by Tricia Jones
“You’re here for six weeks?”
“Try not to sound so horrified, you’ll give me a complex.”
“I didn’t mean that. It’s just that I thought…well, I don’t normally accept dinner invitations from—”
“Men who pick you up in the street. So you said. But since we’ve shared a pot of tea, I’d say that makes us almost bosom buddies.”
She looked straight at him. “We’re not sharing a taxi afterward.”
“Whatever you say.” He placed his hand in the small of her back again and turned her into the flow of foot traffic. “Do you prefer Italian or Chinese?”
Chapter Three
“Darling, thank goodness. Are you okay?”
Mia returned her aunt’s embrace, then placed the now-wilting freesias on the hall table before easing out of her raincoat. It was a little after ten and although she’d used Saul’s phone to call home during the evening saying she was fine and not to worry, Mia knew her Aunt Sylvia wouldn’t rest until she’d been able to check Mia out herself.
“I’m fine. I told you I was okay. There’s no need to worry.”
Sylvia Wood’s hands flew over her niece checking for bumps and bruises in the same way they had as far back as Mia could remember. Her aunt was the closest to a mother Mia had ever known and she loved her with a passion.
“It’s in my DNA to worry about you. You should have gone straight to the hospital. Take off your sweater and let me look.”
Knowing from experience that it was futile to argue, Mia dutifully stripped down to her vest top then grabbed the freesias before following her aunt into the kitchen. She popped the flowers into a jug on the windowsill, poured in some water, then joined her aunt at the battered old pine table that could, and often did, seat a dozen people at a stretch. She held out her arm and prepared to let her aunt fuss and fret.
“Did you report your bag stolen?” Sylvia gently rubbed arnica into Mia’s shoulder.
“There’s no point. What can they do? I didn’t have much cash, and the only real worry is losing my credit cards, phone and keys. I’m glad Dad got the locks changed. Oh, and I lost the pendant I bought at the auction.”
“That’s a shame.” Sylvia squeezed another dollop of arnica from the tube. “I know how much you wanted that piece.”
“Hmm. It cost far more than I’d budgeted for. This man bid against me and the more he did, the more determined I was to get it. Like I told him, it seemed neither of us was meant to have it. He ended up buying a Victorian doll for his sister. He’s here for a few weeks, from America.” Looking up, Mia found her aunt eyeing her with interest. “What?”
“Nothing, darling. Lovely flowers by the way.”
Catching the glint in her aunt’s eye, Mia felt her face heat. “He thought I needed something to hold. In the light of losing my bag and all.”
“How thoughtful.”
“It’s nothing like that.” Mia returned her aunt’s grin. “He was just being nice.”
“Was he your supper date?”
“It wasn’t a date. Like I said, he was being kind. After we ate, he put me in a taxi, we said goodbye, and that’s it.”
“Did you exchange numbers? Addresses?”
“No.” And it was only down to the strangeness of the day that had her stomach fluttering with disappointment. It had been an enjoyable evening despite the circumstances leading up to it, and she’d enjoyed Saul’s company far too much. He hadn’t pressed for her contact details and she could only appreciate that, seeing as she’d given him very firm guidelines beforehand.
“That’s a pity.” Aunt Sylvia screwed the top back on the arnica gel. “He sounds like a decent sort. Looking after you, buying you flowers, dinner. Putting you safely in a taxi to get home.”
“Oh hell,” Mia said. “I need to repay him the money for the taxi, and I have absolutely no idea how to do that.”
“Won’t the auction house help? Maybe they’d forward it to him for you.”
“Good idea. I’ll sort it out in the morning. Where’s Dad, by the way?”
“Giving a lecture at St. Mary’s General.” Sylvia handed Mia her sweater. “He wasn’t too happy that you’d decided to stay out after being mugged. He should be back any minute, so I’d prepare myself for a lecture of my own, if I were you.”
“Great. That’s the second time today I’ve annoyed him.”
