Unraveling Secrets (The Secret Trilogy) (19 page)

Hubert swallowed the mouthful he chewed. “But miss, I think ye forgot somethin
’.”

“What do you mean?”

“After I saved ye, ye saved me. We’re even.”

Abigail
frowned, bewildered by Hubert’s statement.

“Ye were kickin
’ that man like a mad woman, no offense. If not for ye, Simmons might’ve done me in.”

“He
’s right.” Stephen’s deep voice came from the doorway. “Your efforts distracted Simmons from further harming Hubert.”

Abigail
’s face heated as she looked at Stephen, her heartbeat quickening. “I thought you were out.”

“I
’ve just returned. Winston informed me of your visit to Hubert.” He moved to stand beside her chair.

Her stomach quivered at his proximity. His green eyes held hers for a long moment, stealing her breath. She could only wonder at the thoughts behind them.

“She brought me chocolates!” Hubert held up the box to Stephen. “Would you like one, my lord?”

“No, thank you. You deserve every one,” Ste
phen told the boy with a smile.

Hubert
dipped his head and smiled.

Abigail drew a long breath. Despite her nervousness at speaking with Stephen, she had even more questions for him after her visit with Hubert. “If you have a moment, may I speak with you privately?” she asked Stephen.

“Of course.”

She rose and bid the boy goodbye with a promise to visit again soon, then followed Stephen down to the library. She couldn
’t help but stare at him in the light of the new information she’d received as she took a seat before his desk.

“What is it?”
He frowned when she watched him, wondering if she dared ask what was on her mind.

“I have a few questions.”

“Oh?”

She decided to ignore the warning in that one word. “I feel you
’ve been less than honest with me.”

“How so?”

Was it just her imagination or did he look uncomfortable at her accusation? Surely that was a sign of guilt.

A knock on the door interrupted them. A young maid peeked into the room. “Shall I bring tea, my lord?”

“No,” Abigail answered.

“Yes,” Stephen said at the same time.

She looked at him with frustration. “We’re in the middle of a discussion.”

“Tea is conducive to discussions, I
’m told.”

S
he was sure he was attempting to delay her questions.

“Yes, Sally, please bring us tea.” He turned to Abigail. “Perhaps sandwiches as well?”

With a huff, she said, “Very well then.”

“Excellent.” He thanked Sally
, who departed. “Now you were saying?”

“I was asking
—”

“I hope you
’re feeling no ill effects of yesterday’s events?”

Abigail couldn
’t help the heat as it rose in her cheeks. Did he refer only to the fight with Simmons or to their interlude? She decided to assume the former. “A bit bruised but fine.”

“Good. Allow me to advise you of the new information we
’ve discovered.”

“Oh?”

Grateful he’d diverted her attention, even if only temporarily, Stephen said, “Weston and I paid a visit to the building Simmons was frequenting, but unfortunately we found it empty.”

“Why would Simmons be in an empty building that long? I waited outside for hours.”

Stephen sent her a look of disapproval. “Don’t remind me. At any rate, it appears the building was emptied sometime after our encounter with Simmons.”

“Perhaps we could discover who leases the building
—”

“Weston has
. From what we can tell, it was leased under a fictitious name. He’s digging deeper but it will take time.”

Abigail leaned back in her chair, her shoulders wilted. “Will every clue we obtain lead to a dead end? I fear this will never end, that Simmons will never be stopped.” Not only did her expression hold defeat, her gol
den aura was smothered in gray.

Unable to
stand her despair, he rose to take her hands in his and pull her into his arms. Never did he want her to lose hope, for if she did, he feared his own fragile hold on that elusive feeling would cease. A life without hope was no life at all.

She
’d come to represent all good things in this world, and he needed her to remain just as she was. He could only offer her temporary comfort because once Simmons was stopped, Stephen’s time with her would end. Once again, he’d be left to his lonely existence. He hoped he could fill the void of losing her with the memories of their time together.

That had to be enough.

