The Lady Who Saw Too Much (23 page)

In her sparkling eyes, he saw no traces of madness. But what he saw frightened him almost as much. All the facets of the woman she was flashed before him. He saw her compassion as she’d consoled him through the night of his aunt’s illness. Her loyalty as she’d defended his sister at the garden party. Her determination as she’d led the search party to the missing Toomey boy.

He saw it all—and more—with a startling clarity that scared the hell out him. “We should go see how Alex is faring,” he finally said, breaking the trance he was under.

She held his arm as he rose, concern stamped on her lovely face.

“I’m all right,” he said as he eased from her grip.

She nodded, releasing him.

They headed across the lawn to the patio. Thankfully, Sissy and the others had taken Alex inside the house.

“Florence will see to Alex,” Gia said with a smile. “He’ll be fine.”

Landen nodded as he took a seat on the patio.

“I’ll get you some lemonade.” She walked to the table of refreshments Florence had arranged.

His gratitude for Gia’s assistance overwhelmed him. Landen would have been mortified to have fainted in front of Alex and his friends. He never would have lived it down.

He doubted anyone had noticed his earlier distress. Except Gia. Landen took care of others. No one took care of him. But when everyone else had run to help Alex, Gia had run to help Landen.

He still couldn’t believe she was the same woman who claimed to see visions of the future. The same woman who’d pleaded with him to believe her delusions.

Despite every warning screaming in his head, she was the same woman he loved.

Gia lay in bed, wide awake and craving something sweet. She glanced at Landen’s sleeping form beside her. Truth be told, she craved something else. The warmth radiating from his bare shoulders begged her to touch him, to kiss the soft skin, trail her mouth along the muscles beneath. The pull of her yearning for him was so strong her body ached with the force of it. She missed him so much. His presence outside this room had been scarce all week, as though he were avoiding her, but now it was clear, he intended to avoid her in bed as well.

She blew out a long breath, disappointed another night would pass without making love. She’d have to settle for satisfying her sweet tooth instead.

She slipped from the bed and into her robe. Creeping through the moonlit room, she made her way to the door, then turned the knob slowly.

Once in the hall, she hurried for the stairway. The wood stairs beneath her bare feet were cold, and she wrapped her arms around her chest, surprised by how cool the house was on the lower floor. She hurried through the dim hallway, past Landen’s study. She slowed. Perhaps this might be a good time to search for proof against Whithers.

Gazing inside the dark room to Landen’s desk, she decided to wait for an opportunity to conduct her search in the daylight. She continued toward the kitchen. The aroma of the evening’s chicken dinner lingered in the air, whetting her appetite. She opened the cupboard and grabbed the canister of cookies. Opening the jar, she smiled, relishing the smell of gingerbread.

“Good evening.”

She jumped, spinning around.

Kit laughed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

She exhaled, her heart still pounding. Mortified by her careless attire, she secured her robe around her. She’d forgotten there were male guests in the house, and she shuddered at the thought of what this man might think of her now. All at once she thought of Landen and what he might think if he happened upon the scene. Her pulse quickened in the sudden urge to bolt from the room.

Pushing through the awkwardness of the meeting, she said, “I was just getting a snack.” She returned the canister to the cupboard, providing him with ample time to excuse himself so she could retreat back to her room.

“I was just enjoying a brandy.”

He remained where he stood. Surprised by his lack of propriety, she narrowed her eyes.

He held up his glass in response. “Would you like some?”

The smell of alcohol assaulted her senses as he stepped toward her. He was drunk.

“No, thank you,” she said with a shake of her head.

He seemed like a different man suddenly, not at all like the charming gentleman whose company she’d enjoyed this past week. She didn’t like the inebriated Kit. She knew all too well how one could lose oneself while in the midst of a stupor, and Kit seemed clearly lost.

“Good night.” She moved to pass him, but he blocked her path with his cane.

Her heart pounded as she stared down at the thing.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” he asked.

She glanced up into his bleary eyes.

He tipped his head toward the forgotten cookie on the table.

“Suddenly I’m not very hungry,” she said coolly.

“You look hungry to me.”