“Oh?” Sylvia filled the kettle.
“He was irritated because I wanted to go to the auction.” When her aunt remained silent, Mia pressed on. “Why is he so against me collecting the jewelry? I mean, I know he’s never been totally enthusiastic, but this last couple of weeks he’s been adamantly opposed to it.”
“He loved your mother.” Sylvia filled two mugs with hot chocolate. “It’s hard for him to keep being reminded of her.”
“I realize that, but she died almost thirty years ago.”
“Time means nothing when you lose the love of your life.” Sylvia bought the mugs to the table. “You’re so very much like her. Every time he looks at you he likely sees her, and your determination to collect this jewelry probably makes it worse for him.”
“What was she like? I know you don’t like talking about it,” Mia said quickly as her aunt’s spine shot up straight, “but I can never ask Dad. There aren’t that many photos of her available, and what there is are grainy and faded.”
“She didn’t enjoy having her photo taken.”
It was impossible to miss the look that passed over her aunt’s face. A look that said she had little time for the woman who had given birth to her beloved niece yet whose death had broken the heart of her younger brother. “Why didn’t you like her?”
“I barely knew her. I was raising my own family and we lived over a hundred miles away. Your Uncle Alex was working all the hours God made building up his business so our boys could have a good life.”
Mia noted the skilled change of subject. It was something her aunt managed so adeptly when the subject got around to Mia’s mother. And Mia could never press. She would always be thankful to her aunt for taking care of her and her father. After Uncle Alex had died, and her cousins Colin and Alistair had gone off to university, Aunt Sylvia moved in with them. Mia was five and her father was working long hours establishing his medical career.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I’m not upset, darling.” She took Mia’s hand. “After what happened today, it might be a sign that it’s time to give it a break from collecting that jewelry.”
“You’re not superstitious.”
“No. But sometimes it’s worth stepping back and considering the value of what we do against who we hurt.”
“You think I’m hurting Dad?”
“Not intentionally, but let’s just say it doesn’t make him happy.”
Mia nodded slowly. She would never be able to get her head around the reason her father hated what she did, but it certainly wasn’t important enough to make him unhappy. “Maybe you’re right. Perhaps today was a sign I should leave it be.”
She reached for her hot chocolate, grimacing a little from the ache in her shoulder. “It’s been the strangest of days.” She took a sip, then sighed and set down the mug. “Weird notes, getting mugged, dinner with a handsome stranger, now having to face a telling off from my father for…well, I can’t remember what.”
Mia expected her aunt to zoom in on the handsome stranger remark, but instead she put down her own mug and said, “Weird notes?”
“Hmm. Some student who thinks he, or she, is amusing keeps sending me cryptic notes. Today I got one with a Mark Twain quote about forgiveness.”
“What makes you think they’re from a student?”
Mia sipped her chocolate. “Who else would send something like that? They’re meaningless. It has to be a student. I’m thinking I’ll find the answer in one of their essays or something.”
The click of the lock closing on the front door signaled the return of her
father. Here we go. Stand by to face the fireworks.
She plastered on her very best defiant face. She was almost thirty, for God’s sake. She should know if her shoulder hurt enough to warrant a hospital visit. She could also accept an invitation to dinner without having to fill in a sanction request.
When her father came into the room, Mia sipped her drink and looked away. She kept her gaze averted as he mumbled a “hello” to his sister and opened a cupboard to retrieve a half full bottle of brandy.
She waited until he’d poured himself a drink and sat. Mia looked at the bag he placed on the table. “You had no need to worry, I told you I was fine.”
When he didn’t respond, she looked up and almost jolted in her chair. The pallor of his face, the sunken look below his eyes, and the sheer exhaustion that emanated from him, had guilt rushing through her system. She put down her cup and touched her hand to his. “Dad, I’m fine.”
“I told you to come home.” His sharp tone echoed around the kitchen. When he met her gaze, Mia felt like he’d slapped her. Something he had never even come close to doing in the whole of her life. “You had no bloody right to go out to supper after what happened. You should have come straight home and let me deal with it.”
