Chapter 17
Nate let her run away. He still craved answers but somewhere during their exchange his focus had become less about questioning her and more about wanting to feel her tempting body against his again.
How had she managed to turn things around with nothing more than a few arrogant words? Somewhere between leaving her in the stable and finding her in the parlor, his body had decided haughty Anna was damned arousing, despite him wanting nothing to do with her.
She’d set him aflame with thoughts of her moist tongue, and only her father’s presence had prevented him from revisiting her charming lips. As it was, he failed to understand how the earl had been oblivious to the strain thundering through the room.
He vowed this would be her one and only reprieve. He wanted answers and he was determined to get them. Until then, he had to resettle his mind where it needed to be, with the stolen items. As much as he wanted to solve the mystery of Anna, he’d been hired to capture a thief. A detail he needed to remember.
Not by any means small in physique, Nate smiled at his ability to ease from the room without Brodford noticing. He might like the man—maybe even respect him—but Nate sure as hell wouldn’t voluntarily subject himself to another in-depth discussion on some long dead ruler. He had his limit as to what he’d willingly inflict on himself for his job.
Free of the parlor, Nate fought the urge to follow Anna. The house wasn’t enormous and if he wanted to, he’d have no problem locating her. He was a Runner after all. A damned good one, too. What kept him from rushing to her side was the reason he wanted to go after her.
He was honest enough to admit it had nothing to do with picking up where they’d left off in the parlor and getting answers. No, it had more to do with the fact he genuinely liked to be around her. He refused to examine how that had changed in a few short days.
Instead, he denied himself her company and went looking for his men. Since he had no information from Anna about the stranger on the horse, one of his men had better possess something to report.
Hours later, Nate fumed as he stomped to his room to prepare for supper. How the hell did a bunch of trained men, who’d captured the country’s deadliest killer, manage to see nothing? One of his men, who’d observed Anna near the garden and talking to a member of the staff, was his only promising lead.
The man on horseback had worn attire allowing him to blend in as a servant. Though it only confirmed the stranger had spoken to Anna. Nate had already witnessed their meeting at the Witterson’s ball. But he needed more to go on and it appeared Anna held the answers.
His lips curled. Oh, how he would enjoy extracting those very answers. A few steps later, a frown settled on his face. If only he felt as confident about the answers as he did with the methods he needed to employ with Anna to uncover them.
What if the stranger was a suitor? Or more, her lover? Nate’s gut clenched as his hand curved around the knob of his door. For some inexplicable reason, the thought of Anna having a lover pitched his anger to an entirely new level.
Her kiss had been awash in innocence, so he doubted the possibility. But it didn’t stop him from gripping the knob and shoving his door open with forceful irritation.
One perfect kiss and the blasted chit had managed to dig under his skin. He might appreciate women and all they could do with their bodies, but not since Diana had anyone snuck past his guard.
Despite his simmering fury, he shut the door without doing damage to the frame. The hour was late and his room cast in shadows. Nate crossed to the nightstand and lit a candle.
In the process of setting it down, he noticed the letter on the bed. There wasn’t an address. His hand tensed as he debated reaching for it.
Past experience with unexpected letters appearing in unanticipated places had him dreading its contents. His brother, Gabe, had been a victim of some very determined blackmailing through a series of letters.
Thankfully those were in the past. Nate had helped apprehend the man responsible for holding his brother’s future hostage—literally and figuratively.
With slightly steadier fingers, Nate snatched the letter from the bed and broke the nondescript seal. What greeted him caused him to sputter every curse he knew.
You may have waylaid my plans for your brother but not even the best Runner will be able to stop me in the end.
Nate read the sentence four times before the words penetrated the dull hum sounding between his ears. The mention to his brother could only be in reference to the blackmailing. Which made no sense whatsoever. He knew for a fact the man responsible for writing those letters was currently rotting away in prison . . . since Nate had been the one to bring him there. The handwriting on those original letters had matched the penmanship of his father’s solicitor perfectly. Even if it hadn’t, the man had confessed.
Despite all the evidence staring him in the face, something had felt off about the entire situation. While Johnstone might have been a fairly capable, yet corrupt, solicitor, he hadn't seemed intelligent enough to mastermind a scheme to blackmail the Duke of Wesbrook.
Now Nate held proof his instincts had been right. Where that left him he had no idea, though he’d wager it was far from over. Hopefully being the latest recipient meant whoever was behind the letters had shifted his target from his brother. If anything happened to Gabe or his family, Nate would never forgive himself for not apprehending the right man.
He studied the heavy black script against the stationary. He might have been off the mark regarding the true blackmailer, but there was no mistaking someone else had written this letter. Though probably not the mastermind, Johnstone could still have had a role in the plot to destroy Gabe.
Nate flipped the paper over, searching for any further clues as to the identity of the writer. Discounting the seal and the one sentence, there was nothing else to go on.