Something in the way he said it sparked her ire. “Pardon me?”

With a smile, he reached for the cookie, then held it before her.

She snatched the thing from his hand, felt it snapping to pieces as she shoved it into her pocket.

“Beautiful women like you are always hungry for something.” Lowering the cane, he moved closer. “And men like me are always happy to oblige.”

She gaped at him, too stunned to move.

In one swift motion, he grasped the back of her neck, pulling him toward her.

“What are—”

His lips covered her mouth, stifling her words. A cry of alarm caught in her throat, fear shot through her veins. She wrestled against him, the sickening taste of brandy, his tight grip digging painfully into the nape of her neck. He was stronger than he seemed, surprisingly steady on his feet.

She pushed him with all her might. He stumbled back against the table, his cane crashing to the floor. The sound of her slap to his cheek filled the room as she stood there, gasping for air. He rubbed his face, looking stunned before bending slowly to retrieve his cane.

Tears stung her eyes as she moved for the door.

“Pleasant dreams,” he called after her as she ran from the room.

* * * *

Landen opened his eyes at the sound of the door closing. He rolled over to face Gia as she climbed into bed. “Are you all right?” he asked.

Through the shadowy light, he could see her face, her eyes shimmering in the moonlight. She breathed hard, as though she’d just run a mile.

“Yes, I am fine.”

She didn’t seem fine at all.

“Where were you?”

“I went downstairs for a cookie.”

While her craving for a late-night treat came as no surprise, she seemed strangely out of sorts. He eyed her warily.

“Good night,” she said, turning away and nestling into her pillow.

Her breathing still stounded labored, and he could feel her body trembling beneath the thin sheet. Had she had another of her nightmares? That he may have slept through her terror and left her to face her demons alone made him feel like a heel. He moved toward her. Without a word, he pressed his body against the warmth of her back.

The sound of her small sigh of pleasure filled him with joy. He kissed her neck, burying his face in the citrus smell of her hair. God, he’d missed her so much. She rolled over to face him and kissed him fiercely, almost desperately.

The taste of gingerbread invaded his senses. She plunged her tongue into his mouth, surprising him with the force of her fingers raking through his hair. She’d missed him as much as he’d missed her, and her eager response drove him wild.

He kissed her face and her throat, yanking open her robe. He kneaded her breasts. The feel of her soft flesh in his palms sent a surge of heat through his veins. He lowered his head, sucking a taut nipple into his mouth. Moaning against the luscious mound at his lips, he savored the taste of her skin on his tongue as her quick breaths of pleasure spurred him on.

Parting her legs, she cued she was ready, arching her wetness to the press of his thigh. His heart raced as she ground against his leg, writhing for more. Shifting between her legs, he drove his rock-hardness into the heat of her.

Pleasure engulfed him, seeped through his flesh to his bones. She cried out, clutching his back. Glancing into her face, he saw her eyes flutter in desire, her lips parted and uttering those beautiful sounds he’d come to live for. Sounds only he, and he alone, could inspire.

He moved faster, pumping into her body with the force of his need. He was so close to the edge of perfection, so close to falling. But he wanted her to plunge with him, needed her to cling to his body as she soared through that space where nothing else mattered and all was right with the world.

The sound of her release freed it all, sent him reeling. Through his shattering orgasm he heard her sweet moans, felt her breath on his cheek. She stared up at him, disheveled and spent and so damn beautiful he could barely breathe.

She had consumed him completely, but he no longer cared. He was hers—mind, body, and soul. Kissing her softly, he succumbed to this truth. If Gia truly was insane, so was he.

* * * *

“We get on so splendidly here, in this bed.” Had she said that out loud? A flush of shame heated her face.

Landen laughed. “That is true.”

He kissed her temple, and her eyes fluttered closed. The tender gesture affected her more than she could have imagined. She nestled into the crook of his arm, wanting so desperately to tell him about what Kit had done to her downstairs. The man was despicable, and Landen deserved to know the truth about the man he’d allowed under his roof.

A shiver of fear crawled up her spine at the memory of Kit’s kiss. Even the gingerbread she’d forced down hadn’t erased the sickening taste of brandy—of him—from her mouth. The sound of his laughter still echoed in her head. As did Landen’s words.

