Someone Irresistible (7 page)

Her sarcastic connotation did not go unnoticed and he smiled again.

“Regardless of my tact, my plan had merit. It worked.” Sitting back against the soft cushion once more, he carried on. “Soon after I

discovered them, I sold both fossils, the Stegosaurus and the Pteranodon, outright to French archeologist Pierre Lamont. I knew with his connections to your father, Sir Harold would be the Frenchman’s first choice to sculpt it, which, ultimately, would lead to you. I planned the commission to take place at the precise time I knew your father would be absent from the country, and then I waited for Monsieur Lamont’s treasures to be presented at the Garden after being sculpted. I now have full confidence that you can help me. There is no way for you to deny your skills, Mimi.”

For a second or two she looked as if she might cry. She blinked several times, her features sagging. Then not an instant later she shook herself and lifted her chin, clenching her jaw. Her face flushed and Nathan could sense that she’d become fiercely mad at him. It didn’t faze him. It’s what he expected, and how he would have felt in her position.

“You used me,” she whispered tightly.

He shook his head negligibly. “You were paid adequately to do what you do well. That’s all. You were never used.”

“You’re using me now,” she seethed through closed teeth.

“I need your help because I know you can do what I need done, Mimi,” he countered gravely. “I trust your talent.”

With obvious disgust, she glanced around the parlor, taking in its peach painted walls behind oil paintings in gilded frames, the rich, brocade drapes, plush carpeting, and new cherry wood furniture.

“And I suppose selling the fossils is how you—”

Sharply, she looked back at him, understanding dawning.

How I paid for this luxury, Mimi? For the quality suit I wore to
greet you? For my temporary return to your social class
? He didn’t voice the thoughts, though, because they didn’t need to be said. The fossils were incredible finds and she knew that perfectly well. Monsieur Lamont would be well on his way to establishing his name in the field because he had bought the right to say he’d found them. Their sculptures would sit in the Zoological Garden alongside Professor Owen’s, in the name of France. Yes, Mimi now understood what he’d lost through his temporary financial gain. Silence paid very well, indeed.

She continued to stare at him for several long seconds, intensely angered. Then swiftly she rose, tossing her reticule in the chair and crossing the floor to the window, her back to him, arms clutched together in front of her.

“Those fossils could have restored your reputation, Nathan,” she said, staring out to the darkening sky. “And yet you readily sold them.”

“Yes, they were good finds, and with them, along with continued research and the passing of years, I could have begun to rebuild my name as a renowned paleontologist.” He pushed himself up to a standing position, but didn’t move away from the sofa. Passionately, arms to his sides, he added, “That isn’t enough, Mimi. It could never be enough. Reputation can be easily gained or regained, but not honor.

The only way I can have my honor as a man returned to me is to be good at what I do, and to prove that I was
wronged
. I must discover who set me up for professional ruin in front of the most important people in my field on the night that I was to gain final, undeniable respect. And above it all, I want to know why.”

She didn’t argue or say a word when he finished his fervent disclosure.

They both knew she wanted to exclaim that it wasn’t her father who could have done such an ignoble deed, but she’d been defeated in a manner and it would do no good if she tried even a modest defense of him now. Nathan had to admire her poise in that.

A loud clatter of dishes in the kitchen broke the settled quiet between them, and they both turned toward the noise.

“It’s getting late and I must be going,” she said at last, pivoting to face him squarely “I have two more requests of you, however, if we are going to be working together.”

Her demeanor had changed subtly so that she looked slightly weary, even remotely concerned, but every bit as determined as she was when she’d walked into the boarding house just a few minutes before.

He waited, folding his arms across his chest. “Go on.”

She drew a long breath. “You must give me your word that my father will not be humiliated in any way. That would be tantamount to my helping you to ruin him.”

He couldn’t promise her that, which she likely suspected.

Nevertheless, he nodded, attempting to evade the issue. “I need the sculpture by New Year’s Eve. I’m attending a formal banquet given by Professor Owen. Several statesmen and dignitaries, and nearly every paleontologist in England will be there.”

