A Touch of Minx (28 page)

"What?"

"Mmhm."

"Very few people knew what covered the walls of that turret room, which narrowed down the list of suspects to four. He and Samantha were accounted for, which left Aubrey, or Walter. "Walter?" he said aloud.

"That's not his usual style, but he was pretty mad about me being trailed around." She rested her head against his shoulder. "Wow. Wild Bill's going to lose a lot of really nice stuff."

"You won't catch me weeping about that," he returned. That was Samantha, though, sympathizing with the treasures she spent so much time studying and passing from owner to owner. "Did he find out that we broke into his house?"

"No. He's here because I apparently refused to steal Yoritomo's armor for him, but I did it for someone else. I'm his samurai, and I betrayed him."

"I think when Frank gets here we'll just go with the he's-nutty-as-a-fruitcake story," Richard decided.

"It's pretty much the truth."

He sank back on the couch, settling her against his side. Last night he'd thought they'd gotten through this fairly unscathed. The passions Samantha engendered in people continued to amaze him. And he couldn't bear the thought of ever letting her get away from him. His heart accelerating all over again, he took a deep breath.

"I have a question for you," he said quietly.

"I didn't set the fire. I was busy getting sliced up."

Richard smiled a little. "Different question."

"Okay."

"A statement too, I suppose." Quit stalling, Rick. "I think I fell in love with you the moment you dropped through my skylight last year. But that was mostly physical. Now, it's… everything. We just fit. Our faults, our virtues, whatever it is, I love you. All of you. And I always will. So, now comes the question part." He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the Harry Winston box, then slowly opened the lid. The blue diamond in the center caught the light from the window, splintering it into rainbows and dancing across the smaller diamonds encrusting the platinum band. "Will you marry me, Samantha Elizabeth Jellicoe?"

She didn't answer. He tilted his head to look more closely at her expression, and a tear ran down her cheek. At that moment he felt the stark terror and devastation of knowing he'd made a mistake, that he'd just slammed the door on his own happiness. He should have left it the way it was. Now he'd ruined it, because she wouldn't stay after she refused him.

"Yes," she whispered.

His heart stopped. "Yes?" he repeated shakily.

"Yes, Richard William Addison. I just… I just hope you know what you're getting into."

"That's the fun," he said unsteadily, slipping the ring onto her finger and then kissing her softly, over and over. "Not knowing."

Epicure

Monday, 10:20 a.m

A figure dressed in golf clothes stood with the other onlookers who gazed at the fire blazing through the roof of the house just down the block from the green. A half dozen fire trucks were stopped around the perimeter, hoses turning fire and smoke to steam. They'd have it out in a few minutes, but the turret room would never be salvaged.

"You're up, Aubrey," Dr. Harkley's voice came from farther out on the green.

Aubrey Pendleton swung his five iron up over his shoulder and rejoined the rest of his foursome. "I have the sudden urge," he drawled with a smile, "for a nice, cool glass of lemonade. Care to join me in the clubhouse when we're finished here, gentlemen?"