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

“If I did, I would tell you. I wouldn’t allow you to go out unchaperoned if you were likely to be snatched off the street. It was just a conversation I had with – my visitors,” she informed them. “They are old friends of my father’s.”

Charity mentally winced but worked hard to school her features in a credible attempt to hide the guilt she felt. Even so, the look she slid to the ladies was furtive enough to alert their suspicions about her dishonesty. She was lying, and everyone knew it. Strangely, none of them picked her up on it. Aside from a few worried looks, there was nothing to suggest the women didn’t accept her explanation. Unfortunately, Charity knew her friends well enough to realise they didn’t believe her and would ask her just as soon as they had decided what they wanted to know. That, she feared, was a conversation she would not be privy to.

“I say we meet here tomorrow night. I can bring the cake,” Alice suggested. “I don’t know about anybody else, but I don’t wish to spend my evenings sitting alone fretting at every odd sound I can hear outside.”

“Here, here,” the ladies cried.

“Oh, but I had made plans to go out tomorrow,” Charity burst out. She sighed when she tried to come up with a suitable venue for her imaginary outing but failed to think of a single place to go where the ladies wouldn’t want to accompany her.

“Where?” Augusta asked boldly.

“But you don’t go anywhere,” Alice retorted bluntly.

“Indeed, as far as I know there are no social functions on, are there?” Agatha asked her friends.

They all shook their heads.

“Might she be going to dinner with an – acquaintance?” Alice suggested, sliding a teasing look at Charity that left nobody in any doubt that by ‘acquaintance’ she meant ‘young man’.

Edwina pressed a handkerchief to her face to try to mask her titter. She wasn’t laughing at Charity but was trying to smother her excitement at the prospect that Charity might have a suitor. “Is it true? Is one of those men your suitor?”

“No!” Charity bit out. “Good God, no. Like I said, they are acquaintances of my father’s, that’s all.”

Suddenly, the clock chimed ten o’clock. Charity jerked and looked at it accusingly.

“My, is that the time?” she gasped, surging to her feet. She needed to quell the tension thrumming through her and began to hurriedly gather the plates and cups scattered around the room. “No wonder I am so tired. It is long past my bed-time.”

“I will help you,” Agatha offered with startling enthusiasm.

Seconds later, the women were washing pots and putting everything away with an industriousness that was impressive to see.

“Thank you,” Charity murmured when the last of the plates were returned to the dresser.

As she feigned exhaustion, Charity glanced surreptitiously at the kitchen door, mentally praying that nobody would knock on it. If either of the men turned up at this time of night – Charity quickly shoved aside all thoughts of the consequences she would face if someone like Angus appeared at her back door.

“Well, if you are sure you are going to be all right, we will be on our way,” Agatha murmured, patting Charity’s cheek gently before she retraced her steps into the sitting room.

Several long and very hectic moments later, Charity closed the door on the still squabbling ladies. She leaned her forehead against the door and allowed the blessed silence of her now empty house to fall about her. It was a little disconcerting to think that only earlier that day she had believed herself to be lonely and in need of adventure. After an evening like she had just had all she wanted now was a good night’s sleep.

“They are a handful, aren’t they?”

Charity screamed and whirled around. Her heart hammered wildly at the sight of Angus, standing in the kitchen doorway. He was so tall and broad shouldered he positively filled the narrow space. Dressed in black as he was, he was a commanding sight, the likes of which made her want to step back and away from the danger he presented. She would have done as well, if her back hadn’t already been pressed against the door.

“How did you get in?” Charity was proud of how steady her voice was when she spoke, but she couldn’t prevent her worried gaze from flickering nervously around the hallway. “I know the back door was locked because I checked it.”

“I know,” Angus said. “I came in earlier, while the ladies were talking.”

It had been enlightening to listen to their conversation. It had revealed a lot about their gossipy natures. It was obvious that they all cared deeply about Charity but were also overly protective. So much so, Angus knew the ladies were going to pose a significant problem if they ever found out he was in the property and Charity was unchaperoned.

“How long have you been in here?” she whispered, painfully aware of the thick tension between them.

While their conversation was seemingly harmless, there was an infinitesimal web of expectancy between them that was confusing. Charity couldn’t make her mind up what it was that he wanted from her. While she wanted to believe it was the use of her house to spy on the Lawrences, a part of her couldn’t ignore the growing feeling that Angus’s interest in her was personal and had nothing to do with his investigation.

“For about an hour. I thought about knocking but saw you were not alone so decided to let myself in,” Angus warned.

“Do you make a point of walking into people’s houses without knocking?” She asked pertly. Charity wondered if she should be annoyed, worried or just plain scared that he had gotten into her house without her knowing.

Angus was also aware of how easily he had gained entrance into the house. It was a warning to him, and his colleagues, that at some point one of the Star Elite had to speak with Charity about securing her house properly. After all, if he could get in undetected, as he had, so could anybody else.