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“I was told that I would know what to do with it when the time came.” She tried to keep her expression bland as she lied to him. She suspected that the details of what the key was to were contained in the letter Henry had left for her. She couldn’t tell Connor that. Unfortunately, Fate was working against her. Before she could lie to him that she had a headache and needed to retire for a while, she was interrupted by a knock on the door.
“I forgot, ma’am, here are your papers,” Cecily declared as she entered the room without prompting and hurried across the room with a package in hand.
“Thank you, Cecily. I will go over them later,” Tahlia replied smoothly. When she turned to Connor, she saw him eyeing the papers curiously and offered him a weak smile. “Well, I am sorry to have taken up so much of your day. Once again, thank you for your assistance this morning. I will bid you good day.”
She clutched the package tightly as she walked out of the room. This time, he took the hint and followed her to the front door. Once there, however, he proved not so easy to get rid of.
“Maybe the instructions are in those papers,” he suggested casually.
“Pardon?” She murmured, pretending she hadn’t got a clue what he was talking about. She failed miserably when her fingers tightened instinctively around the package as he stepped forward.
Connor’s eyes met hers. “I think you are in deeper than you realise, Tahlia,” he murmured gently. He held up his card and watched her study it carefully. “In case you need me.”
Tahlia closed her mouth with a snap. The affluent address that glared up at her in golden letters emphasised the fact that she did indeed know very little about him. But there it was, written in ink, the kind of address only wealthy gentlemen of aristocracy could afford.
She considered him warily. Guilt suddenly slammed into her with all the force of a landslide. It felt as though someone had suddenly ripped the blinkers of desire off and laid everything bare. She had to consider the terrible situation that now lay before her.
If Connor had money then he had connections. While the card didn’t say he was titled, he undoubtedly had a wealthy, well connected family around somewhere; a family who would want to see Joseph, Connor’s son.
Shying away from the prospect of losing her precious little boy, Tahlia turned her attention back to Connor. She didn’t feel so guilty for not telling him about Joseph now. Not when the prospect of losing her only family was so very real.
Besides, she reasoned silently. He had been the one to abandon her three years ago. It wasn’t like she had chosen not to tell him. He hadn’t stayed around long enough for it to be possible to inform him of her condition when she had found out.
If anyone should feel bad what happened between them should be him.
“Thank you, but I am sure I will be fine,” she murmured.
Before he could snoop into her private affairs any further, she yanked the door open to let him out.
At that moment, chaos ensued.
“Get down!” Connor shouted.
Tahlia’s breath left her in a whoosh as she was swung off her feet and slammed onto the hard floor.
A loud bang echoed around the hallway, and was swiftly followed by several smaller pops. Wood exploded all around them and showered them both in splinters. The loud squeal of horses outside was accompanied by a dull thud, but Tahlia couldn’t see what was happening.
Connor didn’t wait to see who there, or what was going on. Rolling Tahlia away from the door, he pinned her protectively beneath him. Reaching around behind him, he caught the edge of the now badly damaged door and swung it shut. But not before he took a good look at the carriage standing beside the kerb. He suspected it was the same one used to try to snatch Tahlia earlier, but didn’t get a good enough look at the coachman to be sure.
“Are you alright?” Connor demanded as soon as the door was closed.
At that moment, Oscar came running out of the kitchens with Cecily on his heels.
“What the devil’s going on?” He demanded.
“Look out of the front windows, but stay out of sight. See if you can get a look at who is driving the black carriage outside. Get me their features; hair colour, that kind of thing. Hurry man,” Connor ordered.
Once Oscar had disappeared, Connor turned back to Tahlia.
“Did anything hit you? Tahlia? Talk to me?” He demanded hoarsely. He didn’t like how still and silent she was but at least she was blinking at him.
Tahlia stared up at him in a daze. Her ears rang from the deafening noise and she couldn’t stop trembling for the fear that coursed through her veins. It made focusing on his words so much more difficult when mired in a thick haze of panic.
When she didn’t answer him he began to pat her arms and shoulders, checking for any wounds.
Oscar appeared in the doorway and shook his head. “Nothing. It’s too murky out there to see anything. Do you want me to fetch the magistrate?”
Connor pursed his lips. “No. They will be long gone by the time the magi