“Abigail,” he murmured, studying her bright blue eyes, wishing he could make things right with a snap of his fingers. “Hold on for a little longer. We will see this thing through.”

“How much longer?”

“I’m not certain. But we’re getting closer each day. If we capture Simmons when we next spot him, we might lose our chance to stop something far worse.”

“Worse than him harming my family?”

“We’re trying to make certain it doesn’t come to that. But we need additional information. Can you manage for a few more days?”

She bowed her head. “You
’ve no idea how much I wish this to end. For life to be normal once again.”

“I do understand. It
’s your decision. I’ll do all I possibly can to protect you, but if you want me to catch Simmons and warn him off now, I will.” But he knew that wouldn’t be enough.

Men like Simmons couldn’t be stopped by a few words. His aura was dark
as night, and the information they’d gathered thus far confirmed Stephen’s suspicions. While he couldn’t predict the future, he knew from his ability and past experience that a plan was in the making.

A long moment passed as he waited, wanting nothing more than to keep her in his arms, to hold her and comfort her, to tell her
everything would be all right.

But he couldn
’t promise her anything more than he already had.

At last she met his gaze again. “If Simmons is involved in something
—something that could hurt others, then he must be stopped.” Even as she spoke, the gray smothering her aura lifted. Not completely, but it abated.

And for now, that was enough.

“We’ll take every possible precaution—”

Abigail placed her hands along his shoulders and his words fled. “Yes, I know. You
’ll do your best.”

She tilted her face up to his, and
the blood in his head rushed down. The desire he’d reined in forged ahead. Her sudden change of mood was disconcerting. He could only hope she didn’t intend to ask him to finish what they’d started the previous day because he feared at this moment, he’d readily agree.

“You see, it all comes down to one thing.” She studied his face as she trailed a finger ac
ross his cheek toward his lips.

His breath halted as spears of pink and rose colored her aura.

“I trust you.” She lifted up onto her toes and kissed him.

For a brief moment, he simply basked in her words and her affection, receiving what she gave him. Then his own desire took over. He wrapped his arms around her and hungrily demanded more. He clung to her like a drown
ing man holding fast to a rope.

A knock on the door startled them both.

Abigail backed up and dropped into her chair, leaving Stephen standing there with his mind blank.

The maid
entered the room with the tea tray and set the items on the low table at the end of the room which had a small sitting area. “Will there be anything else, my lord?”

“That will do, Sally. Thank you.”

Stephen’s gaze returned to Abigail, wondering if she cared to continue where they’d left off.

She seemed to have recovered quicker than he. With grace, she rose and patted his arm as she walked toward the
sofa and chairs near the table. “May I serve?”

He watched her, trying to determine if she was attempting to
make him crazed or if that was just a side effect of her actions. With a deep breath, he sat beside her on the sofa, determined to regain control of his longing for her. “As you wish.”

She placed a variety of sandwiches and biscuits on his plate and prepared a cup of tea for him as well.

Stephen sat back, trying to work up an appetite for something other than her.

“Now then,” she said as she took a sip of her own tea, “I believe we were discussing you not being forthright with me.”

Were they? He couldn’t quite remember.

“Hubert shared some interesting information.”

“Oh?” He tried to think what secrets the lad could possibly know.

“He’s excited about
your suggestion that he attend school.”

Stephen breathed a sigh of relief. How could she
take affront with him not telling her that? It had only happened yesterday.

“
He told me how many other children you save.”

He didn
’t think they’d had that long to visit.

“Hubert also mentioned something about an orphanage
that you help support.”

Stephen gritted his teeth, wondering what else
the boy had said.

“
He mentioned you finding employment for some of the children in the workhouse.” She nibbled a biscuit. The movement of her lips made it difficult to think. “Is all this correct thus far?”

He
dragged his thoughts back to her words, trying to foresee any potential damage in admitting to what she’d already discovered. Still, after all these years of keeping secrets, he could not bring himself to admit to anything. “Hubert must be feeling better if he was so inclined to chat.”

