Whispered Kisses

by Taylor, Janelle

  “I’ll go to Stams Street in the morning and look for it,” Chad suggested. “If I don’t find it in the alley, I’ll post a description and a reward for its return. I’ll also report your assault to the authorities. As for your rescuer, since we don’t know who he is, we can’t reward him. But if he happens to contact you, let me know and I’ll handle it.”

  Leigh focused widened eyes on him. Her heart pounded at the idea of seeing the irresistible stranger again. She concealed her excitement and inquired, “Why should he contact me?”

  Her stepuncle laughed, then replied, “You’re a beautiful woman, and he saved your life. Surely he’ll want to see that you’re all right after your misadventure together. In his place, I would. He’s also a witness who can identify your assailants. I hope we can locate him.”

  Chad’s gaze was soft and complimentary. He looked appealing in his ivory shirt and blue waistcoat and pants. Irrefutably he was breath- and wit-stealing, and a skilled charmer. Leigh didn’t doubt he could talk a starving woman out of her last bite or penny, or talk a disgruntled client out of his anger and into his next order. Chad must have been a valuable asset to her grandfather and the firm. If she wasn’t careful, that old infatuation might return, Leigh warned herself. She tried not to gaze into those arresting blue eyes or be captured by his magnetic spell, and asked, “What about your friends?”

  He shrugged his powerful shoulders. “Probably finishing dinner about now. If you’re certain you’re all right, I’ll rejoin them. Unless,” he hinted with a sly grin and tug at her arm, “you’ll change clothes and come along. I wish you would, Leigh. You brighten any room you enter. I won’t let you out of my sight for an instant. I’ll guard you with my life. Do you want to try it again?”

  She eyed his entreating expression. He could be mighty persuasive, but she said, “Not tonight, Chad. I’m still jittery, and tired. I’ll have something sent up here. Then I can settle down while I eat.”

  He looked disappointed, but smiled in acquiescence. “I’ll take care of it before I leave. I’ll see you tomorrow. This time, I’ll fetch you. No going out alone, understand?”

  “Yes, sir,” she stated with merry laughter. “Good night, Chad.”

  “Good night, Leigh, and sleep well.”

  She saw his blue gaze inspect her from head to foot, as if to make certain she was uninjured. She guided him toward the door, teasing, “Go along, your lordship. Your friends are waiting for you. They’ll wonder what happened to both of us. I’m fine, honestly.”

  “You’re sure?” he inquired once more.

  “Positive, Chad. But you can do one thing for me,” she hinted.

  His gaze agreed with his answer. “Anything, Leigh. What is it?”

  “Let’s keep this nasty episode between us. I wouldn’t like to be the topic of such an embarrassing conversation. Please say I had dinner downstairs and you couldn’t find me the first time. Is that all right?”

  “It’ll be our secret,” he agreed, a twinkle in his eyes. Then his smile lessened as he queried, “What about the attackers? With your description, they could be located and punished. Perhaps a reward for helping to find them—and your locket—will bring forward your witness to help us.”

  Leigh considered his words. “Forget about the authorities and those ruffians. Wicked men eventually get caught and punished. But find a way to post the reward for my locket without telling how I lost it. Say it happened when you took me on a tour of the waterfront.”

  “You’re a smart woman, Laura Leigh Webster. Consider it done.”

  Leigh leaned against the door after his departure. She was pleased that he hadn’t wanted to leave her alone and had twice taken the time and trouble to check on her absence. Chad was a strange man: open and warm and tender in one situation, then arrogant and mysterious and wary in another. Yet few people seemed to notice how complicated and intricate he was, and it was his ability to hide that subtle complexity that troubled her on occasion. Still, Leigh liked the forthright and sunny side of him best, the one he used with her the most. He made life in London so exhilarating for her. He made her look forward to so many experiences particularly their impending two-month safari. It would be, as he claimed, a splendid way to get better acquainted and to relax after the unexpected changes in their lives.

