Page 29 of The Lady Needs a Rogue
Following an exchange of pleasantries, the professor took a rather deliberate look at his watch. “I’m afraid I must part company. I am scheduled to meet with one of the museum patrons. Our little chat is the primary reason I came tonight. I do hope you all understand.”
“Of course we do,” Nell said brightly. “Now that you’ve returned to London, I do hope we will have the pleasure of an invigorating conversation.”
“Indeed,” Aylesworth’s gaze shifted from Nell to Macie. “You may count on it.”
*
The morning afterLady Brookshire’s party, as Macie set up her camera on the pavement steps beyond the red brick exterior of Bennington Manor, her tripod was frustratingly unstable. She attempted to properly position a support that was not quite level, but the device stubbornly resisted her efforts to right it. As she fiddled with the cantankerous metal legs, her thoughts were as off kilter as the camera stand.
Encountering Professor Aylesworth at the gathering had been a delightful surprise. Reminiscing about her grandfather with a man who’d actually seen his brilliant mind at work had been quite enjoyable. Until Finn strode up and the conversation shifted to long-ago bouts of fisticuffs and such. At one point, Finn had actually seemed possessive of her, perhaps even a bit jealous. Had he been merely playing his part in their scheme? Or had the steely tension in his eyes been real?
“Might I assist with your equipment?” Nell’s question pulled Macie back to the moment and, thankfully, back to the task at hand. There was little time to waste. The low haze in the sky created an atmosphere that was perfect for the concept Macie wanted to create. Best to capture the image before the clouds shifted and the sky became too foreboding and gray.
“Thank you, but not yet.” Macie tugged on one leg of the tripod, adjusting it with the other supports. The cobbles in the pavement were not ideal for leveling her camera, but she wasn’t about to let a bit of inconvenience stymie her. She would portray the beauty of the magnificent old home for others to appreciate. Just as she did.
Her grandfather’s house—somehow, it still felt like his home—wore the passage of time like an embellishment. Some might call the subtle marks in the brick facade blemishes. To Macie, they were signs of character, remnants of its storied history, of the decades long past when her ancestors had lived and died within those walls.
“Nell, I believe I left my lens case in the parlor,” she said, fiddling with the uncooperative tripod. “Would you get it, please?”
“Of course.” Nell hurried up the front steps and into the house.
Macie made another adjustment, setting the camera level atop the tripod. “Finally.” She studied the building, contemplating the image she wished to capture.
A sudden coolness washed over her. A sensation like icy fingers trailed over her nape.How very odd.There was no hint of breeze. Not so much as a wisp of wind that might have chilled her. An innate warning murmured in her thoughts.
Was someone watching her?
Turning toward the street, she faced the house across the road. A tall, lean man stood an arm’s length from thetownhouse’s massive front porch. His bushy gray brows lifted slightly as his pale eyes met her gaze. His focus seemed to intensify, as if he was studying her.
The chill along her hairline trailed down her spine, and she broke eye contact.Don’t be a goose.The gent was old enough to be her father, after all. Quite possibly his vision was not precise and he’d confused her for someone else. There was no cause for alarm.
Pity her body’s instincts did not agree.
She glanced back at him. Was he in need of assistance? Perhaps she should cross over and speak to him, if only to be sure.
Slowly, the elderly man shook his head.How very peculiar. Had he anticipated her intention to come to him? He turned away then, ambling at a steady pace down the street. Away from the house. Away from Bennington Manor.
“Macie, is something wrong?” Nell hurried down the front stairs, case in hand.
“Not at the moment.”
Macie pulled in a long breath, attempting to calm her slightly accelerated pulse. Try as she might, she could not entirely cast off her reaction to the man who’d seemed to be watching her.
Nell’s gaze swept over her features. “You’re quite sure?”
“Of course.” Macie wished she believed her own words.
Nell turned to catch sight of the elderly gent making his way along the cobblestones. “I saw the way that man was staring at you. Do you know who he is?”
“I don’t recall ever laying eyes on him before today.”
“Perhaps he knew your grandfather.”
“That could well be the case,” Macie agreed. Nell’s suggestion was reasonable. Utterly rational. But deep within, she sensed the explanation was not quite so simple.
She reached for her lenses. “Let’s get to work, shall we? The light is perfect.”
Nell threw another glance behind her. “Macie, there is one thing that seemed a bit odd to me.”