“I have to wonder why you have an association with the gaming den.” She sipped
her tea then tilted her head to the side as though she pondered nothing more than the proper word to describe the color of the fabric covering the sofa.

He had to force himself to remain still
instead of fidgeting like a boy caught in the act of stealing a biscuit from the kitchen.

“The only possible conclusion is that you use the profits from the gaming den to help fund the orphanage.” Her eyes narrowed as she honed in. “
You take money others insist on throwing away and use it to help those in need.”

“Hmm.” Her conjecture was amazingly accurate. No one else of his acquaintance had come to that conclusion. Then again, she was one of a very few who
knew of the gaming hell.

“Most of those you rescue from the workhouses are children.”

He nearly groaned as he realized she wasn’t done.

“
But it sounds as if you’re rather selective in choosing those you deem worthy of helping. According to Hubert, you have an uncanny knack for determining which children would actually benefit from your assistance.”

A tight band wrapped around his chest. This was what he
’d feared. Abigail was an intelligent woman who had a great deal of information about him.

Her gaze held his. “Don
’t deny it. I know something more is going on.” Her eyes widened as though she’d just remembered something. “The night Brighton attacked me, you said you’d seen his ill intent. You seem to know things before you should. How is that possible?”

Damn.
She’d unraveled his secrets after all.

The silence grew long as Abigail held Stephen’s gaze. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking, whether she judged him poorly or thought him mad.

He
’d wondered himself over the years.

Did he admit the truth? Or should he deny it all?

“Surely you don’t intend to lie to me? Not after everything we’ve been through.” Her soft words caught in his chest, creating a warmth he found unbearable, for he knew it couldn’t last.

He dropped her gaze as he set down his cup. He
’d delighted in Abigail’s company since he’d known her. She was a bright, beautiful woman, and she twisted him into knots with just a glance from under her lashes. She was both clever and relentless. He must never forget that.

If he bothered to deny the truth of what she
’d pieced together, she’d find evidence to prove him a liar. She’d watch him like a hawk for verification of what she thought true. Therefore, he had to conclude it was a waste of time to lie.

Weak logic, he berated himself. In truth, he had no desire to lie, not to her. He was tired of hiding, of avoiding connections to others for fear of having his secrets discovered, of having no one
with whom to share his life.

Still he hesitated. If she thought him mad, it would strike a blow he wasn
’t sure he could survive. Dare he risk it?

For the first time, he was willing to try.

“Nearly ten years ago, I was at Cambridge with Michael Drury, Lord Weston, and Lucas Stanby, Lord Berkmond. We were all mentored by a professor highly interested in electromagnetism.”

He cleared his suddenly dry throat. “
He taught us much on the subject, and we conducted an experiment in his lab with large transducer coils we’d built. But something went awry. Not only did the experiment fail, but our professor was killed, and all of us injured.”

“
That must’ve been terrible.”

He rose to pace before her. Even after all these years, it was difficult to revisit the details of that night. “Indeed it was. Lucas nearly lost his life. Michael stood behind him and was struck by the explosion as well.”

“The scar on your chest?” Abigail asked.

“Yes.” He rubbed the mark that would forever
serve as a reminder. “Michael’s is worse.”

He glanced at her to find her expression
a mixture of concern and curiosity. He hoped it didn’t change to horror or pity when he revealed the rest.

“Within hours, I realized something more had changed. Something in our basic makeup had been altered by the electromagnetic blast.”

Abigail frowned. “How so?”

He turned to face her so he could watch her expression. “I
suddenly had the ability to see auras.”

“Auras?”

It had been hard for him to understand and believe. He could only image that it would be doubly so for anyone who’d never experienced the ability firsthand. “Each person has a...light, a field of energy, that hovers an inch or two around their body, especially their head and shoulders.”

“Oh, yes. A clairvoyant woman gave a demonstration of it at a meeting for the Society of Psy
chic Investigations last year.”