  Leigh recalled what Chad and others had told her about Africa. He had explained how safaris were the height of intrigue and pleasure these days for English society, how many people were tempted by colorful tales of fortunes to be claimed there and adventures to be enjoyed. Every time he revealed more about their impending journey, his voice and expression had been filled with contagious enthusiasm.

  It sounded so breathtaking to her, the experience of a lifetime, an opportunity not to be ignored or rejected. It was the perfect way and time to expose her strengths, courage, and skills to her stepuncle so he wouldn’t worry about her new ownership of the firm.

  Since her arrival, she had observed the man who’d be in control of her life and inheritance for the next eight months. Leigh was trying hard to prevent any problems between her and Chad by showing him she not only wanted to be friends but wanted him to continue managing the firm for her. For now, that seemed to work just fine. Yet she could not help but wonder what would happen if they disagreed on business matters once she learned all about the workings of the firm. She was after all, the owner, the final authority, the one with the most responsibility. How would he accept any changes she wanted to make? Would he view them as an intrusion, a challenge, a criticism?

  She knew the business empire was an enormous responsibility for such a young and untrained woman, but her grandfather must have had faith in her capabilities and character or he wouldn’t have left it to her, only blood heir or not. Besides, she had Chad and other qualified men to help her, and she knew a little about the firm from her father.

  In the past two weeks, Leigh had visited the interconnected companies and met their managers and employees. She had admitted to herself and to Chad that she was nervous about owning such a large and prestigious firm. Chad had done nothing to conceal his pleasure with the will’s stipulation that he remain as head of the firm which he had helped to prosper, and she was glad she had him at her side.

  Leigh was certain she could learn about the business, but she was smart enough to know she would need help. She hoped Chad would provide that assistance and knowledge. But if their relationship—personal and business—didn’t work out, she knew she could always sell the firm to him upon her return to England, then decide where to live and what to do. She did have the country estate, and plenty of time to make her final decision. She did not want to return to Texas, for certain, because of her new uncle and the lusty foreman.

  She had a responsibility, a challenge, to meet. First she had to learn if she could run the Webster empire, then decide if she wanted to do so. Besides, her grandfather owed her. It had been his idea for her father to go to America and to remain there. It would bring in more money and power, he felt, for Thomas Webster to be situated there. At least that had been her impression over the years. She assumed it was accurate, for why else would they not have returned to England when things were going so well with the Georgia company? If they had, though, her parents would still be alive. She confessed that she felt slightly bitter toward her deceased grandfather, but she must not let such destructive emotions eat at her. How she wished she had questioned William Webster about that matter before his death.

  Leigh walked to a window and gazed at the quiet street below. Chad had rented this lovely hotel suite for her stay in London, explaining it would appear improper if she moved into his townhouse, even with two servants there. Leigh had agreed. She could imagine the gossip that would have been created by such living arrangements! After all, they weren’t blood kin; they were adults, and Chad was many a female’s obsession… .

  Lady Louisa Jennings’, especially. Leigh fretted over two dismaying angles of the imminent trip: Louisa and Marquise Cynth
ia Campbell. She wasn’t jealous of Chad’s relationship with the wealthy Louisa; she just didn’t like the hateful redhead. Nor did she care for Cynthia, his best friend Reid’s companion.

  It remained to be seen if Leigh could make friends with either or both women. It did not look good so far. Not that she hadn’t made cordial overtures, but the two females were not receptive. Lady Louisa was determined to capture the sensual Lord Hamilton and somehow viewed Leigh as a threat to that conquest. Yet Leigh was just as determined not to let them spoil her upcoming trip. It would be nice if their journey could begin with a truce.

  Leigh frowned at the difficult job ahead of her. If she hadn’t made any progress with the two women in over two weeks, how could a few more days aid her? How could she win them over without being false and fawning, which went against her grain. Oh, well, do the best you can, and let it go at that.

