ning. On the train coming to London.”

“Really.” Baricci’s tone was laced with disbelief. “You don’t strike me as a woman who would take up with a man she’d just met.”

“I didn’t ‘take up with him.’ He merely—” Noelle broke off, sucked in her breath. “This conversation is absurd. Is this the reason you asked to see me? To find out if I’d tarnished your reputation by becoming a trollop?”

“Actually, I thought I’d save you the trouble of asking to see me,” Baricci replied, carefully gauging her reaction. “That is why you’re here—isn’t it?”

Something about his expression, the tension underlying his calmly stated question, struck Noelle as odd. For the first time, she found herself wondering if, in fact, Baricci were probing for something in particular—some ulterior motive he suspected had driven her here today. “What other reason would I have?”

“You tell me.”

His pointed tone found its mark, and Noelle’s eyes widened with stunned realization. “You think I want something from you?”

“Is that so unlikely? I’m a very wealthy man. On the other hand, so is Eric Bromleigh. He can give you anything you want. So, I assume it’s not wealth you’ve come here to seek. Perhaps excitement, then. You’re a very spirited young woman. More so even than Liza. And I? I’m a very worldly man, an extensive traveler. Why, I’m sure Farrington’s investigators reported back on the number of cities I visit during the course of one year alone. Could it be that you crave a bit of adventure? That life at Farrington Manor is too tedious for you? Is that why you’ve sought me out?”

Bile rose in Noelle’s throat. “Your arrogance defies words, Mr. Baricci. Do you truly believe I’d consider, much less strive, to go anywhere with you? Not only are you a total stranger, but I despise everything you stand for. You’re self-centered, unfeeling, and unprincipled. So, no, I don’t want anything from you. Not money, not excitement—not anything.” Abruptly, she turned on her heel. “If you’ll excuse me, I believe we’ve said all there is to say. I’ll be on my way.”

“Wait.” Swiftly, Baricci walked around his desk, capturing Noelle’s arm and staying her departure.

Whirling about, Noelle gazed up at him, anger and antipathy flashing in her eyes. “What is it?”

“No one has ever dared speak to me in such a manner.”

“Then perhaps it’s time someone did,” Noelle retorted, undeterred by his claim. “Maybe my insolence will cause you to reconsider your unscrupulous behavior. I certainly hope so—not for my sake, but for the sake of all the unsuspecting, wealthy young women you have yet to seduce.”

To Noelle’s surprise, a smile curved Baricci’s chiseled lips. “You are a fiery little thing,”—he acknowledged, something akin to pride gleaming in his dark eyes—“appallingly brazen though you may be. I never considered the notion of fatherhood, but, being that it’s found me, I must say I’m rather pleased with the results.”

“You’re not my father, Mr. Baricci,” Noelle returned, yanking her arm free. “Don’t ever forget that.”

“Fair enough.” He shrugged. “But I am your sire. Maybe we should use this opportunity we’ve been given to get to know each other.”

“I know all I need to know about you.”

“You know only what was specified in an investigator’s report. I assure you, there’s a great deal more to me than can be summed up on paper.”

“I doubt it.”

“Don’t. Further, even if you have exhausted your curiosity with regard to me—which I doubt, given your obviously inquisitive nature—perhaps you’ll return the favor. Allow me to get to know you.”

Baricci paused, clearing his throat and rubbing his palms together. “Let’s begin again. I apologize for interrogating you about your motives for being here. I’m not accustomed to dealing with people who don’t want something of me. As for the past—my renouncing you, taking no part in your life—I’d apologize for that as well, were the whole idea of doing so not totally ludicrous at this late date. What’s done is done. We can’t change the past. We can, however, reshape the future. Today could be the first step toward that—if we want it to be.”

Noelle took an inadvertent step backward, assessing Baricci’s striking, composed veneer. Did he actually expect her to believe and accept his sudden change of heart?

“Why?” she demanded. “Why now and not eighteen years ago? Why suddenly today, when I’m standing before you, and of my initiative—might I remind you—not yours?”

“An excellent question; one I’m not sure how to answer. Perhaps it’s because now that I’ve met you, you intrigue me. Perhaps it’s because I see my own quick mind and clever tongue reflected in you. Or perhaps it’s because now that you’re real, now that you’re no longer just an intangible entity, I find I do have feelings after all.”

Silently, Noelle considered his words, tried to determine if there could possibly be a shred of sincerity in them.

A clock in the gallery chimed three.

“I must get back to Farrington Manor,” Noelle announced, apprehension gripping her as she realized the time.

Baricci’s eyes narrowed as he contemplated her unsettled reaction. “Farrington doesn’t know you’re here, does he?” he guessed shrewdly. Seeing the flash of guilt dart across Noelle’s face, he chuckled. “He doesn’t. You got here on your own—and without your parents’ knowledge. Very resourceful.” He patted her shoulder, as if she’d done a wonderful, commendable deed rather than a deceitful one. “I’m impressed. I also understand your need to hurry home. If Farrington were to discover your absence, much less where you’d gone …”

“I plan to tell him.”

“Do you?”

Tags: Andrea Kane Thornton Historical
Source: readsnovelonline.net