I can’t believe a word that comes from your mouth.
No. She couldn’t risk telling Landen about Kit. He might not believe her. Why should he after all the lies she’d told?

She’d feared he’d never touch her again, but she was back in his arms—back in the bliss of these nights she’d come to need so much. No. She’d not ruin this moment with him. She’d keep quiet about Kit. There was really no reason for Landen to know. Kit certainly wasn’t about to tell anyone, and she wouldn’t, either. Kit would only be here for another few days. Gia could tolerate his presence until then.

After that, she’d never have to lay eyes on the reprehensible cad again.

Gia was arranging Alice’s hair for the picnic at Sandy Cove when Aunt Clara swished into the room to check on their progress.

“Sissy is almost ready,” Clara announced, plopping into a chair. “And the picnic hampers are packed.”

“Are you certain you don’t want to come with us, Gia?” Alice asked.

The hopeful look in Alice’s eyes made Gia feel guilty for abandoning her. She knew Alice would be more comfortable at the picnic with Gia at her side, but Gia had other plans for her morning. She had to search Landen’s study for something that might inspire a vision of Mr. Whithers. Landen had gone into the city this morning, and once the others departed, she would have the perfect opportunity. “I prefer to wait for Landen and go with him.”

Alice sighed. “But what if he’s detained in the city?”

“Denny left for Troy at the crack of dawn this morning,” Clara reminded her. “He’ll be back in plenty of time to meet us for lunch.”

Clara’s reasoning seemed to suffice, and Alice conceded with a nod.

“We shall see you there,” Gia said with a reassuring pat to Alice’s shoulder.

Alice gave a small smile, looking so pretty. She was still the shyest creature Gia had ever known, but she was also the sweetest. The possibility Kit might turn his unscrupulous attentions to Alice snaked through Gia’s mind. Alice’s intelligence outweighed her naivety, but she felt comfortable around Kit and thought him a friend. Gia shook off her trepidation. Aunt Clara would be there, and Gia couldn’t imagine Kit would be so foolish as to try anything inappropriate with the perceptive woman nearby.

“Will Ben be joining you for the picnic?” Gia asked.

“Not today,” Aunt Clara interjected. “We have only a short time left in Misty Lake, and we can’t have the young man monopolizing all of her time.”

“He is not monopolizing my time,” Alice said.

“He most certainly is,” Clara shot back. “I imagine by now even your roses are feeling neglected.”

Alice huffed. “I would never neglect my flowers. I’ve been rising with the birds every morning to care for the garden to free up my afternoons for…visitors.”

“Visitors?” Clara humphed, turning to Gia. “The girl finally peeks out from beneath her shell but sees only the gardener.”

“They have a lot in common,” Gia said.

“Precisely. And one Green Fingers in the family is quite enough.” She tilted her head. “I am counting on you, Gianna, to act as chaperone while I’m in Saratoga tomorrow.”

Alice rolled her eyes.

“Of course,” Gia said.

“I wouldn’t usually leave guests to their own devices, but this is the last chance Bea and I have to indulge in a soak at the Springs before the close of the season.” Clara waved her arm. “Hurry along there, Gianna, the others are waiting. We must be on our way.”

Gia put the finishing touches on Alice’s hair, then followed them downstairs. A few excruciatingly long minutes later, Gia had the house to herself.

She hurried down the hall toward Landen’s study. She had to locate something that Whithers had touched. Perhaps he’d given Landen one of his cards. Since Gia had had a vision upon touching one of Landen’s cards, this seemed the most likely object on which to focus her search.

Suddenly she was stricken by the fear her ability might have deserted her. She swallowed back a surge of panic. The failure to summon a vision at the creek, despite her best efforts, came as no true surprise. Her visions appeared through objects, and yet she hadn’t had a single vision in weeks.

Pushing her doubts aside, she regained her confidence as she strode to the desk. She pored through the clutter of ledgers and documents. Finding no cards or correspondence bearing Whithers’ name, she directed her search to the pile of portfolios next to the inkwell on the opposite side of the desk.