she must accompany me when I travel.”
The mademoiselle swept back her hood, and lush auburn curls tumbled over her shoulders. Her bright green eyes, set in a creamy
oval face, sparkled as she gave a little curtsy. Her full, pink lips curved in a flirtatious smile.
She seemed to carry no weapons. Yet Grant was sure that of all the members of this mission, Mademoiselle Victorine was the
most dangerous.
But even as her smile widened and she stepped closer to him, giving him the complete effect of her immense beauty, he felt
coldly emotionless. She could not disturb him as much with all her lush beauty as one tiny glance from Caroline Blacknall
could.
“I hope you do not mind my uninvited intrusion, Sir Grant,” she said in a husky, lightly accented voice. “I must accompany
my father as he said, to make sure of his comfort.”
“I do not mind at all, mademoiselle,” Grant answered. He gave her a flirtatious smile of his own, one he had not used in a
very long time, and raised her gloved hands to his lips. “You are most welcome indeed to Muirin Inish. I only wish I could
offer you more luxurious accommodation, as you deserve. I fear my home is rather rough.”
“On the contrary,” she murmured. “I think I will enjoy my time here very much.”
Grant offered her his arm and said, “Come, let me show you to the castle. I fear it will rain again soon, and you must be
tired after your journey.”
“Thank you, Sir Grant,” said Captain LaPlace. “We are certainly eager to discuss our business here.”
Caroline peered cautiously over the edge of the balustrade to the foyer far below. She couldn’t see anything interesting at
all, but she could hear the echo of voices and she could feel the tension in the air. Even though it seemed that outwardly
nothing had changed, the whole feeling of the castle was transformed.
Something was definitely afoot. Grant’s “guests” had arrived. But who were they? What drove them to this bleak place in the
middle of a storm? Perhaps they were just mad, as she was.
She pressed closer to the carved wood of the railing and craned her neck to try to see more as she thought ofthe walk back from the village. Grant had said little, and she had also kept silent when she sensed that he would tell her
nothing. Grant had always been a mystery to her, completely outside her experience of all other people, giving her only quick,
enticing glimpses of the man behind his careful, handsome mask. Even their raw, passionate night of lovemaking, so desperate,
so out of their control, had left him more hidden from her than ever.
And that mask was even more firmly in place as they hurried back to the castle. Only the grasp of his hand on her arm, so
tight and close, revealed any tension.
So far there was nothing she could see, just that enticing echo of conversation from somewhere down there. Once in a while
there was a burst of laughter that seemed incongruous with the solemn place.
Caroline heard a door slam somewhere along the corridor and the clatter of hurrying footsteps. She quickly ducked down below
the balustrade to kneel in the shadows. Maeve appeared in the corridor, the servants’ door at the end of the hall swinging
shut behind her. She held a large, covered tray in her hands, and her cheeks were flushed as if she had been working hard
that evening. She turned at the landing and went away from the direction of Caroline’s chamber and along another corridor
into the depths of the house.
Caroline bit her lip as she peered down into the foyer again. She shouldn’t care in the least what kind of trouble Grant was
in. He had certainly caused
her
enough trouble in her life. But she couldn’t seem to stay well away from him. And she also couldn’t seem to stop caring what
he did or whether he was safe.
She didn’t want to explore those feelings right now. It seemed far less dangerous to find out what was happeningin the castle rather
The mademoiselle swept back her hood, and lush auburn curls tumbled over her shoulders. Her bright green eyes, set in a creamy
oval face, sparkled as she gave a little curtsy. Her full, pink lips curved in a flirtatious smile.
She seemed to carry no weapons. Yet Grant was sure that of all the members of this mission, Mademoiselle Victorine was the
most dangerous.
But even as her smile widened and she stepped closer to him, giving him the complete effect of her immense beauty, he felt
coldly emotionless. She could not disturb him as much with all her lush beauty as one tiny glance from Caroline Blacknall
could.
“I hope you do not mind my uninvited intrusion, Sir Grant,” she said in a husky, lightly accented voice. “I must accompany
my father as he said, to make sure of his comfort.”
“I do not mind at all, mademoiselle,” Grant answered. He gave her a flirtatious smile of his own, one he had not used in a
very long time, and raised her gloved hands to his lips. “You are most welcome indeed to Muirin Inish. I only wish I could
offer you more luxurious accommodation, as you deserve. I fear my home is rather rough.”
“On the contrary,” she murmured. “I think I will enjoy my time here very much.”
Grant offered her his arm and said, “Come, let me show you to the castle. I fear it will rain again soon, and you must be
tired after your journey.”
“Thank you, Sir Grant,” said Captain LaPlace. “We are certainly eager to discuss our business here.”
Caroline peered cautiously over the edge of the balustrade to the foyer far below. She couldn’t see anything interesting at
all, but she could hear the echo of voices and she could feel the tension in the air. Even though it seemed that outwardly
nothing had changed, the whole feeling of the castle was transformed.
Something was definitely afoot. Grant’s “guests” had arrived. But who were they? What drove them to this bleak place in the
middle of a storm? Perhaps they were just mad, as she was.
She pressed closer to the carved wood of the railing and craned her neck to try to see more as she thought ofthe walk back from the village. Grant had said little, and she had also kept silent when she sensed that he would tell her
nothing. Grant had always been a mystery to her, completely outside her experience of all other people, giving her only quick,
enticing glimpses of the man behind his careful, handsome mask. Even their raw, passionate night of lovemaking, so desperate,
so out of their control, had left him more hidden from her than ever.
And that mask was even more firmly in place as they hurried back to the castle. Only the grasp of his hand on her arm, so
tight and close, revealed any tension.
So far there was nothing she could see, just that enticing echo of conversation from somewhere down there. Once in a while
there was a burst of laughter that seemed incongruous with the solemn place.
Caroline heard a door slam somewhere along the corridor and the clatter of hurrying footsteps. She quickly ducked down below
the balustrade to kneel in the shadows. Maeve appeared in the corridor, the servants’ door at the end of the hall swinging
shut behind her. She held a large, covered tray in her hands, and her cheeks were flushed as if she had been working hard
that evening. She turned at the landing and went away from the direction of Caroline’s chamber and along another corridor
into the depths of the house.
Caroline bit her lip as she peered down into the foyer again. She shouldn’t care in the least what kind of trouble Grant was
in. He had certainly caused
her
enough trouble in her life. But she couldn’t seem to stay well away from him. And she also couldn’t seem to stop caring what
he did or whether he was safe.
She didn’t want to explore those feelings right now. It seemed far less dangerous to find out what was happeningin the castle rather
Similar Books