Okay, she might have worried him, but he had no right to treat her like a two-year-old. “I dealt with it myself and I’m not a child, so please don’t talk to me like one. I reported the cards stolen, and had you change the locks. The only thing I couldn’t do anything about was my phone.” Because he’d annoyed her, she met his gaze and held it firm. “And I lost the pendant I bought at auction.”
“What about your shoulder?” he asked, ignoring her challenge. He turned to his sister. “Did you check it out?”
“It looks fine,” Sylvia said. “Probably just jarred. I put some arnica on it, so we’ll see how it is in the morning.”
“Excuse me,” Mia said. “I am here and it is my shoulder you’re talking about.”
“Did you get a look at the man?”
“Not really. Just his shoes. It all happened so fast.”
“And this man. The one who helped you and took you to supper. Where did you meet him?”
“At the auction.”
“His name?”
“Saul O’Donnell.”
“What does he do for a living?”
“He’s a journalist. A photojournalist. Is this an interrogation?”
Her father had never questioned her in such a manner before, certainly not about her dates. Not that there had been many, and not that Saul O’Donnell was a date. But still.
He took a large drink of the brandy, then set down the glass and looked at her. “I apologize. I’m tired and I’ve been worried.”
Mia’s irritation subsided. “There’s no need for you to worry. Really. I’d tell you if there was.”
He didn’t seem convinced. “Will you do something for me?”
“If I can.”
He picked up the bag he’d placed on the table and held it out. “The next time something happens out of the ordinary, or if you’re worried about anything, or anyone, you’ll call me straightaway.”
Mia took the bag and pulled out a box containing a new cell phone. “You didn’t have to do this. I planned to get a new one on my way to work tomorrow.”
“The shops aren’t open when you leave for work. Promise me, Mia.”
She was busy checking out the phone, but looked up at him. The concern shone in his eyes. “Dad, honestly. Everything’s fine. There’s no need to worry about me.” Mia felt a niggle of concern herself. Okay, her dad always worried, but never to this extent. But then she’d never been mugged before, so maybe she should cut him some slack. “Okay, I’ll call you next time anything remotely like this happens again.”
She picked up the last of her hot chocolate and swigged it down, before going over to rinse the mug in the sink and place it in the dishwasher. As she passed her father, she bent and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m off to bed. Sweet dreams, you old worrywart.” He covered her hands with his, and she kissed him on the cheek. “Love you.”
“And I love you. More than you know.”
Mia kissed him again, then grabbed her new phone and instruction book. She gave her aunt a hug, then went up to bed. It had been a long day, a really weird one. But if she was honest, it hadn’t been all bad. Saul O’Donnell had been the highlight. With those dark eyes, big shoulders and a smile that made her stomach flip, he was pretty memorable. No. It most definitely hadn’t been all bad.
“She’s been getting notes.”
Armstrong Freeman turned to his sister as she closed the door from the kitchen to the hallway. His blood chilled again, the same way it had when Mia told him she’d been mugged. “What sort of notes?”
“Anonymous. Cryptic. She thinks they’re from a student playing tricks on her.”
Armstrong rubbed at the tension that had been building in his neck. “How many?”
“She didn’t say and I didn’t press.”
He nodded. “I’m doing something about it.”
Sylvia glanced at the closed door before coming over to sit next to him. “You need to be careful. You know what he’s like. If Mia finds out—”
“She won’t.” Armstrong laid a hand over his sister’s. “It’s in his own best interests to put a stop to it now, but if he doesn’t, and he comes after Mia again…” Realizing what he’d said, Armstrong let go of her hand and picked up his brandy. “Like I said, I’m handling it.”
