Page 68 of My Gentleman Spy
A small furry body crossed the floor of the room and stopped midstride.
“Hello you, I take it you are Hattie’s beloved Brutus,” hesaid.
The cat gave him a brief look up and down before heading toward one of the priceless George Jacob chairs. When she reached the leg of the chair, Brutus stretched out her leg. Will saw a set of claws appear and his heartsank.
“Oh no you don't, you furry overgrown rat,” hedeclared.
Before the cat had the opportunity to sink her claws into the plush silk covered cushions, Will had scooped Brutus up into his arms. He waved a finger in the cat'sface.
“None of the Jacob chairs if you intend to keep living. You can claw that horrible brown leather couch over there if you need to attack anything. From the look of it you have already had quite a go at it over the years. Am Iunderstood?”
The cat began to purr. Will relaxed. They had reached an accord and all would bewell.
A piercing shot of pain stabbed into Will's hand. Sharp, unforgiving teeth drewblood.
“You bloody menace!” he bellowed. The cat dropped effortlessly to the floor as Will released her. She sped from theroom.
Will looked down at his hand as blood seeped out of two puncture wounds. Pulling a handkerchief quickly from his jacket pocket, he wrapped it around his injuredhand.
“First night in my new home and I'm assaulted by a feline fiend,” hemuttered.
He started for the door, intent on hunting down the cat and having it removed from the house. He headed slowly down the main staircase. Having been around cats all his childhood, he knew you got nowhere by chasing afterthem.
At the bottom of the stairs, he saw the tip of a tail as it disappeared down the servants' staircase and into the kitchen below. His hand was on the banister, ready to descend downstairs and face down his assailant, when voices drifted up from the kitchen. He stopped midstride.
“Where am I going tosleep?”
His brow furrowed. It had been more days than he cared to remember since he had last heard that voice. A voice he once thought he would never hearagain.
He whispered. “And hello to youtoo.”
As the rightful tenant of the house there was nothing to stop him from marching down the stairs and confronting her. But that time was not yetright.
Soon enough he would make her understand that there were real repercussions to her behavior. That you didn’t simply pen notes to people, and then walk out of their lives leaving them to deal with the remains of their shattered hearts. When he did finally confront her, Will fully intended that Hattie would beg for hisforgiveness.
Hattie would prove to him that he meant something more in her life than a mere fool. That she too had been moved by the events of their time together. She could try and tell herself that her heart was set in stone against love, but she was not that accomplished aliar.
Will turned and headed back upstairs. It was time to come up with the next part of hisplan.
As he stepped back into the warmth of the drawing room, he recalled Hattie's words. She was worried as to where she would be sleeping this night, which meant that until today she had been sleeping upstairs. Somewhere in this many roomed house were her things. Possessions which no doubt held the key to hersecrets.
He rang the bell, summoning the Littles to come and clear away the remainder of the supper plates. His stomach was full, but his mind still requiredsating.
After citing fatigue after a long and tiresome day, he dismissed the servants and bade them both a goodnight. As soon as they were gone, he took a lighted candle from the table and began to search the upperfloor.
Four doors along the hallway from his room, he found what he was seeking. The door of the room he had stood outside of the previous night now had a key in the lock. As soon as he opened the door to the room, he saw the tell-tale signs ofhabitation.
On the bed a clean, freshly pressed white linen gown was draped. A pale blue ribbon placed next to it. On the floor by the bed sat a matching pair ofslippers.
Quickly entering the room, he closed the door quietly behind him. Confident that only she and the Littles would be in residence, Hattie had left the key in the door when she left earlier thatmorning.
“Careless girl,” remarkedWill.
At times he fancied she had the makings of a half decent spy. With training and time, she could have been a goodagent.
He smiled. His plans now included taking his time to further her sexual education. As his wife she would be mistress of the house, but she would learn that he would always be master of theirbed.
He locked the door behind him, but left the key in the lock. If Hattie did chance a visit upstairs, she would not only find the door locked, but her vision at the keyhole blocked by thekey.
