Tempted

by Jess Michaels

  She did not wish to be analyzed or judged.

  “You are quiet,” Gabriel said.

  She turned her gaze from the carriage window and moved it to him. He was seated across from her, fiddling with his leather gloves and staring at her.

  “So are you,” she retorted. “But then you always are.”

  A hint of that rare smile just barely tilted his lips, but then faded. “When I am quiet, I am thinking. And since we left the house I have been thinking of a question I want to ask you.”

  Her already pounding heart doubled in its rate. His expression was so hard to read, it was impossible to guess the topic of this question.

  “Yes?”

  He cleared his throat. “You asked me many good questions after reading Claire’s letters. And you made excellent suggestions on how to proceed in our investigation. But there was one thing you did not address.”

  “What was that?”

  “You—you didn’t tell me what you think of my sister,” he said.

  His voice was filled with tension and she drew back in surprise. “Does it matter?”

  He nodded slowly. “Yes. Somehow it does.”

  The second answer was more shocking than the first. He cared what she thought of Claire? Was it only because he was so protective of his family, and Claire especially, or for some other reason? Some tempting reason she ought not think about?

  She met his gaze evenly. “Your sister is intelligent, that is patently obvious from every word she writes. But she is guarded as well. She doesn’t want to say too much. And there were times, especially in later letters, where I sense her desperation.”

  “Yes. So do I. I can tell when she is hurting, fearful, upset by the certain way she slants her words.”

  Juliet blinked. Of course he would notice such a tiny detail and recognize its meaning. “I didn’t even see it,” she admitted.

  He shrugged, as if accustomed to being the only one who had eyes for such mundane thing. “I see that slant more and more as the letters progress and all I can do is picture all the horrible things she has been going through. I hate that. It drives me.”

  “I know.” She reached out to touch his hand. “I know, Gabriel.”

  “But that still doesn’t tell me what you think of her,” he pressed, and covered her hand with his free one. “What do you think of Claire, Juliet?”

  “I think I would like her,” she said softly, not just to soothe him but because it was true. “I think she loves you and your family and she believes she’s protecting you all from whatever is going on in her life. And I think, I hope, that at some point that love will bring her home to you all.”

  “Or that we’ll find her,” he said with a sigh as he all but collapsed back on the carriage seat. The sudden action parted their hands and even though she wore gloves, she was cold now.

  She examined his expression. Once again, he was allowing some of his vulnerability on his face. “You must be so tired,” she said. “After more than two years of thinking and focusing only on this.”

  He looked out the window beside him for a moment before he nodded. “Yes. Very tired. And now I wonder if that exhaustion has slowed my mind.”

  She wrinkled her brow. “You, with a slower mind? I can’t imagine that.”

  He didn’t smile at her gentle teasing, but his gaze came back to her, more intense than ever. “Do you really think I’ve avoided knowing more about Aston?”

  She considered the question a moment, and all the answers he’d given earlier. “Perhaps.”

  “Why?”

  “Why do I believe that?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “No. Why would I do it? When it could help Claire? Why would I leave such a large blind section in my knowledge?”

  She heard his self-blame in his tone and saw it in the way his fingers twitched in and out of a fist. She moved to his side of the carriage and touched his cheek with the back of her gloved hand. He made a soft sound deep in his throat and leaned against her touch.

  “Perhaps you worry that if you know more about this man, it will prove to you how difficult Claire’s life must be now,” she said softly. “Or perhaps—”

  She cut herself off and dropped her hand. She turned her face, but he reached up and cupped her chin, making her look at him with gentle insistence.

  “Perhaps,” he said, the one word an order to continue.

  She sighed. “Perhaps you worry you will discover that Claire is actually where she wants to be. That Jonathon Aston is not the utter villain you have painted him to be in your mind.” To her surprise, Gabriel flinched. She caught her breath and lifted her hands to cup his cheeks. “Oh, I’m not saying this to hurt you.”

