A Terrible Misunderstanding (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 6)

“Soon,” she whispered, eyeing his lips with a hunger that matched Niall’s.

“Do you know who he is?” Edith asked suddenly in a desperate attempt to ease the tension that hovered over the room.

It took Clara a moment to realise that Edith was talking about the man who had tried to drag her off and not Niall.

“I don’t know,” she whispered, a little disappointed that her musings had been interrupted. Forcing herself to contemplate her growing awareness of Niall until later when she was all alone, she turned to look at her friend. “He isn’t anybody familiar.”

“What did he look like?” Niall murmured.

“Do you not remember?” Clara frowned at him.

“I know he was squat with a slightly barrelled chest, and dark eyes, but apart from that it was wet and too dark to see much. Have you not seen him earlie

r?”

“No.”

“Is he acquaintances with Erasmus, do you think?”

“No.”

“Nor a villager?”

“I haven’t ever seen him before. He is a stranger.”

“Did he say anything to you? Ask you for something?”

“No.” Clara took a breath not least because she found herself suddenly struggling to breathe. “He didn’t say a word. He just appeared out of the trees, grabbed me, and tried to drag me off. That was it. Then you appeared.”

“It is a very good job that he did as well,” Babette announced to everyone’s murmured agreements.

“Your hero,” Edith sighed.

“Her Knight in shining armour,” Sissy nodded.

“Indeed.” Clara looked a little ruefully at Niall only to find him staring thoughtfully at his boots, clearly lost in thought.

He is probably trying to remember if he had seen that man before himself.

But of course, she couldn’t ask him in front of the ladies.

“Well, I don’t know about you ladies, but I must be on my way. I have to be up early in the morning to open the shop and need all the sleep I can get,” Edith announced.

Amongst everyone’s murmured agreements, Clara looked helplessly at Niall. She was a little surprised that the ladies hadn’t pressed Niall for more details but that was probably because they suspected he was going to be around for a while yet. Clara wished she knew, not least because she wanted him to stay.

“I must be on my way as well, but I will be out front to watch you ladies home,” Niall informed them. He bowed and, just to shake Miss Clara Potter up again, lifted her hand to his lips once more. Again, his voice lowered to an intimate whisper: “I shall see you soon, my beloved.”

Clara opened her mouth to speak and blinked only to find her hand was dropped and the space where Niall had been standing was now completely empty. By the time she had come to her senses again, it was to find Niall had already bid her friends farewell and was on his way to the front door. Within seconds, he had gone, and was swiftly followed by Will. Just like that. As swiftly as he had ridden to her rescue, the tall, extremely handsome operative of the Star Elite had simply vanished again.

CHAPTER TEN

“I need to go into the bakery, but shall meet you at the green in, say, half an hour?”

Clara and Sissy looked at the clock hanging above the door outside the clock shop.

“Half an hour,” Sissy promised. “Not a second longer. Come and fetch me if I am not out by then.”

There was a theatrical plea in her eyes that made Clara laugh. Shaking her head, she waved her friend goodbye and wandered away. While she walked, Clara searched the street around her for Niall, and was a little disappointed that he appeared to have left the village.