He shuddered at the thought of giving a demonstration of his own abilities. “I see mainly good and evil in auras. If someone is overall a good person, they have a light-colored aura. If someone is bad, it
’s dark. Many people appear gray to me, but if they think about something or intend to do something, it changes.”

“That
’s why you’re always looking at my hair,” she said as she touched her hat.

He smiled. “Yes. It
’s difficult at times not to be distracted by what I see.”

“The night of the Mortenson
’s ball, you saw Brighton’s ill intent in his aura?”

He grimaced at the memory. “Yes, but obviously not clearly enough.”

She scoffed. “You saved me in case you forgot. What of Lord Weston? Does he see the same?”

“He sees success and failure.”

“Fascinating.” She bit her lower lip as she processed what he’d told her.

The sight made him want to do some nibbling of his own.
“I’m not sure I’d put it quite that way.”

“And
your other friend, Lord Berkmond?”

“I don
’t know. He refused to speak of it and left the country as soon as he was able.”

“Your...gift is what allows you to determine which children you
assist. You give them a chance for a better life.”

“Yes. I can
’t help them all but—”

“You help as many as you can.” She tapped her
adorable chin with a finger. “And the headaches?”

“A side effect of either the aura reading or perhaps the electromagnetism. I
’m not certain.” While he was willing to tell her some things, he couldn’t tell her everything. Revealing his aura reading held enough risk. He couldn’t speak of the severe headaches and deep despair that came over him more and more frequently.

“Dealing with people in general is difficult,” he continued, “but crowds are especially so. It
’s like walking through a room of people with signs above their heads telling you what they’re about to do. If people have an urge to do something harmful, their aura spikes black. Except they don’t always act on their thoughts.”

“And therein lies your frustration.”

He chuckled, but he knew it wasn’t a pleasant sound. “Indeed. Walking by someone who intends to do something wrong, evil even, has proven impossible for me.”

“What
do
you do?”

He shrugged as he halted before her. “Stop them when I can. It
’s far from exact. People change their minds. Sometimes they might think terrible things but not act on them.”

“That must be difficult indeed.”

“I can only use my best judgment of the situation. I look at their environment and their physical appearance. Are they losing money in a card game? Are they fingering their pocket or some other place they’ve hidden a weapon? Do they look desperate enough to take action?”

“It sounds impossible.”

“I’m often wrong.”

“
But not always. How on earth do you stop them?”

He studied her expression, looking for the derision and doubt he
’d expected but saw only curiosity. “Interrupt them. Distract them. Get their attention on something else.”

“And if that
fails?”

“I try to remove them from the situation.” The perplexed look she gave him nearly made him chuckle again. “I tell them I need help with something or that I heard someone was looking for them outside or any such foolishness.”

Abigail rose to stand before him. “That all sounds impossible. How can you help people who don’t necessarily want to be helped?”

“I can
’t. Nor can I walk away.”

“I don
’t think I’d be able to walk away either. I suppose you have to help as best you can and trust that it’s enough.” She put a hand on his chest. “Why do you own the gaming den?”

“
I won it in a bet. Another attempt to stop someone from doing something they shouldn’t. Now, with Mr. Farley’s assistance, it’s used to fund the orphanage. And at times, it provides us with information on people involved in, shall we say...illicit activities.”

“
How clever of you. Do you turn those over to the police?”

Stephen laughed. “Rarely. The
police don’t always appreciate my efforts.”

“
So you can tell whether people are lying? That’s why you didn’t press the Newgate warder for more information. You realized he didn’t have anything else to share.”

“
Yes, but it doesn’t always work that way.”

“That
’s amazing.” She smiled up at him. “What did you see in my aura the night we met?”

Something deep inside him loosened. “
An amazing golden light that I would recognize no matter what disguise you wore.”

Astonishment spread into her blue eyes. “
When I tried to visit you at the gaming den, I was covered from head to toe. But it was my aura that you recognized! Are auras that unique?”