  “I know. I know. I just…I don’t like either answer. I fear both might be true.”

  The anguish in his voice curled like a fist around her heart and she drew in a shuddering breath. “I know.”

  In that moment, she realized the position they were in. Close together on the narrow carriage seat, her hands cupping his face, his body heat warming her, his breath stirring her hair…it was all so very improper. As was her strong longing to kiss him.

  He must have longed for the same, for his mouth lowered and suddenly his lips were on hers. For the first few seconds, the kiss was all about comfort. The one she offered, the one he accepted, but very quickly the mood in the carriage shifted.

  Heat boiled between them as she slowly slid her hands from their position on his face to wrap around his neck. He dragged her closer until their bodies were pressed hard together, and suddenly comfort was forgotten and desire reigned.

  His tongue traced her lips and she opened to him, welcoming any invasion of his body to hers. Any hesitation he might have once shown toward their physical connection was gone now and he boldly swept his tongue against hers, spiraling pleasure through her body with every confident stroke.

  She lifted against him, wishing to be closer, wishing to be connected on any base level she could find. He made a low moan that told her he wanted the same thing. But the carriage was slowing now and they bounced a little on the seat as the driver turned.

  With great reluctance, he pulled from her lips and stared down at her. “We’re here,” he said.

  She nodded, though she was having a hard time digesting his statement when her body was throbbing and her blood was rushing in her ears.

  “But may we continue this later?” he asked.

  She nodded again. “I hope so.”

  He pressed one last kiss to her lips and then set her aside. He tugged her coat a little, as if to straighten it, and then slid across the carriage to the opposite seat where he smoothed his hair and adjusted his cravat. But his eyes never left her, and the burning need in that stare made the world soft and unfocused around her.

  The carriage stopped and within seconds, the door opened. A footman helped her out, Gabriel followed and they walked up to the pretty, modest townhouse before them. She noted he did not touch her. Was that because he feared his lack of control after their passionate kiss? Or was he trying to hide their connection from his family?

  She didn’t have long to ponder, for the door opened as they reached it and revealed a butler. Gabriel said a few words to the man, ones she hardly heard over the cacophony of thoughts in her head and they were led inside to a small parlor off the foyer, where Audrey and Jude sat together on a settee. Audrey’s head leaned on Jude’s shoulder and a book was perched in her fingers. He had a sheet of figures in his hand, but he seemed more interested in his wife than whatever business he had to conduct, for he stared down at her with a silent, secret smile tilting his lips.

  Juliet blushed at the interruption of a private moment and yet she also felt a twinge of jealousy at how easy their hosts’ connection was. There was no question the two cared for each other deeply.

  “I’m sorry to disturb, Mr. and Mrs. Samson,” the butler said with a clearing of his throat. “Lord Gabriel and
Miss Gray are here to see you.”

  The two turned toward the door, but seemed in no rush to part. In fact, they seemed comfortable with their display of affection.

  “Gabriel, Juliet!” Audrey said, finally rising slowly and setting her book aside. “We did not expect you today, come in!”

  The butler bowed his way aside and disappeared into the corridor as Juliet and Gabriel stepped into the room. Jude got to his feet and came toward them, hand outstretched for Gabriel, then for her, to shake. Audrey squeezed Juliet’s hand as well, before she pressed a kiss to her brother’s cheek. When she stepped back, she was frowning slightly.

  “You look tired, Gabriel, are you sleeping?” she asked softly.

  He waved off her concern. “I’m fine. Just fine.”

  She didn’t seem convinced as she motioned to the chairs across from the settee and everyone took their places.

  “Can we get you any refreshment?” Jude asked. “Tea?”

  “It is not a social call, I’m afraid,” Gabriel said.

  Juliet flinched at his blunt tone, but no one else seemed troubled by it.

  “Not a social call,” Audrey repeated, her gaze sliding to Juliet. “That is ominous. Is something wrong? Is Mama well?”

