The Burlington Manor Affair

The way she said his name held an implied intimacy, as if she knew him well. It irritated Rex immensely. “I understand you knew my father.”

Her carefully plucked eyebrows lifted and she smirked. “Why are you here?”

She obviously didn’t intend to ask him to take a seat. Presumably she didn’t trust him or his motives. Then again, she had every reason to wonder why he was here.

Rex forced himself to focus on the task in hand. He had to check her out because, as far as he could see, she was the most obvious person on his list of people who might hold grievances. “I suppose you are aware of my father’s death?”

She nodded. “Regrettably so, but I hadn’t seen Charles for many years before that.”

For whatever reason, it pleased him to see that she was upset by the fact she’d been dumped, too. “I understand you were old friends?”

She smiled wryly. “Yes.”

“As you might imagine it’s quite a task dealing with my father’s paperwork and it’s brought about a number of questions.” He paused.

Her expression didn’t change. She was wary and assessing. Was that a sign of guilt? He had to keep reminding himself that she would be wary. He could have come here to have a right royal rant about her splitting up his parents, now that he’d got hold of her name and address, and a look at her cushy little apartment. Right at that moment Rex didn’t want to address anything other than Carmen’s safety and his ability to protect her. That’s why he was here.

“There was paperwork that related to this property purchase, you see.” That was a lie. Charles Carruthers had covered his tracks well there.

“And you want to know why your father bought me a place to live?”

Suddenly he didn’t want to hear it. “No, I know why.”

“That saves us a lot of time, then, doesn’t it?” She gave him a sickly sweet smile, as if proud of her status as Charles’s kept woman.

“It does. My concern is that my father felt responsible for you and that your income has come to an abrupt end because of his passing.” It was a more probing question.

She took a deep breath, as if surprised. “You’re far more direct than your father ever was. I’m impressed.” She seemed to relax, and she looked at him with more open curiosity. “Your father once took me to see you.” Her focus became distant, as if she were remembering.

Stagelike, that’s what she was, Rex decided. Amateur dramatics level.

“You were about thirteen years old at the time and he was on his way to meet you. It was your half-term holiday from Eton.”

It was disturbing. Why was she telling him this? Did she want him to be disturbed? If so, his suspicion might be well founded. Rex stood his ground.

“He parked a distance along the driveway. Nobody noticed amid the chaos of the cars arriving. Charles pointed you out when you came out to be collected. I was curious, you see.” She looked directly at him then. “Just as you are curious to see me.”

She was deliberately letting him know that she was around before his father had married Sylvia Shelby. She wanted a reaction.

He wasn’t going to give it to her.

“Once I’d had a good look at you I got out of the car and went in the other direction, back up the driveway toward the town while he collected you. You were none the wiser.”

The smugness in her smile turned his stomach.

“As I always said to him, what they don’t know won’t hurt them.”

“Nothing stays secret forever.” He hadn’t meant that to sound like a threat but it came out that way.

She seemed unperturbed by his reaction. “Oh, you’d be surprised.”

Her bitterness was obvious, but was she capable of anything more than that? She had her apartment and she didn’t seem to have come upon hard times. She hadn’t answered that question, though.

“My purpose in coming here was partly because I was curious, but also to ensure that my father’s demise has not left you in need of anything.”

“It would be nice to have seen him one last time, but I don’t suppose you can organize that now.” She gave a sad smile. “There was no ongoing income, if that’s what you need to know. He used to pay my bills...when he was fucking me.” She paused for effect.

Rex didn’t react. He refused to allow himself to do so.