Page 12 of A Sense of Fate
Flora couldn’t answer Remus aloud, since Polly remained in the room, waiting for instructions.Of course,she replied, reaching out to Remus with her mind, finding it a little easier to communicate telepathically each time she attempted it.How else will we discover what it is that he wants from me?
Remus gave an other-worldly chortle.You are still so innocent.
I assume you will stay yourself.
Naturally. This ought to be interesting.
It would help if I had known what he wanted before he called. I assume you have some idea.
Me? Sorry, I don’t have the foggiest.
Flora didn’t believe a word of it and made a face at him. She felt anxious, but it didn’t occur to her to turn Conrad away. He was here at her father’s behest; she was certain of that much, and it would be better to discover why.
‘Show him in please, Polly, and remain in the room.’
‘Very good, miss.’ Polly left and returned almost immediately with her unwelcome visitor. ‘Mr Conrad, miss.’
‘Mr Conrad.’ Flora’s voice recalled her guest’s attention from the thorough appraisal he had bestowed upon Flora’s very pretty maid. ‘This is an unexpected pleasure,’ she said, her distracted tone implying that it was anything but.
‘Miss Latimer. I hope you will pardon the intrusion.’
‘I assumed the weather would keep all but the hardiest indoors.’
‘I was in the area,’ he replied weakly. He glanced down at the open diary on the seat beside Flora. She hastily closed it and covered it with a cushion, indicating the chair across from her own in front of the fire. Zeus looked up and hissed at Mr Conrad, who hastily withdrew the hand he’d held out. He didn’t strike Flora as a cat lover. Presumably the gesture had been an attempt to win favour. Instead, it had almost ended with blood being drawn.
‘I was unaware that you knew my address,’ Flora said with scant politeness once he had seated himself across from her. She didn’t even consider apologising for Zeus. As far as she was concerned, the cat was an excellent judge of character. There was something about Mr Conrad, who was outwardly handsome and charming; a darkness that made her shudder. Zeus clearly sensed it as well. ‘I cannot think what brought you to the district.’
‘You are very direct.’ He glanced at Polly, who had taken a chair at the back of the room. Flora sensed his frustration at her presence, but he could hardly ask her to leave.
‘I believe in plain speaking,’ Flora responded with asperity. The man’s presumption set Flora’s teeth on edge and she momentarily forgot that she had intended to play dumb in order to extract information about his association with her father. She allowed a long silence to spread between them as she took a moment to assess him, thinking his features too effeminate to be ruggedly handsome. The noble profile of a wounded scoundrel sprang unbidden to mind. Despite his incapacity, there was no questioning Archie’s robust masculinity.
Mr Conrad’s hair was styled a little too precisely to appear natural and his moustache had been carefully waxed. He clearly spent a great deal more time attending to his appearance than Flora did hers, but if he had done so in an attempt to impress her then it had been a waste of effort. Flora was not only unimpressed but also decidedly suspicious of his sudden appearance at her remote cottage.
‘You live very comfortably,’ he remarked, his words coming out loud and accusatory, breaking the awkward silence.
‘Were you expecting a hovel?’ she asked, raising a combative brow.
‘Not at all. I didn’t mean to imply…’ He spread his hands, and Flora felt a moment’s satisfaction at his obvious discomfort.
‘I see no profit in suffering in order to prove a point.’
‘My comment was not designed as a criticism.’ He treated her to what was probably supposed to be a charming smile. ‘Quite the reverse.’
She paused. ‘What brings you to the district, Mr Conrad?’
‘We had no opportunity to further our acquaintance at your sister’s wedding. You left very abruptly. A business appointment brought me to the district, I recalled your father telling me that you lived in Lyneham and an enquiry at the local tavern elicited your address.’
‘You are quite the detective,’ Flora said in a barbed fashion.
‘When one has sufficient incentive…’ He allowed his words to trail off and treated her to a flirtatious smile this time, which likely worked with most females. Unfortunately for Mr Conrad, she was the exception that proved that particular rule and she found his charm, such as it was, easy to resist.
‘Do you ordinarily make a habit out of calling upon single females without an invitation?’
‘Ouch!’ He scratched his ear. ‘Given that I am an acquaintance of your father’s and we had already been introduced, I hoped you would disregard the formalities.’
‘You will excuse me if I do not offer you tea. You will not be staying long enough to drink it.’
‘Miss Latimer.’ He smiled at her. ‘What have I done to offend you? Tell me at once and I will put it right.’
