Harvest Moon (Borrowed Brides 2)

David Alexander nodded in understanding as he grabbed the bottle and headed toward the stairs with Charlotte leading the way.

Lee’s gaze followed David and Charlotte the Harlot up the staircase. It promised to be one interesting night for his old friend. Lee shook his head as he picked up the dish towel and began to polish the bar once again.

* * *

Tessa held her breath, trying to control her racing pulse. She wished she’d given a little more thought to her hastily improvised plan. The smells of the Satin Slipper brought back a rush of memories. It had been hard enough to sneak up the back stairs without being seen, but then… She peeked around the corner. From her vantage point beneath the stairs she had seen David Alexander at the bar in deep conversation with Liam Kincaid. Not just a casual conversation but a friendly one. They obviously knew each other—well.

Though she felt a twinge of disappointment, there was a feeling of cynicism as well. She’d been right to suspect David Alexander. He was in league with Liam, a man who’d been her sworn enemy since she’d first seen him. Tessa pressed closer against the wall. For the moment, undetected escape was impossible. She’d just have to wait them out, watch, and see what she could learn.

Placing her hand in her dress pocket, Tessa felt the slick surface of the envelope she’d just slipped out of the lining of the trunk in her old room. She breathed a quick sigh of relief. Her pictures were safe and back in her possession.

But her rosary was missing.

Standing hidden in the shadow of the stairwell, Tessa watched as David Alexander, whisky bottle in hand, escorted one of the girls toward the stairs. Tessa bit back a gasp of outrage when she realized the painted hussy was wearing her silver and onyx rosary as a necklace, the silver filigree cross nestled in the crevice between her generous breasts. Tessa had to keep herself from reaching out and snatching her rosary from around the girl’s neck. She focused her attention on David instead. What was the man up to?

She waited until she heard their footsteps on the treads above her head, then bolted from her hiding place and followed them up the stairs.

Lee Kincaid looked up from the bar where he was busy arranging liquor bottles. He caught sight of a flurry of green calico skirts rounding the corner at the top of the stairs reflected in the mirror above the bar. He smiled to himself. The girl had spunk. No doubt about it. Too bad she hated the sight of him. He thought about intervening, then shrugged his shoulders, dismissing the idea. It was better to forget he’d seen her. David would have to handle this on his own.

Lee finished arranging the liquor bottles, humming a cheerful Irish ditty beneath his breath as he worked.

Chapter Five

Tessa eased the door of the room open a crack. Praying it wouldn’t squeak, she glanced inside. It was just as she thought. He was there in her old room, sitting bold as brass on the bed with his back to the door. Hadn’t he learned better than that? Anyone could sneak up from behind. Or was he too busy eyeing the woman’s rear end as she bent to pour him a drink to worry about danger?

He was every bit as bad as she expected.

She slipped inside the room, dropped down to her hands and knees, and crawled to the curtained alcove at the foot of the bed. Hidden behind the curtains, Tessa sat on a pile of feminine garments. She studied the assortment of clothing. The frayed lace edge of a nightgown peeked out from beneath a scarlet satin dress. Tessa recognized the nightgown as one of her own. Lifting the hem of her calico dress, she tucked the undergarment into the waistband of her drawers. She worked quickly, barely daring to breathe for fear of discovery and nearly panicking when her foot caught the edge of a hatbox and scraped it along the wooden floor. Tessa leaned forward, shifting her weight on the pile of clothes as she peered through the break in the curtains.

“What’s that noise?” Charlotte looked up from her empty glass into David Alexander’s dark brown eyes.

Tessa froze.

The rustling sound coming from behind the curtain stopped.

“Must be a mouse.” David casually leaned forward on the bed, reaching for the whisky bottle on the

floor. Looking under the corner of the bed, he caught sight of a bit of green calico. Damn her. He should have known Tessa Roarke couldn’t be trusted to stay where he left her. David picked up the liquor bottle, righted himself, and filled Charlotte’s glass. “Over there.” He gestured toward the dresser. He splashed a drop of whisky into his glass, then set the bottle back on the floor.

Charlotte giggled as she insinuated herself onto his lap. “I could have sworn the sound came from behind the curtain.”

Tessa clasped a hand over her mouth, willing her heart to stop pounding.

“There it is again.” Charlotte moved even closer to David. “I heard it squeak.”

David pushed himself upright and got off the bed. He took Charlotte by the hand and pulled her to her feet. Nudging the whisky bottle closer to the bed with his foot, David grabbed the top of the blanket and flipped it back. “Then we’d better get under the covers,” he invited. “I’m afraid of mice.”

Charlotte giggled again. The sound grated on Tessa’s nerves. “A big, strong, handsome man like you? Afraid of a mouse?”

Afraid of a mouse? Tessa silently mimicked the other woman. He shouldn’t be, she thought uncharitably, when rats like him were so much bigger.

“I’m afraid of lots of things.” David’s throaty laugh was deeply suggestive.

I’ll bet, Tessa silently sneered.

“Really?” Charlotte asked.

“Uh-huh.” He still held one corner of the blanket. “What do you think I should do about it?”