Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 129951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Mm-hmm.
I could fall for this guy.
Hard.
And for forever.
“There’s always one on call,” Battle continued. “Tempie manages their days off.”
“Do they provide your speaker security at the front gate?”
“No. The gate is watched twenty-four/seven by an outside contractor who Tempie or Fitzy informs if we’re expecting guests, workmen, whoever may come to call. They deal accordingly with anyone who shows at the gate. Including notifying Scotty or Harry if someone needs to be handled. Or, if some dire circumstance occurs, corresponding directly with the police.”
“Right. Can they check the veracity of an ID? Like a passport or driver’s license.”
“Yes. They’re one of the top of the line of firms who do this kind of thing, and as such, quite costly.”
I bet.
“Is this for interest, or are you asking about this for another purpose?” he queried.
“For interest,” I said. “What other purpose would I have?”
“That you don’t feel safe at The Downs.”
His comment surprised me. “Why wouldn’t I feel safe?”
“There is the matter of you mentioning Christian.”
Argh.
“Forget I said anything,” I ordered.
“Has he shown interest in you?”
“I’ve only seen him twice, and I don’t think he’s ever seen me.”
“You are hard to miss, darling, as is your very lovely arse, phenomenally long legs and magnificent head of hair.”
All he said was delightful.
But…
Hang on.
Had he been stewing on me mentioning Christian because he was…
Jealous?
“I am quite certain, even if Christian’s seen me walking to the studio, he has zero interest in me.”
“And you can be quite certain of that because…?”
I walked right into that one.
“Just…a girl knows.”
“Mm.”
That was a very dubious hum.
He had reason to be dubious.
And I had reason to keep him thus.
“If I ask nicely, will you let it go?” I requested.
“Is that you asking nicely?”
“Yes.”
“Then, yes.”
I was relieved.
“For now,” he finished.
I stopped being relieved.
But, for now, I’d take what I could get.
We drove in silence for a few minutes before he said, “You dropped quite the bomb about the butler’s ledgers before you hung up on me Wednesday.”
“I didn’t hang up on you. We were done talking.”
“Did you say goodbye?”
I did not.
Mostly because I’d hung up on him.
I decided not to answer.
He let it go and asked, “You think two footmen were bribed?”
“They were given three hundred pounds in bonuses. Their annual salaries were forty pounds a year. Adjusted for inflation, those bonuses were ten thousand pounds. I did not peruse it in detail to the point I could memorize it, but I did it carefully, and I saw no other bonuses for any staff in that ledger. It covers years of expenditures. Not a single bonus. Except those. And they were recorded the day after Marie’s entry about something happening at The Downs.”
“That does seem suspicious.”
“My guess is, they saw what happened and were paid to keep their mouths shut.”
“What’s your course to see if you can find something out?”
“Go to the local newspaper and ask to see their stacks. Maybe something was reported around that time.”
“Are you going to go to the newspaper to ask to see their stacks?”
“I want to, but it might have to wait. You see, I have this overprotective duke who I’ve foolishly given approval over my chapters. I’m uncertain he wants me speculating or uncovering nefarious dealings that happened at his country seat, recording them in a book, and publishing it for all the world to see.”
He chuckled.
And then he urged, “Follow your trail, Vivi. It was eighty years ago. Anyone involved is probably dead. We’ll see what you uncover and deal with it if you find something.”
Nope.
I was wrong earlier.
I couldn’t fall for this guy, hard, and for forever.
I was falling for this guy. Hard. And in a way that felt like it could be forever.
And I was that girl.
That girl who thought stuff like this should be out there so both parties knew what they were dealing with.
So I put it out there.
“I really like you, Battle Talyn, Duke of Burleigh.”
Instantly, he held his hand to me again.
I put mine in it.
He then took it, turning it, and he kissed the inside of my wrist.
A lick of heat raced down my arm, smoothed over by the featherweight sense of deep affection.
That was the best response he could give me, but he one-upped it.
“And I very much like you too, Ms. Vivienne Dupree, bestselling novelist.”
He pressed my hand to his chest and then again placed it in my lap.
I let that moment dwell between us with all the warmth and exquisiteness it could give for a few miles.
Then I requested, “Can I ask you something else?”
“You can ask me anything, darling.”
Totally really liked him.
“You’ve mentioned Prue drawing. Tempie has too. But Prue has never mentioned it.”
He was visibly surprised. “She hasn’t?”
“She also didn’t tell me she had cats. When I asked her about it, she shared she thought I’d think having six cats would make me think she was a crazy cat lady. After what you said about what she endured at school, I understood. Someone thinking she was weird and not wanting that. But drawing isn’t weird, so I don’t know what to do with the fact she never told me she does it, and it seems, she’s very good at it.”