Her face went slack as her eyes opened wide. “How do you expect to get an invitation?”

“Through Justin Marley,” he revealed, only because he believed it wouldn’t matter if anyone knew. “Justin and I have been in contact these last two years, more friends than colleagues, really. He’ll be attending, certainly, and it was, in fact, originally his idea.”

“And what do you propose to do with the sculpture?” she asked a bit dubiously, tilting her head, her brow creased in a frown.

He began to step toward her. “Show it to everyone.”

She attempted to hide a smile, but didn’t press him for detail.

Instead, she asked, “Will my father be attending?”

When he stopped directly in front of her, he admitted, “Probably. But I will not reveal who the sculptor is, Mimi. That has nothing at all to do with my intentions.”

She gazed into his eyes a moment longer, evaluating, calculating the difficulties ahead, perhaps the possibilities, shielding her worries the best she could.

Nathan watched her candidly, taking in the smoothness of her skin, her full mouth that he remembered so well, a few strands of her straight, clean hair that had fallen loose to peek out from beneath her hat. If there was one thing he now knew with certainty it was that she truly did not believe her father to be guilty of his downfall. If she suspected it at all, she would have immediately denied him the chance to redeem himself at the banquet. Her father would be there, Owen would be there, Justin and other top English scientists would all be attending. She fully understood what was at stake. The only other possibility was that
she
had been involved with the theft and instead confidently knew this was something he would never learn. She’d agree to help him not to protect her father but to see him fail again.

Ultimately. That thought alone sickened him more than he wanted to acknowledge.

With a final look of acceptance, she lowered her gaze and swept past him, her skirts brushing his legs as she moved to retrieve her reticule.

“I also need you to be there for the sketching, Nathan,” she informed nonchalantly, lifting her bag and pulling the strings over her right wrist.

Turning to face him again, she added, “And for the sculpting as well.”

It was his turn to be surprised, and he surely expressed it in his features, for she smiled, somewhat condescendingly.

“It’s something nobody has ever seen,” she explained, “and you’re the only one who knows the true dimensions of the beast. If you want others to be convinced of its authenticity it will need to be exact, perfect.

I’m sure you understand.”

Nathan felt his body stiffen. He couldn’t be sure if she mocked him now as others had in the past, or spoke in honesty, but it irked him just the same.

Audaciously, she waited for his response, watching him closely.

Slowly he lowered his eyes to her breasts again, concealed behind a snug layer of silk, only hinting at their beauty. Teasing. Just like her face, her eyes, her voice. Hinting, teasing, never revealing what lay beneath, inside.

He stepped toward her, moving closer, raising his eyes again. She was blushing now; she’d realized where his thoughts lay, felt the pull of attraction as he did, but she was bold enough to stand her ground and ignore it openly. Good for her.

“I haven’t had time to sketch anything yet, Mimi,” he said softly, intently, working the lie splendidly. “And of course I’ll need to be there for the sculpting. When would you like to begin?”

“When you are ready, Nathan,” she replied at once, sweetly. “I work in my studio during the week, from ten in the morning until teatime.

You may join me whenever you wish, starting tomorrow if you like.”

With only the slightest hesitation, she reached out with her hand. “Do you agree to my terms?”

Her terms? He swallowed a laugh. How odd that this one female had such an extraordinary ability to turn everything to her apparent advantage. He couldn’t decide if that was an affliction of her character, or a gift.

“I agree.” He clasped her hand firmly with his. Her skin felt hot, soft, and he rubbed his thumb once over the delicate bones of her knuckles, daring her to withdraw. The contact startled her, he could tell, and sent a jolt of unexpected arousal through his body, but he stood his ground, marvelously satisfied that a simple touch from him could unnerve her.

She blinked and drew an uneven breath. Then she pulled back and he released her.

Without further comment, looking away from him at last, she turned and walked with head held high, shoulders back, to the parlor entrance.

“Until tomorrow, Mrs. Sinclair,” he bade her softly.

She paused briefly in her stride but didn’t acknowledge him as she lifted the latch and stepped through the front doors into the gloomy late afternoon.