  There was a hint of panic to Audrey’s voice that Juliet understood. Audrey had been with Lady Woodley when the older woman took ill just months before. Juliet knew how afraid she had been, how guilty that her budding relationship with Jude had kept her from seeing the seriousness of her mother’s condition until it was almost too late.

  “Lady Woodley is very well,” Juliet reassured her. “I have never seen such a remarkable recovery in all my days as a healer.”

  Audrey breathed a sigh of relief as she reached across to take her husband’s hand. Jude squeezed her fingers lightly and then shifted his attention back to their guests.

  “Then what else could you have come to discuss?” he asked.

  Gabriel cleared his throat. “Jonathon Aston.”

  Jude Samson flicked his head to the side, as if the name slapped him across the face. Audrey stiffened as well, but her stare slid to Juliet. Juliet knew what she saw: an interloper.

  “Juliet has been helping me investigate Claire’s disappearance,” Gabriel added, an explanation to soothe the same hesitation Juliet had seen.

  “What?” Audrey asked, looking at him, then her husband and finally at Juliet. “I-I don’t understand.”

  “I needed new perspective,” Gabriel explained. “From someone not as intimately and personally attached to our story and our sister. She’s been of great help.”

  Audrey made a soft sound in her throat and then got up. Juliet watched her, heart pounding, uncertain if she was about to be reprimanded for involving herself in family business. But instead, Audrey drew her to her feet and hugged her hard.

  “First you save our mother and now this?” she murmured as she pulled away.

  “I’m happy to assist if I can,” Juliet stammered. “I’m not certain if I am as useful as Gabriel says, though.”

  Gabriel looked at her with a shake of his head. “Of course you have. You made me realize how much I have avoided knowing Aston. I need to remedy that.”

  “And I am the only one who can help,” Jude said softly as all eyes in the room shifted to him.

  “It isn’t your fault,” Audrey whispered as she returned to her seat and put her hand on his leg gently. “Remember that is true.”

  Once again, Juliet felt like she was intruding upon the very private pain and passion of this couple. But she was as intrigued by it as she was uncomfortable in its baldness. The Woodleys made love matches, it seemed. She couldn’t help but let her gaze slide to Gabriel and wonder if he would one day do the same.

  “What do you want to know?” Jude asked, his voice strained.

  Gabriel seemed to struggle, so Juliet leaned forward. “What kind of man was he?”

  Jude gripped a hand in his lap. “A chameleon,” he said. “He could present himself as whatever one needed to see. A friend to me when he thought I wanted one. A well-bred gentleman when he wanted to get close to Claire. A charmer who could talk his way into ballrooms or bedrooms if it served his purpose.”

  Everyone in the room jolted at that last sentence.

  “But in the end, he is a liar and a thief,” Jude continued. “I know now that he is involved in multiple criminal enterprises. I’ve even heard he strives to eventually rule the underground.”

  “With Claire at his side?” Juliet asked softly.

  Jude shrugged. “I don’t know. He took her for access to her money, we think. But it must be long gone by now.”

  “So he keeps her for some other reason,” Juliet mused. “Could he genuinely care for her?”

  Everyone in the room turned their stares on her and she shifted in discomfort.

  “I do not think he could do anything genuinely,” Jude said. “But I don’t know.”

  Gabriel pushed to his feet. “He bloody well couldn’t. There is no way he cares for her, nor she for him. I refuse to believe it.”

  Juliet watched him pace, empathy for his pain filling her. And she felt someone watching her. She turned to find Audrey focused on her. Their eyes met and Juliet saw in Audrey’s stare a recognition that a woman could love a man so utterly incorrect for her. And that perhaps that man could be more than he seemed.

  “It is worth considering,” Audrey said softly. “And if Aston truly wants to lord over the criminal activities of London, that should give us hope.”

