Page 45 of His Wicked Charm

If she had met a lover, surely she would do more than exchange a few kisses with him. For that matter, if she had a lover here, why hadn’t she come to Barrow House in the last two years? But if not a lover, who then? And why?

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

LILAH CRAWLED OUT of bed the next morning, feeling almost as tired as when she’d lain down. But she was determined to be at breakfast. As taken as Aunt Vesta had been with Con, Lilah wasn’t going to count on her aunt sleeping late.

She rang for Cuddington to help her dress, and to Lilah’s surprise, the sour-visaged maid turned out to be an artist with hairstyles. She rolled Lilah’s hair into one of the popular new pompadour styles, and though Lilah had not yet worn her hair that way—she never liked to draw attention to herself by being on the front edge of fashion—she was as eager as Cuddington to try it out here in the country, where no one would see. Except Con.

The result was enough to make even Cuddington smile, and the expression on Con’s face when she walked into the dining room was deeply gratifying. He came around the table to pull out her chair, his eyes straying back again and again to her hair.

“Good morning, Miss Holcutt. It promises to be a lovely day.”

“The fog has lifted?” Lilah asked.

“It’s absolutely sunny out there, but I was referring more to being with you all day.”

Lilah raised a disbelieving eyebrow, but she couldn’t hold back her smile. Had Con meant it last night when he said he liked her? Or maybe that wasn’t what he said; maybe he had just told her he didn’t dislike her. It was so distracting talking to Con that sometimes she lost track of what he was saying.

It was impossible to carry on a private conversation with the butler and a footman bustling in and out with breakfast, so Lilah made no mention of their purpose or plans. “I trust you had a pleasant sleep.”

Con made an affirmative noise and fixed an oddly intent gaze on her. “What about you? Were you up and about last night?”

“Goodness, no, I retired for the night as soon as we parted.”

“The moon was almost full. It was so bright I could clearly see the garden, even in the middle of the night.” He paused, almost as if waiting for something, then continued. “So I got up and spent a few minutes looking at it.”

“Indeed?”

“Yes. It was bright enough to have taken a stroll.”

“Was it? I’m afraid I’ve never been out in the garden so late.” Lilah was finding this chitchat hard going. She wished the servants would leave.

“You haven’t? I thought I saw you there.”

“Me?” Startled, Lilah glanced up at him. “I wasn’t in the garden.” A frown began to form between her eyes. “I can’t imagine who would have been. One of the servants, I suppose.”

Con simply looked at her for a long moment, then shrugged. “Perhaps I was dreaming.”

“Yes, that’s probably it.” Lilah sent the butler for more toast, and after he left the room, she swung back to Con. “I do hope you won’t mention that again. The servants will be sure to decide you saw a ghost. They’re dreadfully superstitious here.”

His look was assessing, but he said only, “No, of course. I shan’t say a thing.”

They fell silent as they ate. Lilah felt his eyes on her, but she did her best to ignore it. She wondered if there had actually been someone there...perhaps some maid having a tryst with a lover? Lilah hoped Con would keep his promise and not quiz the servants about it. Even worse, what if he broached the matter to Aunt Vesta? God only knows what sort of story she would concoct.

“I thought we’d ride over to Carmoor this morning.” The sooner she could get him away from her aunt, the better.

“Why don’t you show me around Barrow House first?”

“Here? But why? That will hardly help us find the, um—” She paused, remembering the butler, who was once again standing by the door. “What we’re looking for.”

Con grinned, leaning forward to murmur, “Very stealthy, Delilah.” He settled back and, returning to his normal voice, said, “It helps to get the lay of the land first, before one starts an investigation. Besides, Barrow House is interesting. We could explore the maze.”

“How did you know there was a maze?”

“I took a turn around the garden before breakfast and saw the hedges. Thought it must be a maze.”

“It’s completely overgrown,” Lilah protested. “It’s not safe. I was never allowed to go in there by myself.”

“Then you must be eager to see it now.”