Hoping against hope that he wouldn’t have to reveal his innermost fears to his older sibling, Armstrong wasn’t the least bit surprised when Sylvia grabbed his arm. When one of her babies was threatened she came out hissing and clawing. And she included Mia in her pack. Over the years he’d thanked God for it, for her. As a single parent struggling to get his medical career on track, his sister had been a gift he often wondered if he deserved.
“What do you mean if he comes after Mia? You’re not suggesting he had anything to do with this mugging, are you?”
Armstrong met her eyes. “I’m not ruling it out. If he wants to put the frighteners on me, he knows exactly where to hit. Which is why I demanded a meeting with him. According to his secretary, he’s unavailable until the end of the week.”
“I can’t believe he’d stoop to hurting Mia,” Sylvia said her voice thick with worry and concern. “I know he’s capable of a lot of things, but surely not that.”
“He’s close now. He won’t let anything stand in the way.”
“Oh, God. You have to warn her to be careful.” Sylvia placed a hand on her abdomen. “This is fast turning into a nightmare.”
“Not if I have anything to do with it,” Armstrong said. His heart thumped painfully against his ribcage at the thought of his girl being hurt in any way. He wished she were five years old again, wished he could wrap her in a protective layer so the world couldn’t hurt her. But she wasn’t and he couldn’t. So he wished for her to temper some of her tenacity, prayed she’d lose the stubborn persistence that had made her so good at her studies and urged her go after what she wanted in life. That aspect of her personality terrified him right now, and he knew that if she even got a hint of what might be simmering in her life, she would go after it with the unyielding bullheadedness she had inherited from him.
“I’ve insisted on an appointment Friday first thing.” He kept his tone even. “He’ll keep it if he knows what’s good for him. He’s not the only one who knows how to hit where it hurts most. So for the next few days we’ll go about our business and try and put this out of our mind.”
One look at his sister told him she would no sooner be able to do that than he would, but it was no use worrying her unnecessarily. Still, he intended to keep the tightest rein on Mia that his headstrong, independent daughter would permit.
Later, when Sylvia went to bed and left him alone, he picked up the phone and dialed the number of an old colleague from his days as medical examiner for
the Metropolitan Police. The man had retired a couple of years back but kept his hand in as a security consultant. He was dogged, hardnosed, and discreet.
Mia wouldn’t even know he was there.
Chapter Four
Saul wondered what the hell he was doing. Bad enough the woman had been popping in and out of his head since last night, but why he was stalking the halls of the university where she worked he couldn’t say.
Except he could. He wanted to see her again. Wanted those green eyes capturing his, challenging and wary. And yeah, the attraction was mutual, although it seemed she didn’t like it, not one bit. Tough. He liked it real fine.
Stifling a grin, he opened the door of the office he’d been directed to and was greeted by a tiny brunette with big silver loops dangling from her ears.
“Hi. Is Mia Freeman around?”
She beamed him a smile. “She’s with a student at the moment. Tutorial. Can I help you?”
“Just wanted a quick word.” He held out his hand. “Saul O’Donnell.”
She met his hand over the desk. “I’m Lily. Mia’s assistant. Would you like to wait? She shouldn’t be much longer.”
“Yeah. That would be good.”
He sat in the chair she indicated opposite her desk. “Would you like coffee? I was just getting some for myself.”
“Great, thanks. Black. No sugar.”
She walked to a coffee machine and busied herself with mugs, giving Saul the opportunity to check out the office. A busy one, he thought, but exceptionally neat. A place for everything and everything in its place, his mother would say. The filing cabinet was labeled alphabetically, while copious shelves held books each filed so the largest book filtered down to the smallest. He wondered if Mia’s office was as pristine, but he already knew the answer to that. This short hiatus before he saw her again might be a good thing. Chances were he’d be able to pump more information about her from the assistant than he would from the source. Mia was guarded, careful. He’d need every one of his skills to get her to let her guard down. He wasn’t about to stop until he discovered everything he wanted to know. Shit. Everything he needed to know. And where Mia Freeman was concerned, it seemed he needed to know one hell of a lot.