“Damn!”
The letter contained more of a threat than a demand, so there was nothing Nate could do other than wait it out. If history had taught him anything, the letter was only the beginning.
Chapter 18
As Anna sat on the couch across from Evie the next morning, she couldn’t silence the word spinning around her head. Coward.
No doubt about it. She was a coward.
She nodded in an attempt to shake her focus back to her friend’s tale of one of the students. But as soon as Evie continued, Anna’s mind returned to the source of her cowardliness.
Facing Nate.
She might have managed to avoid him for the remainder of yesterday by feigning a headache and taking a light meal in her room, but she couldn’t elude him forever. Especially not on the drive to the school. He typically rode outside the carriage, yet she wouldn’t put it past the man to invade the interior in order to raise the questions she’d stalled him from asking yesterday.
Hence, Evie’s visit.
Anna swallowed her guilt at summoning her friend to the house for an early morning meeting on the school, particularly since Anna had nothing to discuss.
Evie’s voice broke into her thoughts. “Care to tell me what my being here is really about?”
The genuine concern and friendship looking back at her kept a lie from passing Anna’s lips. Instead, she remained silent.
“Shall I guess?” Evie continued with a knowing smirk on her face.
Anna’s heart started to pound in her chest, about to break out at any moment. Evie knew. How had her friend discovered her secret? Anna had been so careful to keep the school’s money problems to herself. Mostly to prevent her friend from being embrangled in her mess. Especially if Anna’s role in the thefts was ever discovered.
“Though I wouldn’t think on it too much. Mr. Frederickson is enough to get under any woman’s guard. It was only a matter of time before you became aggravated with the man’s company
.”
With her pulse still beating in her ears, Anna took a moment to comprehend Evie’s words. She was talking about Mr. Frederickson? Nate?
Relief so deep it could rival any gorge rushed through her. Evie hadn’t been speaking of the school . . . or thankfully, the thefts. Her secret remained safe. But for how long? With Nate nosing around, she knew time was running out.
Meeting her friend’s steady gaze, Anna focused on the matter at hand. How to keep her dearest friend from finding out how far her unwanted desire for Nate had escalated.
Typically, Anna wouldn’t think twice about sharing her secrets with Evie. Early struggles to change the vision of the school and make it a success had brought them together more like family than friends or colleagues.
However, something about her time with Nate—when he wasn’t aspiring to unravel her secrets—prevented her from sharing the details with anyone.
Still, she was desperate enough to employ her friend’s help to keep from being alone with Nate. At the house she had the sanctuary of her chamber. At the school she had no such place. He’d already made himself quite comfortable in her office.
Careful not to tell more lies and thus accumulate additional sins, Anna finally answered. “Mr. Frederickson does have a special way of annoying people.”
No pinch of awareness settled over Evie’s face. Her friend’s implicit trust added to Anna’s guilt.
“I assume after a few days in his company you are ready for some freedom and have decided to use me as your interference.”
Anna breathed easier knowing Evie was unaware of how close Nate’s company had gotten. It rattled her that she had to fight her unruly mind as it replayed how soft yet demanding his lips had been as they’d caressed hers.
“From day one I knew the man would test my patience. I simply misjudged how dedicated to his job he’d be. I can’t venture a foot out the door without him falling in step behind me. I need some time to myself.”
Every word was true. She merely failed to mention that prior to Nate looking upon her as if she held the answers to all his questions, she only considered him exceedingly frustrating and a danger to her future.
Given the knowing glint in his eyes when he’d entered the parlor yesterday, he’d discovered something and she was determined to keep him from learning everything.
“Anna, you only had to ask. I figured it was merely a matter of time,” Evie said with a smile.
Fighting the heat threatening to burst over her cheeks, Anna nonetheless thought of how she and Nate had handled each other in the stable. Maybe Evie’s presence would be useful in more ways than one. The last thing Anna needed was a repeat of her lapse of judgement.
“Is there something you’re not telling me?”
Anna glanced at her friend. Concern had overtaken her look of understanding. In that moment Anna ached for a confidant.
“I . . . that is . . . maybe . . .”
She wanted to tell Evie. Some part needed to tell her. Tell someone. Not only about Nate. About the entire predicament she’d placed herself in. In the end, she couldn’t. It was her mess, her fight, and her responsibility to find a way out. Even if she had no idea how.
More than likely tipped off by Anna’s unnatural sputtering, Evie’s brows rose above her glasses before shocked words flew from her mouth. “Did you kiss him?”
Afraid the entire household had heard her friend’s shriek, Anna shushed her with a quiet word and a wave of her hand. “Evie, for goodness’ sake, hush.”
Evie’s eyes remained wide-eyed. “No denial? What happened to him being the most infuriating man in existence?”
