door as if the person who’d left the letter might be hiding behind one to notice her. She let herself indulge for a moment in the secret thrill she got every time she looked at him. In profile, his strong features appeared even more chiseled. She lingered on the braid near his ear, half hidden by his hair which flowed free to his shoulders. He was so different from her, yet she felt this strange kinship with him and didn’t understand it. Exploring it would be pointless, nothing could come of them, but knowing that didn’t stop her curiosity about him.
He looked down at her abruptly as if he’d felt her scrutiny so she gave him what she hoped was a casual smile and pushed her key into the lock. Her heart nearly beat itself out of her chest when he put his hand on hers to stop her from going inside. The tingle of warmth that shot up her arm made her pull her hand back as quickly as she could. His brow rose, but he didn’t comment. Instead he pushed the door open and stepped in front of her. She realized that he only meant to make certain that no one lurked inside.
“Come on in,” he said a moment later.
She shook her head at his unnecessary attention to detail and followed him inside. He stood in the center of the room, seeming to almost fill the whole place up with the breadth of him. When he shrugged out of his coat as if he meant to stay for a while, she sighed and closed the door behind her. Apparently they needed to make this arrangement work for at least one more night. “I take it Hunter wasn’t able to find out any information.”
He shook his head and relayed the information he had from Hunter, which wasn’t a lot. It was too early to be disappointed though. Hunter had only started his search this morning. They still had days to find the person. “And you’ve made no headway in finding out how the letter made its way to my desk?”
“I have my suspicions.” He eyed her as he hung his coat on the rack beside the door.
“Which are?” She prompted.
He shook his head. “You’ll find out when I know for sure.”
“At least tell me the top suspects.”
He merely shook his head again and the corner of his mouth ticked up. “You’re too loyal. If I tell you, you’ll give me a list of reasons the people I need to question further couldn’t possibly be involved and it won’t get us anywhere.”
She frowned. “Well, none of the people who work with me would be in cahoots with this person, so I suppose you’re right.”
“And yet no one else had access to your study.”
He tossed the words out there so casually. She knew that he had to be right, but at the same time she couldn’t fathom someone conspiring with this secret person. When she realized he was simply standing there, she gestured toward the sofa. “Please have a seat.” Exchanging verbal barbs with Zane wouldn’t get this problem fixed, so she planned to drop the subject.
He didn’t move right away. Instead he stared down at her as if trying to solve a puzzle. “I never realized how close you were with the children in the boardinghouse.”
She shrugged. She’d tried not to get too close to anyone there. Most of the people she helped stayed at the boardinghouse for only a few weeks or months. It seemed pointless to form attachments. But she hadn’t been able to figure out a way to keep herself from the children, especially those who lived here full-time. She’d seen them grow up from babies.
Before she could answer, someone knocked on the door. Zane made to answer it, but she got there first. This was still her home. He gave her a look of dismay but allowed her to open it. To her surprise, Beth, one of the kitchen staff stood there holding an oversize tray.
“You ordered a plate to be sent up for supper?” the girl asked when Glory simply stared at her.
“Of course.” She’d nearly forgotten that she’d stopped by that morning to give the order, preparing to spend most of the evening in her room reading since business would be slow. She’d hoped, perhaps naively, that Zane would be gone by now and the mystery solved. What surprised her now, however, was that there were clearly two plates on the tray.
Catching her eye going to the second one, Beth gave a shy smile and said, “I thought your gentleman might be hungry too.”
Glory’s face flamed as she realized that rumors had already spread to the staff. Instead of commenting on it, she stepped back and Beth walked into the room to set both plates on the table. If Beth thought that he’d want a plate, did she also know that he’d spent the night here last night? It seemed a silly thing to worry about. She was a brothel owner, they were in a brothel, but the idea of everyone thinking that she and Zane had slept together twisted her up inside.
After Beth had unloaded the plates laden with food, the bread basket, a pitcher of water and two glasses, she turned back to them and seemed to read the awkwardness in the room. “Did I misunderstand? Is he not eating here?” When no one answered immediately, she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and turned back to the table. “I’m sorry. I’ll take the extra plate away.”
Finally gathering her senses, Glory rushed forward. Zane was apparently allowing her to take the lead in how to handle this with the staff. She needed to act casually so as not to stir up unneeded drama. In the end, it really didn’t matter if anyone thought they were seeing each other in a way that wasn’t business-related or not. The only one who seemed torn up about it was her. “No, it’s fine and very thoughtful of you, Beth. Thank you.”
The girl paused but glanced over her shoulder as if to ask if she was certain. Glory gave her a nod and an encouraging smile. “Thank you,” she said again. “I’m sure Mr. Pierce is hungry.”
They both looked to him for confirmation, but he was staring at Glory with a strange expression on his face. Amusement mixed with something she couldn’t name. Something that had her breath catching as her stomach tilted.
“If you’re sure…” Beth said.
