Page 39 of Teach a Rogue New Tricks
Nora shot her a scalpel-sharp glare. Then, she pushed her gleaming gun away and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. Something heavy and explosive lurked in her dark green eyes.
Ada’s own gaze skittered away from such disconcerting consideration.
Sarah appeared between them and sat with the sigh of a day well spent. “It’s a lazy evening, is it not? I do so enjoy the”—she waved her hands at the children—“noise.” She turned to Ada and patted her knee. “What a nice gentleman you met today. Your father said he is a viscount. I cannot remember his name? Albert?”
“I don’t recall,” Ada whispered, unable to meet Nora’s challenging gaze.
“That was it,” Sarah said. “And he helped you free your gown from… a cage? I’m afraid I’m not entirely clear on the events of the day.”
Neither was Ada, seeing as how they were entirely imagined. “The hem of my gown caught on a statue. He helped me free myself. Very gallant.”
Nora tilted her head to the side, her eyes narrowing. “A viscount?”
Ada swallowed and replied slowly, carefully. “Yes. London is full of them, you know.”
“Parliament is not in session until next week. They’re rather light on the ground at the moment. I do know of one, however… and his name sounds a tad like Albert.”
Nora never missed her target.
“Oh?” Sarah asked, unaware of the tension brewing between the sisters. “Who is that?”
Nora did not answer. Neither did Ada.
Ada felt like a pinned insect. But she didn’t have to. She stretched her arms high and faked a yawn. “I am exhausted. I’m off to bed. Good night, Sarah, Nora.” She stood. “Good night, everyone.” She made it out the door to a chorus of “good nights,” but she didn’t even make it upstairs before Nora’s quick steps caught her up.
“Are you tired, too?” Ada asked, attempting a tone both light and careless.
“Not at all. In fact, I’m energized by the possibilityof solving a good mystery.”
Ada picked up her pace, eager to have her bedroom door between herself and her sister. She knew exactly what “mystery” her sister spoke of and knew it was no mystery at all, to either of them. “Have fun uncovering it. I’m sure you will.” She reached the top of the stairs. Her door rose into view at the end of the hall. Relief awaited, within reach.
Still,Nora followed, her sights set on her target.
Ada now knew how the painted hay bales at home felt when Nora pinned them in her sights, aimed, and pulled the trigger. A sense of inevitability. She flung open her door and whipped into her room. “Good night!” She infused her tone with the good cheer of a woman not being stalked by an expert markswoman and slammed the door.
But not before a dainty foot slipped between it and the frame. “Ouch!”
The door bounced back after hitting Nora’s foot, and Ada stuck her head back into the hallway. “You should not put your foot where it does not belong.”
Nora hopped on one leg, cradling her foot and scowling.
Ada lifted her eyebrows, hoping her sister realized that her last sentence meant more than it seemed.
Nora put her foot back on the ground and rushed forward. She forced her entire weight between the door and its frame. Ada flew back from the force, and the door bounced open, banging against the wall.
Nora cried out in victory. “I knowexactlywhere my foot belongs.” She closed the bedroom door, then anchored her fists to her hips and pinned Ada with her gaze once more. “You met Viscount Albee today, didn’t you?”
No use denying it anymore. “I did. He happened to be at the Tower. I can’t keep him from going where he pleases.” She’d not had to invite him, though. Best not to mention that.
“He may go where he pleases as long as he does not go after you. Or Willow. What a debacle, Ada! A nightmare. He’s a kidnapper, and he’s set his sights on you”—she shoved her finger toward Ada, an anvil meant to smash sense into her—“next.”
Ada rolled her eyes. “I’m in no danger from the viscount.”
“He followed you to the Tower. You must stay home until he’s crept off to wherever he came from. You must keep safe from him. Perhaps you should return to Cavendish Manor.”
Ada paced to the window. Life in the country had been difficult, but in a different way than life in London was. There, she had to make decisions about the twins and worry when Pansy ran off without telling anyone. There, she helped run the manor and made sure the tutors did not villainize women. Life in London moved faster and in more complicated patterns. She no longer commanded the center of her world, no longer dipped a toe into each and every detail of everyone’s life. Here, she could only claim the role of an observer on the edge of things, and even when she strode into the action, everyone around her tried to shove her back into her expected place. She felt like a pudding in a mold.
She sighed and faced her sister, holding her chin high. “Absolutely not.” London intimidated her, but she would not run. Lord Albee made her heart thump but not in fear.
