AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Where’s that?”
He grinned. “Back the way we came, but turn right at the bottom of the stairs. You won’t be able to miss it. Our noise’ll call to you.”
“Okay. I might see you then.”
She waited until he left and then let go of the enormous sigh she’d been holding. What had she got herself into?
CHAPTER THREE
“I have no idea where Maddie is,” Elizabetta husked, her vodka cradled in one elegant hand. “She has been looking forward to seeing you.” It was a lie. Madison had been too grief-stricken to compute that her half-brother was due at Bagleyhurst.
He set his scotch down and stared beyond his step-mother, to the grand piano in the corner. How long since he’d last played?
“It’s late,” he said with a shrug of non-concern. What was Finn doing? And where was she staying?
“Not that late. She’s nine, not nine months,” Elizabetta chided softly. “How was your flight?”
“Fine. I arrived two days ago.”
“Did you?” It surprised her. “I had thought you’d come directly here.”
“No.” He forced a smile to his face. “I had business in London to deal with.”
“Your father’s will?” She prompted bitterly, causing curiosity to flare in his gut.
“No. What of it, though?”
“Oh.” Her cheeks pinkened. She was a beautiful woman. Naturally. Gower was as well known, in his day, for his taste in women as Caradoc was now. “I only presumed …”
“No.” He turned to face her, and really studied her. Tall. Slim. Elegant, with a face that was kept youthful through good genes, excellent diet and with the deft hand of a top cosmetician. “I have an office there.”
“Do you?” She murmured, something strange sparking inside of her at her stepson’s obvious appraisal. “Your father never said.”
“I’m not surprised. Why would he? As you know, Gower took little interest in my affairs.”
“He was proud of you,” she demurred.
“Yes, at the end, perhaps he was.”
“He knew all of your biggest successes.”
“Most of the finance-literate world knew of my biggest successes,” he said, without boastfulness or false pride.
“Even now you hate him, don’t you?”
Caradoc turned his hard stare away from her. “I don’t know,” he said finally.
Elizabetta wanted to speak in defence of her late husband, but she was cowered by Caradoc. He was an intimidating man. He had been even years earlier, when she’d first met him. Then, he’d been starting his career, but he’d had the puffed chest and bravado of the success he would become. His arrogance had draped him like a cloak.
“The woman who drove me here from London,” he said with a dark note to his voice. “Where would she be staying?”
Elizabetta frowned. “A woman drove you?” She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Can you find out?”
“The housekeeper might know.”
“Fine,” he said impatiently. “Do not trouble yourself.”
