Trust me.
Cynthia swallowed. This was madness. They couldn’t fall so easily into the monster’s hand. But a strange calm broke over her. Over the course of the last hour, something had shifted between Cynthia and Helena. They had a common – and evil – enemy. Which made them allies instead of adversaries. Sinclair had inadvertently forced them to join forces against him.
A mistake he will soon regret.
Because he had no idea how deadly a waterwitch and an angry widow could be.
Turning to face Sinclair, Cynthia tipped up her chin and straightened her shoulders. ‘I want Hubert’s letters of debt before I agree. All of them.’
Sinclair raised a black brow. ‘I s’pose I’m not the only cunning person in this room.’
‘Not by half.’ Helena’s whisper only reached Cynthia’s ear.
Helena was unaccountably nervous as Sinclair led them further down the corridor and into another room. When he opened the door to the studio, she tasted the metallic tang of fear on her tongue. The room was bare except for a staged area directly in front of the camera stand that was swathed in crimson and black lace. A chaise longue sat in the centre with cushions strewn about the floor.
Dear God. This is what Ellie saw in her vision.
Helena turned to Cynthia and cursed whatever hex stopped her from reading the other woman’s mind. If she knew what Cynthia was thinking, what she was feeling, this would all be so much easier. Was she frightened? Repulsed? Horrified by what they were about to do? Ellie said Cynthia was desperate to leave the room but couldn’t. Was that because of the deal they made with Sinclair, or because she would have to be intimate with Helena? Or perhaps both were equally disgusting to her.
Not being able to discern Cynthia’s thoughts put Helena at a distinct disadvantage. A disadvantage others dealt with all the time, but she had never had to experience. Until now. It was completely unacceptable.
While she shared Cynthia’s feelings of hatred towards Sinclair for forcing them into this situation, she was not repulsed by the idea of intimacy with Cynthia, just the circumstances of the intimacy.
She had tried to deny her attraction, but it was time for honesty. Lying to oneself, or to one’s partner in a venture, never boded well. And somewhere along the way, they had become partners. At least in this investigation.
Being forced into intimate poses with Cynthia would make it nearly impossible to hide how tempting she found the woman. Which was incredibly unfair to Cynthia. She had not asked for Helena’s attention, nor was there any reason to believe she would welcome her advances.
There was that moment outside of Sinclair’s club.
Helena knew what desire looked like in the eyes of another. And she’d seen that hunger in Cynthia’s hazel gaze. But that didn’t mean she wanted this. A mad moment caught in the heat of danger did not mean Cynthia preferred the company of women. The very last thing Helena wished to do was force any desire she had onto a woman whose autonomy was already compromised.
‘I need to speak with Lady Burrows before we begin. Privately.’ Helena’s voice was loud in the quiet room.
Sinclair paused behind the camera. ‘’aving second thoughts? Because you don’t ’ave a lot of options, Miss Blair.’
You ’ave no options. And neither will your uncle. Soon.
His thoughts were as forceful as everything else about him.
‘You’ll get your bloody pictures. But I need a moment alone with my… friend.’
Sinclair frowned. He wasn’t going to agree to her request.
Helena provoked him. ‘What’s the matter, Sinclair? Are you worried we’ll find some kind of hidden escape in a room with no windows and only one door?’
There’s no escape. Not for any of us.
Dire thoughts from a dangerous man. He exhaled through his nose, pulled a gold watch from his pocket and looked pointedly at its face. ‘Five minutes. No more. And when I return, I want ’er hair unbound.’ He nodded at Cynthia, who stiffened. Without another word, he swiftly exited, shutting the door behind him with a loud click.
‘This is a terrible mistake.’ Cynthia’s bottom lip quivered and she bit it hard, drawing Helena’s eyes to the plump flesh. A swirl of need unfurled low in her belly. ‘Just look at my dress. I couldn’t have chosen a better outfit to play into his sick game. It’s as you said. I look like a trollop.’ Tears filled her eyes, and Helena cursed herself for her brash words earlier. In truth, Cynthia looked like a fantasy. Innocence dressed in sin. Sinclair could sell her picture for twice what Hubert owed him. ‘And you!’ She shook her head. ‘You’ll be ruined because of me. I can’t allow this. I won’t.’
Something sharp and bright pierced the shield around Helena’s heart. She pulled Cynthia close, dropping her voice to a whisper. Sinclair was listening at the door, and she had no wish for him to hear their conversation. ‘I can ruin the film.’
Cynthia pressed a hand to her mouth, muffling her gasp. ‘You can?’
‘Yes. You needn’t fret about anyone discovering these images.’
‘So, you’ll be safe?’