  “How?” Gabriel said, spinning on his sister. “Should I rejoice that my sister is at the mercy of a man who wants to be the biggest criminal in the empire?”

  “No, but we can rejoice in the fact that to rule London he will have to come to the city,” Jude said with a nod of realization. “And if he comes here, he will have Claire with him.”

  Gabriel stopped pacing and stared at his brother-in-law and sister. For a brief moment, hope flashed across his handsome face, lighting him up from within in a way Juliet had never seen before.

  “Yes,” he breathed. “True. Once in London, Claire would be easier to find. Tracking Aston’s criminal activities would likely bring us to him. And her.”

  Juliet got up and moved toward him, slowing as though she was approaching a skittish colt. “Keep your eye on Aston’s aspirations and you may find Claire.”

  “Yes.”

  “Now what of the other reason we came?” she pressed, hoping to move him from this volatile topic. He would do better to let these uncomfortable realizations sink in before he spoke of them more.

  The hope, the pleasure left Gabriel’s face, and his jaw set. “We also wanted to speak to your maid, Audrey.”

  “Ursula?” she said with a look of surprise. “Why?”

  “You shared her with Claire at the time of her disappearance. It is possible after such a long time she might recall something of use. Something that didn’t feel important when she was first questioned,” Juliet explained.

  Once again, Audrey nodded. “Of course. Let me ring for her.” She shot Gabriel a look that Juliet followed. He looked so tightly wound. “But I want Juliet to talk to her, Gabriel, not you.”

  He all but leapt forward. “What? Why?”

  “Because of that tone of voice, I think,” Jude said with a shake of his head. “You’ll terrify the poor woman.”

  Gabriel looked like he was going to argue, so Juliet stepped toward him. “I am far closer to her rank than you are and I am a fresh face,” she said. “Let me speak to her. You may stand here, listening and absorbing everything. You will be able to truly focus on her reactions rather than on making conversation. It’s the best way to use me as a tool, Gabriel.”

  He seemed to consider that for a moment. Then he reluctantly nodded. “Fine.”

  Audrey rang the bell and said something to the butler. After a few moments, a young woman stepped into the parlor. Julie
t observed her as Audrey talked to her quietly. The maid was probably only a few years older than Audrey, perhaps the same age as Claire herself. That was a good thing. She was more likely to be a confidante to Claire if they had been of an age.

  “This is Miss Juliet Gray,” Audrey said to Ursula as she drew her forward. “She has a few questions for you about Lady Claire.”

  Juliet marked how the maid stiffened at that statement. Her gaze shifted slightly. Juliet’s heart leap. She might know something, indeed! But Juliet would have to tread carefully, not frighten or accuse.

  She just hoped Gabriel would allow it. Judging from his posture, he was ready to pounce and if he did so, it could ruin any chance they had at getting closer to the truth.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “I don’t know what I can tell you about Lady Claire,” Ursula said, her voice trembling. “I said all I knew over two years ago.”

  Juliet nodded in encouragement. The poor girl sounded terrified. She was obviously afraid of losing her job and Juliet couldn’t blame her for that. Without a reference, sacked servants could face a horrible future.

  “Of course, and I know you were as honest as you could be at the time. But sometimes little things that seemed unimportant at the time can turn out to be vital. And once we think on them, we can see better how they fit into a puzzle.”

  Ursula shot Audrey a look, then nodded slowly. Juliet smiled at her. She had set up a way for Ursula to tell information she’d kept quiet, without having to admit she had lied.

  “What do you recall about the events just before and just after Lady Claire’s disappearance?” Juliet encouraged.

  Ursula wrung her hands. “It was so long ago, but…”

  “But?”

  “Lady Claire did seem upset here in London for weeks. I found her crying several times in those dark days, but she wouldn’t tell me why.”

  Audrey smiled at her maid, as if to comfort her. “We all saw her upset and sadness at that time, Ursula.”

  Juliet moved closer to the maid and met her eyes. “But was there more to it?”