  Her meal arrived, as Chad had promised. With leisure and enjoyment, she devoured vegetables and meat and sipped wine. Yet something still troubled her. She retrieved the note from where Chad had discarded it in the trash. As she read it, the word “summons” echoed through her mind again. Perhaps, she concluded, it was the wording of the message: “I want you at a private dinner party of great importance at a very special restaurant, so don’t be late or refuse. I’ll expect you at 6:30 sharp in your best gown to stun a friend of mine.”

  As earlier, she wondered why Chad thought she might refuse or object or be tardy. She wished she had asked why the evening had been of “great importance” to him and who was the friend she had been ordered to enchant. She needed to remember to ask him tomorrow.

  Glancing back at the note, she read, “Take a carriage out front to #6 Stems Street.” So, how had she read “Stams” twice? Too, if Chad had returned to the hotel to check on her earlier, why hadn’t the doorman told her when she asked if there was a message from her guardian? Could the note have been altered during her absence? Could Chad have lied to her?

  You’re grabbing at a dust devil, Leigh thought. Chad stood to lose too much if anything happened to her. He wouldn’t inherit Webster International if she died, and he wouldn’t want it split in half. It was to his advantage and interest to keep her well and safe, she knew. Even if he did crave the firm, she would have to be alive to keep it whole or to sell it to him.

  Leigh recalled her time with her stepuncle. Chad included her in on everything, and he was so protective. Sometimes she found him watching her as if he considered her a beautiful and desirable woman. Yet why did he keep Louisa around if he was attracted to his ward? And why was his lover going on a safari with them? Unless the charming lord was afraid to move on her too quickly because he felt she might think he was after her enormous inheritance. Too, the handsome and virile Chadwick Hamilton was unaccustomed to any woman resisting him, something Leigh had done and couldn’t imagining herself not doing. “We shall see, my handsome guardian, what your real intentions are.”

  Leigh donned her nightgown and slipped into bed. “As for you, my daring Sir Lancelot, if ever we meet again, and I’m certain we will, I’ll teach you a thing or two about western women,” the intrigued girl from Texas vowed.

  In a warehouse at the wharf, Jace Elliott teased his nose with the silk bouquet of flowers that had been torn from the beauty’s gown. Her special fragrance still clung to it and tempted his senses to call forth her image. He lifted the blue aigrette and looked at it, recalling how the hair ornament had contrasted against that head of flaxen hair. He reflected on their curious meeting before he laid both items aside and reached into his pocket to withdraw the locket she had lost.

  Upon returning to the warehouse—owned by a friend—to complete his interrupted dressing, he had sighted it twinkling at him beneath the moonlight on the alley floor. He felt as if he had found a golden nugget. While retrieving it, he had sighted the silk bouquet and aigrette.

  “Laura … Laura Leigh …” he murmured. He liked her name, and thought it suited her. It was soft and silky, like she herself. Both her name and her appearance evoked impressions of warm sunshine, of mellow feelings, of flowing honey. Her eyes were like tranquil blue waters that enticed him to sail into her heart and soul. She was like the diamonds he had once mined, rough-cut at present, but ready and eager to be chipped into valuable shape and polished to a higher sparkle.

  Jace opened the locket and studied the couple encased there. He guessed they were her parents. He wondered what the girl would do when she discovered such a treasure missing. Would she return to search for it? To look for him? She seemed brave enough to do so but level-headed enough to think that unwise. He snapped the locket shut and dropped it into his pocket. Then he smelled the bouquet once more before putting it aside.

  So far, his trip to London had been for naught. The man he needed to see was unavailable. The two witnesses to his alleged crimes had vanished, as had Joanna Harris. Even her mother didn’t know her whereabouts, or if Joanna was connected to the truth. Yet the woman hadn’t seemed shocked by Jace’s grim speculations.

  But who wanted him framed and killed, he asked himself for the hundredth time, and why? No doubt because the guilty and cunning culprit knew Jace Elliott would never give up his search for the truth and vindication! He must prove the evidence implicating him was false. He had to learn who was responsible for the disgrace and destruction of his father. He had to discover the dark reason behind that deadly plot and the means by which it had been carried out so perfectly.

