A Spinster's Awakening (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 2)

“How long have you lived here, miss?” he asked as he stood back to allow Aaron into the narrow hallway.

The men shared a worried look at just how cold the house was.

Charity removed her sodden shawl from her chilled shoulders and struggled to quell her shivers.

“I have lived here all my life,” she replied carefully. “Why? I know your card says you are from the War Office, but what could you possibly need me for? I haven’t done anything wrong, have I?”

Angus struggled to keep his eyes on her face. It was difficult, though, given how damned transparent her dress had become, and how evidently cold her body was. When his gaze instinctively fell, and he realised just what was on display, he stepped sideways, partly to obscure Aaron’s view of the temptation she put before them, and partly to ease his own discomfort.

“Maybe you would like to get into some dry clothing before you freeze to death,” he suggested carefully, keeping his voice, and gaze, neutral. “I don’t want to seem presumptuous, but if you don’t mind, I will light a fire while you change. Then we can all sit down, and I can tell you why we are here.”

Surprised, but grateful for the prospect of getting some warmth back into her chilled flesh, Charity nodded, not least because the damp fabric clinging so desperately to her skin was making her decidedly uncomfortable.

“I won’t be a minute,” she murmured. “Go on through to the sitting room. I will just quickly change and will then put a pot on to boil.”

“I can do that,?

? Aaron offered with a cheery grin. He pointed one long finger at Angus. “He can do the fire.”

Charity’s brows lifted when the man named Angus rolled his eyes and glared mockingly at his associate. “I just said I would,” he muttered.

Charity gasped and looked at Aaron who smirked but promptly disappeared into the kitchen. Within seconds, like a silent army, the men had set to work, leaving a somewhat nonplussed Charity to stare after them for a moment or two before she realised that while she was staring into empty space, they were doing the jobs she should be doing.

Curiosity made her race up the stairs and yank out a dry set of clothing. The need to have some of her questions answered had her chasing back down the stairs minutes later, considerably drier and a little warmer. She was breathless by the time she reached the sitting room.

True to their word, the fire was lit, and she suspected a pot of water was warming in the kitchen. More importantly, the men were waiting in the sitting room for her to join them, so they could tell her why they were there.

CHAPTER TWO

“Thank you,” Charity murmured, with a wave to the hearth as she entered the sitting room. Her cold and unwelcoming house now glowed from the numerous candles the men had lit, and the luxurious warmth that emanated from the roaring flames. “It’s delightful.”

“Pleasure,” Angus replied with a smile, not least because the warmth made him more comfortable as well.

Instinctively, his gaze slid over her in a way that made his masculine appreciation evident to Aaron, who coughed discretely and waved a hand toward the chairs.

“Shall we sit?” he suggested.

“Please do,” Charity murmured.

She mentally berated herself for being such a nincompoop and not remembering they were waiting for her to sit. Gracefully, she perched on the edge of a seat and waved a hand around the room.

Angus studied Charity once they were all seated. She looked decidedly delicate; so much so he had to wonder, not for the first time, if it really was a good idea the Star Elite used her house. He studied the mousy brown hair which tried but failed to cling desperately to the haphazardly coiled top-knot she had tried to fasten on the top of her head. It was unkempt to say the very least, mostly because it was still dripping with rainwater. Together with her rosy cheeks, and pink-tinged nose, she looked bedraggled, but temptingly so.

She also looked young – terribly young.

“Do you live here alone?” Angus asked. His brows knitted into a dark frown as he glanced around the room. It was difficult to tell from the adornments littering the place. They were an intriguing mix of feminine and masculine, which hinted that someone else lived in the property.

“Why?” Charity winced. Her voice trembled when she spoke, but she couldn’t decide if it was because of nerves or cold.

Whenever this man talked he made shivers run down her spine. They weren’t because she was afraid. These shivers weren’t even because she was cold. They were purely personal and accompanied the warmth that began to fill her deep within. Warmth, and awareness.

Good Lord, he makes me feel like this, she mused in astonishment.

“If someone else lives here, maybe we should wait for them to join us, then we can tell you both together?” Aaron suggested when she didn’t answer.

Damn, Charity mentally swore when she realised Angus had asked her something, but she had not been listening.

Again, Charity found her gaze straying to the man with the green eyes.