A Curse of the Heart by Adele Clee Page B

ravished in the garden? Where were you when she was scared out of her wits? Oh, that’s right. You were the one responsible for letting her believe she was cursed.” Gabriel took a step closer, his height giving him the advantage to look down on Wellford. “I don’t care who you are,” he said through gritted teeth. “If you hurt her again, you will have me to answer to.”
    Gabriel stepped back and scanned the gentleman from head to toe. “Good evening, Lord Wellford,” he said, turning on his heels.
    “You’re no good for her, Stone,” Wellford mumbled behind him. “You’re even more obsessed with the dead than she is.”
    Gabriel ordered his coachman, Higson, to take Miss Linwood home and gave the impression he should return for him later. Although certain allowances could be made due to Rebecca’s circumstances, Gabriel did not want to draw undue attention to her or be the topic of conversation in the best salons. So after stepping inside to have a brief conversation with his host, he slipped back out and made his way to the bottom of Berkley Street before turning the corner to find Higson waiting in Manchester Square.
    “You could have warned me you were not coming with me,” Rebecca said as he settled back into the seat opposite. She pulled her cloak tighter across her chest, and he read it as her way of punishing him.
    “I am coming with you,” he said after taking a moment to catch his breath. “I was just a few minutes behind.”
    They sat in silence for a while, and he was aware of her gaze searching his face before falling to his mouth.
    “What did George have to say?” she eventually said. “He did not look very pleased.”
    “He believes my interests in you run deeper than that of a business partner or friend. He thinks my morbid fascination with the dead is not good for you.”
    She shot forward, her cloak falling away, presenting him with luscious mounds of creamy-white flesh. “That’s absurd. There is nothing morbid about your interest in the ancient world. You are a scholar. I am the one who collects objects belonging to the dead.”
    Gabriel winced as that was not entirely true. Thankfully, she had not seen the laboratory in his cellar.
    “You have not said anything about my first comment. About the fact he believes my interest in you to be disreputable.”
    She raised an arched brow and her lips curved into a flirtatious smile. “What is there to say? I am fully aware of your immoral intentions, Gabriel. But I wonder if you are aware of mine.”
    Desire hit him like a lightning bolt, surging through his body at a remarkable rate. It was so strong he bounced off the seat. Then he noticed his carriage had stopped abruptly, and he looked out of the window to see the elegant facade of Miss Linwood’s museum.
    Damn it.
    “I shall help you out,” he said throwing open the door and jumping down to the pavement, the cool night air bringing a welcome relief. He lifted her down, his hands gripping her waist for longer than was necessary. “And I shall see you safely inside.”
    As they neared the front door, she glanced up at him in a coy way, suggesting her thoughts mirrored his own. “You are welcome to come in,” she said struggling to meet his gaze.
    He had never received a more tempting invitation and it would take a pack of wolves gnawing at his ankles to keep him out. But as he opened his mouth to speak, her housekeeper opened the door to greet them.
    “Mrs. James,” she said with some surprise. “What are you doing here at this late hour?”
    Mrs. James’ suspicious gaze moved back and forth between them as she sucked in her cheeks. “ Mr. Pearce told me about this dreadful business with the curse. I thought I would wait until you came home. I thought it might bring some peace of mind to know the house was secure.” She glanced at Gabriel in a way that made him want to drop to his knees, confess all of his sins and beg for forgiveness. “I thought it might help if you