“I never implied he wasn’t. The incident was hardly anything at all.” Anna wondered when lies had started to flow so easily from her lips. But after witnessing Evie’s reaction, she couldn't tell her friend that for the few moments she’d been in Nate’s arms, she’d desired to be no place else, with no one else. “It was a misunderstanding and will never happen again. Refraining from being alone with Mr. Frederickson alleviates any further discomfort.”
Anna struggled to remain still under Evie’s direct gaze. Her friend wasn’t foolish and Anna knew any crack in her composure would ruin her pacifying attempts.
When Evie’s features relaxed, Anna sighed in relief.
“I’m going to choose to believe you. Mostly because I hope my dear friend has enough wits to know to stay away from a man like Mr. Frederickson. Especially since you asserted the same thing mere days ago.”
The familiar feeling of disloyalty crept through Anna. One day she would atone for her sins and be the trustful friend and daughter she’d been before the unfortunate day Mr. Rollins had crossed her path. The very man she thought had been sent to be her savior.
With a bit more time, all would return to normal. Mr. Rollins would be paid and out of her life. The school would thrive and give underprivileged ladies the chance at a better life. And one very maddening Nathaniel Frederickson would be well on his way to a new assignment.
Anna refused to dwell on why the last thought caused her body to clench.
“I’m actually glad you called me here. I’ve wanted to discuss Clara Tindale with you.”
Clara was one of the first students who had benefited from Anna shifting the focus of the school, allowing daughters of families without ample funds to attend. A prime example of what drove Anna to do what she must to keep the school going. The girl was the only daughter of a hardworking merchant also blessed with five sons who needed schooling or an apprenticeship. Clara’s family didn’t have the money to see to her education. Without the scholarships Anna had made available for such situations, Clara’s future would be restricted to more undesired occupations. Instead, with her current education, she’d have other options available to her.
“I thought Clara was doing well with her studies,” Anna responded.
“She is. In fact, her excellence is what I wanted to discuss. I would like to train her for a position at the school. She is exceedingly bright and has a high aptitude for languages. It often pains me to think she might have missed the chance to use her talent.”
The exact reason Anna fought to keep the opportunity available. She wasn’t naïve enough to think her meager school would change the world—or even England. Or that the young ladies who entered the school doors would someday become members of parliament, doctors, or worldly scholars. Anna knew the limits women faced. She did, however, believe no matter one’s station or one’s wealth, everyone had the right to be educated. Be it mathematics to better serve as a housekeeper, or reading to serve as a governess or lady’s companion.
“What of Mr. Hurst?” Anna inquired of the current language teacher. “How does he feel about the possibility?”
“He is the one who suggested it. He has been thinking of returning to Wales and will be in need of a successor.”
“He feels Clara would be up to the task? She hasn’t been studying languages for long.”
“True but, in the words of Mr. Hurst, she has an ear for the languages.”
Anna kept her grin of satisfaction hidden. It wasn’t her habit to take credit for a student’s praise but in Clara’s case, she couldn’t help but feel a tad responsible for her accomplishment. If things had been left as they were and the board had continued to run the school, Clara would never have had the opportunity to discover her knack for languages.
Which only proved Anna need to do everything to keep the school running . . . and out of Mr. Rollins’ hands. At least until she could recruit more families of wealth to help supplement the scholarships for the families lacking the funds.
“Since she has Mr. Hurst’s blessing, it sounds like a wonderful prospect for Clara and a perfect chance for the school to showcase what it is capable of accomplishing.” Anna failed to keep the pride out of her voice. A
fter all she’d sacrificed to give young ladies like Clara the ability to succeed, she was entitled to a little self-satisfaction.
Something she’d need to recall when she next faced Mr. Rollins.
Chapter 19
Still seething over the mysterious letter left in his room, watching Anna exit the house with Miss Harold had pushed Nate to the brink of an all-out rage. The infernal woman was going to be the death of him. He’d somehow survived The Viper and his deadly clutches, but one slight bundle of feminine goodness had him at a loss.
To think he’d been on the verge of walking away from being a Runner due to the job losing its excitement. Now he’d be forced to quit because he’d definitely lost his touch if he couldn’t manage to obtain a few answers from an overindulged lady.
Especially hours later after he’d spent another day at the school and never managed a moment alone with her. Inexplicably, since yesterday, Anna had become highly sought out, be it by teachers or students. And if they weren’t by her side, Miss Harold would need assistance with some dire situation. He’d believe himself next in line to the crown before he'd trust any of the supposed emergencies truly required Anna’s immediate attention.
As frustrating as it all was, he hadn’t become the best Runner by rushing. He knew how to bide his time. She wouldn’t be at the school forever and eventually Miss Harold would have to depart. Nate scowled as another endless stream of students entered her office. It would be counterproductive to let Anna suspect he might be ready to pounce.
No, his eventual success would be sweeter if she never saw it coming. He only needed to hold out for thirty more minutes and her day at the school would be concluded.
The Runner's Enticement (Men of Circumstance Book 2) Page 10