Barnaby nodded and conceded his friend had a point. “The problem is that we have nothing on Bamber other than Myers’ testimony. Suspecting the man isn’t enough to prove him guilty of anything. We can’t rely on Myers’ word. We need to catch Bamber red-handed either stealing the jewels or in possession of them once they have been taken.”
“Will the Squire want to leave them where they are and risk them getting stolen, though?”
Barnaby snorted. “We don’t have to tell the Squire a blessed thing right now. You can get into that ball with Sophia. Keep an eye on that room, and we can watch the outside. Bamber, or his thief, will not get in or out with those jewels.”
“I won’t allow him to get anywhere near Sophia,” Jeb declared fervently.
“If we catch Bamber trying to get into the house then we can arrest him for breaking and entering. It is enough for us to be able to cart him off to jail. As soon as we have him we can then try to establish a link between him and the deaths in the village.”
“Until the Squire’s ball then.”
Barnaby nodded and drew a fresh piece of parchment toward him. Dipping his quill into the pot, he began to make plans.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Sophia sighed when loud knocking on the door broke the silence within the house. The last thing she needed right now were guests to deal with.
Delilah had gone into the village for some provisions and Sophia wanted to use this time alone to decide what to do with her life. Should she go back to Buckinghamshire, even though Hooky hadn’t replied yet? Or should she stay in the village a while and wait for Jeb to return?
“I can’t go on like this,” she whispered.
She couldn’t sleep very well because as soon as the house went quiet her thoughts turned to Jeb. He was the first thing she thought about in the morning and the last thing she thought about at night. She dreamt of him. In spite of her best efforts to avoid it, he appeared in her thoughts throughout the day when she least expected it. Now, to cap it all, she struggled to find any interest in, well, anything. Nothing held any appeal anymore, certainly not anything in Framley Meadow. Unfortunately, returning home to Buckinghamshire didn’t hold any appeal either because she was then unlikely to find out where Jeb was.
When the knocking sounded on the door again, she stalked through the house and yanked the front door open. The last person she expected to see on the doorstep was the man who had haunted her since he had vanished from her life.
“Sophia,” Jeb murmured.
Words failed him. She looked even more beautiful than he remembered, even with an unwelcoming scowl on her face. All he could do was stare at her, lost in the wonder of her.
“Jeb,” Sophia gasped. “Come on in. Delilah isn’t home at the moment.”
“I am not here to speak with your aunt,” he replied as he stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him.
Before either of them spoke, Jeb stepped forward and hauled her into his arms. The kiss settled on her lips and rendered her unable to do anything other than cling helplessly to him. She tipped her head back to accommodate him and clung to his broad shoulders. Temptation got the better of her, and she returned his sensual embrace with all of the love she felt for him. She was positive now that it was love she felt for him. This wasn’t infatuation. Nothing she had ever felt for anyone before had been this consuming.
“God, Sophia. I have missed you,” he growled.
His lips slid down her neck and nuzzled into the hollow at the base.
“I have been worried about you,” she chided. “I didn’t think you were coming back.”
The hurt in her voice made him lift his head and look down at her. “How could I not come back? You are here. I had to follow someone.”
Sophia wasn’t listening, though. Her eyes devoured his lips. Before he could explain, she tugged his head down to hers and placed a kiss on his lips that made him groan with raw need.
Passion roared to life as lips plundered, hands searched, and bodies yearned for fulfilment. Neither of them could resist the desperation in their embrace, and they sought reassurance and comfort in the ferocious desire they felt for each other.
Jeb had never felt anything like this kind of attraction toward any woman before. Each time he tried to ease back, one touch or look was all it took to render him unable to resist temptation. He was drawn back to the sweet lips she offered time and again. To the point that he knew that if he didn’t stop soon, he wouldn’t be stopping at all. Not until her possession was complete, and matters had gone beyond either of their control.
Unfortunately, while the idea of having Sophia as his wife was a wonderfully tempting prospect, he must keep the focus of his attention on thwarting Bamber and his associates. It was impossible to forget his colleagues who were keeping a careful watch outside.
“Sophia, we need to stop,” he gasped, his body aching with readiness. “I want you. More than anything, but there is something I need to talk to you about, preferably b
efore Delilah comes home.”
There as something indefinable in his voice. Some hint of caution that worried her and dampened the flames of desire. Whatever it was it broke through the sensual haze that had stolen Sophia’s senses. She paused and looked up at him.
Jeb groaned at the just how gloriously sensual she looked with her lips moistened and her tangled hair about her shoulders in tousled abandon.