Enticing Eve: Scandalous Secrets, Book 2 (32 page)

Deciding Norris must be in the servants’ wing or the kitchens, Eve decided to continue her search for Colin unaided. She exited the well-lit vestibule with its sunny dome and rounded a corner, striding down a rather dark hallway.
 

Eve assumed this imposing wing, with its beige walls, burgundy carpeting and a lack of windows was one to which Logan referred the day prior.

 
Silent as the grave.

Again the words whipped about her brain like a winter wind and a sudden chill crept up her spine, weaving her anxiety like the delicate threads of a spider’s web.
 

The feeling of dread, the feeling that someone was watching her caused her heart to pound in her ears. The faint
thud
was a welcome distraction from the silence that encompassed her surroundings.
 

Why did this house affect her so?
 

She had never been one to succumb to the horrors of gothic novels or ghost stories, yet this castle with its dimly lit hallways and mysterious corridors was enough to make Eve a believer.
 

Her pulse quickened, causing her to halt mid-step and scan the gloomy hallway. No one was visible.

A muffled baritone she recognized as Logan’s permeated the hallway, filtered through a closed door that must be the entrance to Colin’s office, she presumed. Logan’s words were difficult to discern until she was close enough to touch the cool brass knob.

“There is no need to go that route,” he said, “You’d be inviting trouble. You might as well place a target on your back and hand him a loaded pistol.”

“It’s the right course of action, and you know it,” Colin spoke louder than his friend and with even more authority. “I should have done so a long time ago.”

A loud scrape reverberated through the door. Eve assumed one of the men had stood up. She pressed her ear to the door, straining to listen.

 
“This is a dangerous game, Colin. You will be sorry, mark my words,” Logan’s warning was low, but Eve understood every word. They caused her hair to stand on end, tingling with apprehension. “What of your wife? What will she do when she—”

“Someone knows,” Colin’s voice boomed through the air like thunder. Eve had never before heard sound so deadly.

Oh, God, what has he done?

“Someone knows,” Colin repeated. “I don’t have a choice. Not any longer.”

“Hell, Colin, if you come forward you will destroy us all and for what?”

“It is right, Logan,” Colin continued.
 

“Like hell it is! There is nothing righteous about this.”
 

A loud thud startled Eve causing her to jump, a squeal escaping her throat.
 

Damn it to hell.

She had no doubt that the men had heard her and that her presence was no longer a secret. The two voices spoke again, yet they were no longer louder than a faint murmur. Eve was certain they were now whispering.

Mustering all the courage she could, Eve rapped against the door before grabbing the bronze knob for the second time. It was warmer now than when she had first approached. She must have stood eavesdropping longer than she thought.

In response to a curt “enter,” she jerked the door open, feigning a carefree nonchalance that her heart didn’t quite feel. “Is this a bad time?” she asked, meeting Colin’s gaze then turning her attention to Logan, his piercing black eyes boring into her very soul.

Certain the heat emanating from his fiery stare had painted her cheeks a bright scarlet, she averted her eyes from him choosing instead to return her attention to her husband. “I can come back later if you prefer.”
 

“Not at all,” Colin grinned, and Eve’s heartbeat quickened at the realization that his smile never met his eyes. Reflected in them was a mixture of anger and fear. She was certain of it. Colin was fearful of something or someone.
 

“We were in the middle of discussing estate planning,” He continued, turning toward his friend. “Let’s continue this later.”

Colin’s words were laced with a veiled warning. They suggested to Eve that he brokered no argument and was silently commanding his friend to obey.

Eve studied Logan. He appeared to be calm, but appearances, as Eve knew, could often be deceiving.

When she looked underneath the surface, Eve noted his clenched jaw and a vein pulsating in his neck. He didn’t control their conversation and Eve sensed that Logan despised that fact.
 

Perhaps Logan detested answering to anyone, even his closest friend.
 

Logan held Colin’s intense stare, his eyes narrowing briefly before stating, “Later it will be.” He then nodded to Eve before marching out of the room, his tall frame retreating down the hall that Eve had traveled just moments before.

“What was that about?” she asked, noting that Colin’s tanned profile had turned ashen.
 

Had his past returned to haunt him?

“It is nothing to concern yourself with,” he assured her, crossing the room then planting a kiss on the palm of her hand. “It is business, nothing more.”

But there is so much more to it …

Embracing his wife, Colin’s mind raced. His life was unraveling, and he could do nothing to stop it. He had known this day would come – that he would one day pay for his sins.

For years, he had prayed that God would forgive him for what he’d done. Now, he prayed for his wife’s forgiveness as well. Once she discovered the man he truly had become …

Colin held her tighter in a desperate attempt to lose himself in her soft caress and her warm embrace.
 

“Is there something you wish to tell me?” Eve asked in a faint whisper. She suspected something. He knew it.
 

It was inevitable, of course.
 

Horrors such as those he was determined to conceal never remained buried for long. No, it was a matter of time before his wife discovered the truth, though he planned to control what she would discover and when.
 

“Are you ready for our picnic?” he asked, feigning a breeziness that was almost painful.

His wife played along. “Absolutely,” she answered as he led her into the hall. “I haven’t seen any of our servants this morning, with the exception of Eloise. Where is Norris?”

“He is conducting a meeting with the staff this morning to discuss what is expected of them while here. He plans to meet with you after our picnic to discuss the menu for tonight’s meal and some other household issues.”
 

