Page 51 of The Forsaken
The dark, bold slashes of his eyebrows found even greater heights.
“…I’m fortunate to have you documenting, Andy, and Kerr investigating…”
“Investigating?”
The book slid from Andromena’s fingers, thwacking onto the marble floor. As she bent to retrieve it, her broken pencil halves scattered.
In a sign of how dire her situation was, her flighty uncle chided her to keep up.
“My missing pieces, Andy. He is going to help find who is breaking in and stealing my things.”
A band tightened about her lungs. “Uncle, by your account, it was one.” A single missing coin—no more than thirty millimeters—had him raising a hue and cry within a day.
“Starts with one, lass. Don’t forget, we’ve already had thieves before, that Christmas time.”
And now, because of her, that one—his Greek coin now dust, scattered over the paving stones of New Bond Street would become something more, and worse.
Andromena’s shallow breathing filled her ears.
The tingling along her nape told her without looking that Edgar’s gaze was fixed on her.
The earl mistook the reason for her silence. “It was a long winter back. You were just a wee lass, and we were on our way to Scotland. Myrtle—”
“Was forgotten behind, I remember. You suffered a break-in. Myrtle fended it off—and found a husband in the duke next door.”
“Never did find the fellow behind that theft,” he muttered.
Shockingly, the earl’s logic was sound. Last time, he gave the burglars posing as builders a personal tour of his valuables. Now, he would suspect outsiders—while the real thief looked him in the eye.
Andromena wanted to jab her fingertips against her temples. Only Lord Kerr’s assessing eyes, tracking her every move, stopped her. Did he ever do anything but complicate her life?
“But why hire Lord Kerr.”
“I haven’t.”
Oh, thank G—
“The lad is doing it out of the goodness of his heart.”
Good God!
He hardly had a heart. If anything, he possessed a large, dark, uncompromising one.
“What, no kidnappings to carry out?”
“Do you carry out kidnappings, Kerr?” Her uncle spoke before Lord Kerr could answer. “Not the thing to do?”
“I have never abducted a woman in my life, my lord,” said the viscount, deadpan.
“Splendid. You hear that, Andy?”
Her uncle’s wide smile declared the matter settled.
Irritation simmered. Why must he always be at the center of her chaos?
She fixed a death stare on the rogue which alternated between infuriated and intrigued.
It had no effect. None at all.