“Yours is.” He didn
’t tell her he’d never seen anything like hers before, that it turned rose when her thoughts strayed to passion, that even now, the edge of it was tinted pink. Her acceptance of what he’d shared made him realize what a treasure she was.

“I
’m sorry again for the problems I caused yesterday.” Color flooded her cheeks, making him wonder to which problem she referred. “So much time had passed since I’d heard from you, I thought you’d been distracted by other business and forgotten about me.”

“Impossible.” How could he forget anything about her? He
ran his fingers along the softness of her cheek, unable to resist touching her. “But you must promise to be more careful. If you’re going to leave the house, have Thomas accompany you or send me a message. I don’t want you harmed.”

She nodded. “I will. I
t’s just that I’m very anxious for Simmons to be stopped.”

“I know. Soon.”

“I hope so.”

“As do I, but t
he situation is far from resolved. In fact, evidence mounts each day that Simmons is involved in something more, a devious business that could take time to discover in full. Warning off Simmons might not be enough. Not if he’s working for someone else. I know this delays the very thing you want. I’m sorry for that.”

She nodded then sighed. “Stephen?” She
slid her hand along the lapels of his jacket.

Rather than answer, he put his hand over hers and kissed her
, certain that was what she’d been about to ask him for. The sweetness of her mouth caused his worry to slip away. Her passionate response brought forth his unfulfilled desire from the previous day in spades.

“Yes,” she murmured and wrapped her
arms around his neck.

He forgot about everything except the woman in his arms. He pulled her tight against him, reveling in the feel of her curves. This time, he didn
’t see how he could walk away from her. Not this time. He needed her desperately.

His heart racing, he pulled back to look at her, to see i
f she felt half of what he did.

Her desire showed clearly in her face, in her aura. “Would you,” she paused to trail kisses along his jaw, “please,” another on his neck, “make love to me?” Her tongue swirled in his ear. “Now?”

He hesitated, battling with his desire to have her versus his desire to protect her. Yet how could he resist when she put it so simply? “God help me. Yes.”

Euphoria poured through Abigail. She
’d been so worried he’d say no, that he’d leave her in this state of frustrating heightened awareness. That the pool of sensations swarming low in her belly would find no relief. Worse yet, that she’d never know what it was like to make love with him. Now more than ever, she knew it had to be with Stephen.

She kissed him to reward him for his answer then pulled back. With trembling hands, she removed the pin holding her hat and placed it on the desk, all the
while keeping her gaze on him.

She reached back to unfasten the neck of her gown.

“A moment if you please.” He strode to the door and locked it then returned to her with that slow smile she loved, making her heart squeeze. “May I assist you?”

She turned her back to him, enjoying the feel of his fingers against her, the sensation of cool air as he freed her from
her gown. He slowly unlaced and removed her corset. Perhaps not as efficient as her maid, but his touch lingered in the most sensitive spots and felt nothing like Eloise’s. Abigail’s nerves fluttered when at last she stood before him in nothing but her linen chemise.

Slowly, she turned to face him, torn between embarrassment and desire
, worried that he’d find her unattractive. His gaze trailed down her body and she couldn’t help but wonder what he saw. He paused on her breasts, and her nipples hardened in response.

“Abigail, your beauty stuns me.” He frowned and bent to gently kiss the cut along her neck. “Damn him for hurting you.”

With determination, she pushed her embarrassment aside and raised her hands to her hair, well aware that her breasts strained through her chemise, leaving little to the imagination. She loosened her chignon, shaking out the long black strands as she continued to watch him, enjoying his reaction.

“Christ.” As though he could take her torture no longer, he stepped forward, tossing aside his coat and neck scarf, and pulled her to him. “You are a siren,” he muttered.

She tipped her head back and smiled, reveling in the knowledge that she could stir him. “Am I?”

His kiss confirmed her power.

The feel of his muscled torso under her hands made her ache. “And my aura? What color is it now?” she asked.