Cold Comfort (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 5)

“Emmeline,” Oliver sighed. He hadn’t expected such vociferous determination, but knew he had to battle it regardless of whether he stood a chance in Hell of succeeding.

Even though she knew it was rude to abandon a guest, Emmeline hurried out of the room and practically raced into the kitchen. She busied herself preparing dinner, and filled a pot with water, which she set on to boil. All the while, she felt Oliver’s steady stare as he stood in the doorway, an implacable vision of masculine determination that in ordinary circumstances she would have found quite engaging. Now, it was downright alarming. She suspected if he ventured anywhere closer, or showed her the slightest hint of gentleness, her resolve would be stolen, and she would be damned to join him in his wretched investigation. As it was, she wanted nothing to do with Caroline’s old life, or the people in it. They were a world away from her quite ordinary existence and she was glad of it.

“Why me?” she asked quietly when she couldn’t stand him staring at her any longer.

“You look like her.”

Emmeline stopped and braced her hands on the wash-stand before her. She dropped her head and drew in a breath.

“You are so much like her that it is a little unnerving, to be honest. It helps that you don’t inhabit her world or know the people she used to associate with very well. From a distance, nobody will know you are not her.”

“Don’t say that,” Emmeline hissed. “Don’t ever say that.”

“I am not saying that you have to be like her. God forbid that should ever happen. I am just saying that we need your help in this investigation. We think the people responsible live not all that far away from here, Emmeline. That means you are in danger every time you step out of the front door because they might mistake you for Caroline and try to snatch you.”

“But if they killed me then they know I am already dead,” Emmeline argued.

She was horribly disappointed that Oliver was trying to use her so blatantly, and quite clearly prepared to try to make her feel vulnerable to do so. Of all people she wanted – needed – to be forthright and honest, it was him. Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be because he was trying to make her want to get involved, if only to protect her life as she knew it.

“That is just the point,” Oliver warned.

He stepped into the kitchen of the ancient cottage, the ceiling of which hung so low he had to dip his head so he didn’t smack his forehead on the low beams. He placed one palm against the beam directly above his head and looked solem

nly at her while he contemplated what to say.

“They think they have killed Caroline. They have killed Caroline. However, they are unlikely to know that she had a twin sister who looks identical to her. If they see you in passing, they are going to think you are Caroline and will panic. They may try to snatch you - again.”

“How do you know? They might not. In fact, how do you know I am likely to cross paths with them? Caroline has been missing for several weeks now, and nothing has happened to me. I have gone about my business, even travelled into town on several occasions, and nothing untoward has happened.” Emmeline knew she sounded boastful but didn’t care. She tipped her chin up and willed herself not to back away from the looming tower of masculinity hovering so threateningly close.

“And long may that continue. However, to make sure it continues to happen we have to put Caroline’s killers behind bars. It isn’t just Caroline’s life we are avenging. It is all of the other young women who have been kidnapped as well.”

Emmeline swallowed harshly. She knew a veritable mountain of persuasion had just been stacked high against her, and all because of the smooth manipulation of the man before her. It was then that she realised why she felt so threatened by him. He was smooth, very manipulative, and made no apology for it.

“I am not getting involved,” she bit out, this time more firmly. “How do you know the other victims have been murdered? They might still be alive. I am not going to become another victim, for you or anybody else.”

Oliver sighed. “I am not asking you to be. I am just asking if you would go into town. We can keep you safe.”

“We? Who is this ‘we’?” She looked outside in search of this ‘we’, but then realised they were at the back of the house. All she could see was her back garden.

“The men who are, as we speak, working to find the people responsible for kidnapping all of the young women who have disappeared around these parts.”

“I don’t see what help I could possibly be, and I don’t see why my looking like one of their victims will do anything other than risk them trying to snatch me. Unless, of course, you are the kind of person who wants to put people’s lives in danger,” she blustered, deeply offended that he thought she was the kind of woman who would fall prey to his callous manipulations so easily. “I don’t care what you are, or who you are, or who you work for. I am not going to get involved, and that is my final say on the matter. There is nothing you can say that would persuade me otherwise. While I am sorry for what happened to Caroline, it was inevitable that she wouldn’t have a life of longevity seeing as she did everything possible to thwart it. I have been waiting practically all my life for the dire news of her death. While I shall mourn her passing, of course I will, I am not going to risk my own life to play heroine.” Emmeline squared her shoulders and tipped her chin up. “I am sorry mister – Oliver – but I cannot help you.”

“I wouldn’t ask you if I thought you were going to be in any significant danger. We will show you what to do should anybody try to attack you,” Oliver offered, struggling to think of what he could offer that would persuade her to help them.

“They won’t unless I agree to help you,” Emmeline bit out. Her suspicions were proven accurate when Oliver made no attempt to argue with her.

“These people actually live in this area,” Oliver began.

“Go and arrest them then,” she interrupted. “You work for the War Office, don’t you? You can arrest people, can’t you? Go and put whoever is responsible behind bars and then you don’t need me.”

“It isn’t as easy as that,” Oliver sighed. “Don’t you think we would if we could?”

“What is stopping you?”

“All sorts of things,” Oliver bit out sarcastically. “It doesn’t matter about that right now.”

“It has to matter if it is stopping you from arresting the people who are kidnapping young women,” Emmeline argued. She had never met anybody she wanted to shake so much in her life before now, but Oliver was it. He was the most frustrating man she had ever met in her life.