Mimi waited till nearly midnight, then quietly climbed the stairs to the third floor rooms, most of them closed off tightly for the coming winter. In slippered feet, she made her way to the far end of the corridor, then reached into her nightdress pocket for the single key she owned to the attic door. She hadn’t been inside for months, as there was really no reason for her to enter the small, dusty enclosure. The contents within were of little use—some rare books in boxes, Italian

glassware of her mother’s that she treasured and wanted left undisturbed, paintings she had no desire to hang at the moment. And Carter’s things, including a few pieces of jewelry and clothes not given to the poor, his personal notes and scientific journals that he’d kept at home.

She turned the knob and stepped nimbly inside, closing the door behind her. A musty odor struck her immediately, though that was to be expected, and without hesitation she turned up the light on the lamp in her hand to have a look at her surroundings.

Everything remained as it should; nothing had been disturbed since her last visit. Cobwebs drifted down from the wooden beams at the ceiling, but otherwise the tiny room was clean, save for a layer of dust coating everything. Mimi placed her finger beneath her nose, pausing for a moment to stifle a sneeze, then got immediately to her task.

She moved quickly around piles of useless things to the west wall, where crates of her prized items sat undisturbed. Placing the lamp on a small wooden stool to her side, she began shifting small boxes around and out of her way until she stood in the farthest corner.

It was there. Exactly as she’d left it.

Lowering herself to her knees, Mimi reached out to touch the crate’s cold, dry wood. Then she placed her palms at the edges and shoved them upward—two times—before the top gave way and opened with a gentle creak.

Here it rested, undisturbed after two years. Mimi stared at black velvet for several moments, then slowly lifted the soft edge to reveal her treasure. The chill in the room, pressed against her; the silence sliced through the night, and she centered her mind on the wooden floor beyond the attic door for the sound of a servant’s footsteps, her heart pounding loudly in her breast with the thought of being discovered, with the fantastic notion of what she’d now decided to do.

At her fingertips lay the ancient Megalosaurus jawbone, stolen from Professor Nathan Price at the Crystal Palace. Large, sturdy, hidden, it remained the one piece of evidence that could restore the man’s lost reputation—or ruin them all.

Gingerly she stroked the top of one of the greatest discoveries of paleontology, its worth immeasurable but not denied, noticing again how it felt like cool wood, the edges so delicate they could crumble if disturbed. It had taken her a weekend of careful consideration, but now Mimi had a plan. The jawbone had remained untouched all this time, but in a daring move she at last knew what to do without anyone learning the truth. Nobody could ever know what she knew.

Nobody.

« ^ »

M
imi paced the floor of her studio, hands clasping her upper arms as she looked at the clock. Half past eleven, and Nathan had yet to arrive.

She scolded herself for caring, too; she had other things she could do while she waited, perhaps even work on the Pteranodon, though she really didn’t have the desire. Certainly she didn’t need his approval or appraisal to begin a project, but so far this morning she’d had difficulty concentrating on the process ahead simply because he wasn’t there to oversee it. It disgusted her that she’d yielded her entire schedule to Nathan and his authority, or, one could argue, his cool, singular charm.

Again, she glanced at the clock. Thirty-one minutes past eleven. Her preoccupation with the man and his lateness was getting ridiculous.

Then again, she’d more or less told him to come at his convenience by not specifying that she wanted him there
precisely
at ten. He’d evidently read what he wanted into that.

Sighing loudly with her impatience, Mimi dropped her arms, shook them out, and wandered to the west-facing oblong windows, resting her bottom on the back of the settee to take in the view of her small but orderly backyard. The autumn season had arrived at last, and leaves now showed a definite change to fall hues, from golden yellow to russet.

Her workshop had been added on to the west end of the house, which was why her garden, where she spent much of her time in summer months, was so very tiny. Already her rather insignificant cluster of prized flowers had gone dormant. But the view from her studio still provided plenty of color, and she gazed with only half regard at a lilac bush that needed trimming. It reminded her again that she should be doing something worthwhile with her time now, like cutting back overgrowth for the coming winter, instead of waiting for a man to arrive so she could start her workday.