  A vital clue was missing: motive. If he could discover why, that would unmask who and how. This lethal mystery still seemed as hopeless and frustrating as it had over a year ago. But he was determined to solve it, and had sworn on his father’s grave to do so.

  Jace’s wandering mind traveled to his best suspects: Chad Hamilton and William Webster. Yet Webster had plenty of money and business without stealing his father’s, and supposedly they had been friends. It was true that Chad had hated him and wanted revenge, but ruining Joanna Harris should have been enough cruelty and vengeance for his old friend. Chad had chosen to make Jace his enemy, and the devilish rake had done the unforgivable to him and Joanna.

  Jace’s restless mind drifted to the damsel in distress he had rescued earlier. What was her connection to Chad Hamilton? He didn’t want to envision her as one of Chad’s ill-fated conquests like Joanna had been, so, he dismissed her from his troubled thoughts.

  His time was limited. He didn’t know where to look for favorable evidence, but he wasn’t one to wallow in self-pity nor to remain ignorant or in jeopardy and dishonor. He had a terrible problem and he must find a way to solve it. Before he could approach the authorities and be questioned, he had to obtain proof he was innocent of the accusations. Without it, he would be arrested and jailed, then tried and convicted and hanged. But until he returned to England and was questioned, he couldn’t be legally charged or pursued out of the country. Too, there was someone powerful trying to impede his case in order to give them time to solve it. With some of the people involved dead, others missing, and none talking, it appeared hopeless.

  But nothing, Jace Elliott vowed, was utterly hopeless. Some things just required more effort than others, especially things as important as his freedom, and the exoneration of his deceased father.

  He pulled the locket out again and fingered it. He had a strong feeling that it meant something special to him, as well as to Laura Leigh. He felt as if she’d been placed in his path tonight. The locket burned in his grasp and mind like a fiery but obscure clue. Perhaps it was an omen, telling him to get close to this particular female by providing him with the means and motive to do so. Was fate—after almost destroying him—giving him a helping hand? A visceral feeling told him to study that tawny-haired beauty who had a connection to his suspects. But how could he accomplish that as he couldn’t show his face in daylight without risking the loss of his head? This prize was the key to getting to Laura Leigh and unlocking her mysterious role in his destiny. Again he irritably mused
, but how and when and where?

  He knew her name and where she was staying. Perhaps …

  Chapter Three

  The following morning, Leigh went to have her unfortunate dress repaired. The seamstress suggested replacing the snagged overskirt and also said she would stitch on a new silk bouquet. Fortunately she had another blue aigrette that would match the gown.

  While there, Leigh paid for and picked up the special garments the woman had completed for her safari. Earlier that day she had purchased a pith helmet and two pairs of walking boots for her impending adventure. While she was away, many of her possessions would be left in London at Chad’s townhouse. Others—used on the voyage to and from British East Africa and during her stay in Mombasa—would be stored at the hotel there, as she could carry only so many items with her on the trail.

  When she returned to the hotel with her purchases, Lord Chadwick Hamilton was awaiting her with a frown on his handsome face. He helped her with the packages and followed her inside her suite.

  The dark-haired earl questioned, “Where have you been, Leigh? I was worried. You promised not to go out alone again.”

  Leigh smiled and replied, “I didn’t mean I would make myself a prisoner in my room, Chad. I was referring to going out alone at night.”

  He exhaled loudly and shook his head. “What makes you think beautiful, wealthy females are any safer alone during daylight hours?” her guardian reasoned as he stood near the front window.

  Leigh watched how the morning sunlight played over his appealing features as she related where she had gone and why. “I was very careful, Uncle Chad,” she teased. “I’m not a little girl, and I did carry my gun. See,” she remarked, opening her purse to show him the derringer before tightening the strings and tossing it on the sofa.