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

She stared resolutely either at the carriage floor or the wall opposite but refused to fall asleep. Niall did. Or at least pretended to. With his booted feet propped on the opposite bench, he crossed his arms, rested his head against the wall of the carriage, and closed his eyes. He didn’t open them until the coachmen rapped four times on the carriage roof to warn him that they had arrived in Serpentine. Only then did he open his eyes, but he could do nothing about the instinctive way his gaze sought out Clara.

She looked as miserable as he felt.

“I am sorry, Clara,” he whispered.

Clara looked at him so sadly that it was all he could do not to haul her into his arms for a kiss, but he knew that would just confuse them both.

“I wish it could be different.”

“But you won’t even try,” Clara whispered. This time, she could do nothing to prevent a solitary tear from trickling steadily down her face.

“It’s all part of my job,” Niall murmured.

“Kissing the women you are supposed to be protecting?”

“No, not that bit,” he admitted ruefully. “I shouldn’t have. It was a mistake on my half, and I apologise.”

“Well, I am not sorry,” Clara replied. “I am not sorry for going about my business. I am not sorry for anything I have done. As I have said to you before, I am not going to stop living my life for any man, not even you. I hope that one day I will find a man who is strong enough to accept the challenges a wife and family can bring him. I hope one day I can find a man who is isn’t so afraid to love.”

Thankfully, the carriage rumbled to a stop and prevented her from having to say anything else or listen to him make more excuses. Before she disembarked, she turned to look back at him one last time.

“Goodbye, Niall. I hope your future isn’t as cold as you.” With that, she slammed the door closed and made her way to the house.

To her surprise, her father yanked the door open and came out to greet her. Rather than receive the tearful greeting he expected, Clara glared at him and marched straight past without saying a word. She didn’t stop until she slammed into her room and had bolted the door. Only then did she allow her tears to fall as she gave in to the misery that consumed her.

By the time she descended the stairs several hours later, Clara was far more composed but in no mood to hear her father’s excuses about why he hadn’t told her what danger she faced.

“It was a foolish thing to do,” she growled at her sire.

“I am not at liberty to divulge secrets about government investigations even to my own family,” he warned.

“But you should have told me that danger was heading my way and likely to try to accost me. Do you not think I would have taken steps to make sure I never went anywhere alone?” Clara shouted.

“From what I hear, you were aware of how much danger surrounded you, yet you still went to Sissy’s by yourself,” Atticus snorted.

“That was because it was an emergency.”

“What is your connection to Niall by the way?”

“He was just doing his job.”

“You looked incredibly cosy in that carriage. Am I to expect some sort of announcement in the future?” Atticus lifted a busy brow and waited.

“Niall has been a perfect gentleman toward me at all times,” Clara bit out. “I don’t see why you should contemplate that there is anything between us.”

“The men talk, my dear, and news travels fast amongst men who work and fight together and rely on each other to stay alive. The Star Elite are friends as well as colleagues. They talk to each other about their personal lives, families, homes and so forth. His colleagues all believed that there was more going on between you two; that you two were growing close.”

“Well, they are wrong,” Clara bit out. She held her hands out to indicate the room they were in. “I mean, he isn’t here is he? He couldn’t wait to ride out of my life, could he?”

With that, despite the fact that she thought her tears were spent, Clara began to cry again. Rather than the huge great sobs she had indulged in in her bed chamber, this time Clara’s tears were silent, and came from eyes that were full of hurt.

“I think I am in love with him, father. I have done nothing but make his life a misery. The poor man saved me from Erasmus and then got dragged into a fake engagement. I couldn’t think of anything else to say that would put Erasmus off once and for all. Having a fiancé seemed the perfect solution. It was foolish, but he didn’t object.” Clara sucked in a breath and found herself telling her father everything, except for the kisses of course. “Now, I know he won’t be back. Even if the investigation brings him this way, he won’t come here again.”

“The men from the Star Elite are a different breed to most men. They are tougher and live their lives in the shadow of others. They are authorised to kill if they are backed into situations that put their lives in danger and have more power than most magistrates. Most of their work is conducted without even people like me questioning them. Because they are very good at what they do their reputation has become legendary. Unfortunately, you cannot lose sight of the fact that they do fight the most violent and calculating of criminals ever to walk our streets. They don’t deal with petty crime, but organised gangs and fraudsters.”

“He told me that he won’t change.”

“Right now, he probably thinks he cannot change,” Atticus reasoned. “I know Sir Hugo, their boss, thought he couldn’t change when he met his wife, Harriett. Eventually, time and distance made their feelings grow stronger and he married her. Theirs has