Relief flooded him as he spoke to his wife about ordinary rituals. Such talk was good, Colin thought. It changed the subject and took his mind off of the missive that had been waiting in his office this morning.

I know who you are and what you did.

You are a fraud.

I will make you pay.

The jerky penmanship was almost illegible, but the message remained crystal clear, sending Colin’s nerve endings on edge. So nonplussed was he that Colin was fully prepared to confess everything to Eve, including all that occurred in India and how he amassed his wealth, but Logan begged him not to, not yet.
 

Logan asked for time to discover who this intruder was and why he was threatening Colin. Logan warned Colin not to be impetuous.

Perhaps Logan was correct?

Colin considered his friend’s request to wait a little while longer before telling Eve the truth. He owed Logan that much.
 
Besides, he had spent years concealing the truth. Perhaps a quick confession wasn’t the wisest course of action.

Colin prayed that Logan would find whoever left
 
the note for him though he still considered confessing to Eve.
 

She had entrusted her heart to him.
 

Wasn’t it time he did the same?

The thought of such admissions enveloped his heart with frosty tentacles of dread that seemed to tighten with each passing moment. Admitting the truth to Eve, even in part, was akin to jumping off a steep cliff.

He wasn’t certain that his marriage would survive the aftermath.

* * *

“Good morning, Mrs. MacAlistair. I trust you slept well in your new accommodations,” Norris met Colin and Eve in the vestibule.
 

Colin welcomed the distraction their cordial conversation provided. Once they were finished exchanging pleasantries, Norris addressed him. “As requested, here is your picnic, Mister MacAlistair.”

Carrying the basket, Colin and his wife both thanked Norris before traveling down the East wing where a bank of windows illuminated the hallway in bright sunshine.

The climate had already turned chilly, especially at night, but the sunshine was warm enough, and they were both dressed appropriately for an outing.

Eve was thrilled just to be getting out of the estate and onto the grounds. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she had the distinct impression that the house held secrets, and as her excursion to Colin’s office had proven, she could feel them hovering through the halls.
 

A devil lurked within these walls, of that Eve was certain. It was transforming her husband into a brooding and secretive man. After witnessing the exchange between Colin and Logan, Eve became even more determined to fight for the man she loved.
 

She had grown more protective of her husband since learning a portion of the truth about where he had been. This man had been to war, fought in battle and had returned haunted by whatever he had seen and done. With each breath she took, her resolve strengthened.
 

Eve would be strong for him.

Refusing to push him for information about what he was hiding, Eve instead decided to wait until Colin was ready to trust her with the truth. In the meantime, she would be damned if Logan or anyone else caused him to retreat again.

“What an exquisite day,” she exclaimed as they approached a large centuries-old tree with leaves colored in various shades of rust.
 

Colin opened the large basket and unfolded a plaid blanket, placing it on the grass. “Norris packed an extra blanket in case you’re cold.”

“I couldn’t feel warmer,” she wrapped her arms around his chest from behind. “That happens whenever I’m near you.”

In immediate response, he exhaled deeply as tension withdrew from his body. Eve could feel it draining from him as sure as the sun was shining and the leaves were changing color.

Turning to face her, Colin tipped her chin, meeting her concerned gaze. “I love you, Wife.”

“I know, which is why I plan to fight for you.” Eve meant every single word and made certain that her statement resonated with determination.

Colin’s brow furrowed.
 

Eve gently traced the scar above his lip with her thumb. “I won’t pressure you as to why you and Logan had such a heated discussion but know this: I will not lose you to your past.”

“You sound quite resolute,” he mused, taking great pains to remain calm while his conscience was all but screaming in his ears that Eve had no idea what was in store for her, what truths were left untold.

“On this I am unwavering,” she assured him, as Colin tucked a stray blonde tendril behind her ear. “Now, what did Norris pack for our picnic?”

Quickly turning her attention to the open basket, she knelt beside it, unwrapping platters of bread, cheese and fruit. Colin sat across from her, pouring wine from a decanter Norris had included for them.

“I am famished,” Eve announced taking a large bite of cheese as she surveyed the green and rust-colored brambles and hills that surrounded them. “The landscape is beautiful here.”

Colin nodded, unable to trust his voice.
 

She took a sip of wine, her jade gaze meeting his. “It is such a pity that our castle leaves much to be desired.”

Her husband coughed behind his hand at her sudden change of subject.

“Please, let’s not pretend that we aren’t selling this monstrosity the moment renovations are completed,” sarcasm dripped from her every word. “I don’t know what occurred here, but I do know that this is no place for us. That house is gloomy and there is an aura that will not be repaired with paint. I dare you to deny it.”

The sense of pride that filled his heart at his wife’s determination, not to mention her insight into his familial estate, filled his heart until Colin was certain it would overflow.
 

“You are remarkable,” he reached for her face but this time Eve’s hand caught his, and she turned it, kissing his palm as had become his habit with her.

“And I am all yours,” she grinned. “You had better get used to me, Mister MacAlistair. I am going to be quite a demanding wife.”

He leaned forward, thoroughly enjoying their banter in the afternoon sunshine. Eve followed suit, whispering in his ear the many things she would demand in their bed tonight.

With a throaty laugh, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, savoring her essence, which now tasted like a fruity wine.