Cold Comfort (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 5)

“Will you be all right? Would you like me to fetch Mrs Wattling to sit with you for a while?” Oliver asked quietly, hating the thought of having to leave her even while he wanted to be on his way, but only so he could go and see if the young woman in the churchyard was one of the kidnap victims. Torn to know what to do for the best, Oliver patiently waited.

“No, thank you. I will be fine.” Emmeline leaned back to look at him and offered him a sad smile.

“It is to be expected,” he murmured, brushing a stray tear off her cheek with the pad of a thumb.

Emmeline nodded, but words failed her. She had no idea what she should think after the morning she had just experienced. The last thing she had ever expected was for Oliver’s kindness. That had been more touching than anything. But, while his embrace had brought her comfort and solace in her hour of need, it also left her deeply troubled about allowing him to become a part of her life, even through his investigation. She needed some time alone to think about it.

“I need to find out who this latest murder victim is, and if she has any connection to our investigation. I can promise you that we are going to do everything possible to keep you safe while you help us, Emmeline. I wouldn’t ask you to get involved if I didn’t know that we could. Just promise me that you won’t do anything, or go anywhere, until I get back. Like Mrs Wattling said, it isn’t safe for you to go into town alone now, especially after Caroline and the death of the woman this morning.”

Emmeline nodded, but it was more rubbing her cheek against his chest seeing as she was pressed against him as close as it was humanly possible to get. She could hear the dull rumble of his voice somewhere over her head but couldn’t summon the will to put any distance between them. It was wonderful to savour being in his arms and absorb the strength of someone like Oliver, if only for a little while. Thankfully, Oliver didn’t seem inclined to want to release her either.

“Promise me?” he pleaded quietly, tipping her chin up until she could look at him.

Emmeline offered him a shaky smile. Eventually, she realised she was stopping him from going about his business, and reluctantly stepped way.

“I promise I won’t leave the house. I am sorry, I don’t know what came over me. While I had expected Caroline’s demise, to be honest, especially given her lifestyle, it still came as a bit of a shock. I just didn’t realise it.”

“It is going to take some time to come to terms with it,” Oliver warned.

“I will be all right.” Emmeline offered him a shaky smile. “You need to go and see who this young woman is, I know.”

Oliver nodded. “I will also inform my colleagues that you are going to help us. I know they will be relieved. It won’t be today, but if I might call upon you tomorrow then we can make a few plans.” Oliver lifted his brows and smiled when Emmeline nodded.

He knew it was dangerous to get too close to her, not least because she was a part of his investigation and had to remain that way. He was, first and foremost, a consummate professional and had to keep his mind on his work and off the delicious appeal of the stunning young woman before him. However, he also had to balance that professionalism with being a person. Compassion for another’s grief commanded he treat her with the due respect she deserved and be understanding of her tears. There was nothing he could do for Caroline now because she was far beyond the help of anybody, but he could do everything possible to help Emmeline. It was tempting to give her some way of contacting him should she need just to talk, but he couldn’t do that without revealing the location of the safe house, or encouraging her to go out alone. That was an incredibly foolish thing to do given she might be snatched one day, if the Star Elite did fail to keep her out of Smidgley’s determined grasp.

“I will call upon you later tonight, if I may? Just to see how your day went, and that I haven’t brought any trouble to your door,” he murmured. Calling upon her as often as he could was the best solution for them both.

Emmeline blinked at him. “Do you think they followed you here?”

Her stomach fell to her toes. She glanced around wildly and wished now that she had locked the back door after Mrs Wattling.

“No, I don’t. That wasn’t what I meant. If you are sure you are going to be all right by yourself for the next couple of hours, I will go and do what I need to do and will then pop back to check on you around eight o’clock. It may be a little later than that,” Oliver warned.

Emmeline found herself nodding before she contemplated his offer too carefully. As far as she was concerned, Oliver could call upon her whenever he deemed fi

t. The neighbours could think what they liked. Given Caroline’s shenanigans when she had been alive, the family name lay in ruins anyway. It didn’t matter if people saw a tall, dark, and handsome stranger making his way up her garden path on a frequent basis. While it would do little to thwart the prying eyes, it would protect her from anybody who meant her any harm.

“Do you want me to stay for a while?” Oliver offered.

“Do you think your men will already have learnt about the women who was found?” Emmeline asked, seriously contemplating his offer to stay.

“I don’t think so seeing as they hadn’t got a clue that another body had been found when I left them to come here. I cannot see that any of them would have cause to have learnt of the gossip seeing as we don’t move around the villagers very often.”

The Star Elite did move around the villagers quite often, the villagers just didn’t know it because the Star Elite tended to work overnight, long after everyone had taken to their beds, often undercover and in various disguises.

“Then you need to go, don’t you?” Emmeline smiled gently.

She was delighted that Oliver wasn’t so stuffy and pompous, or officious, that he had forgotten how to be compassionate. It gave this tall, somewhat hardened gentleman a heart, and reassured her that she hadn’t been the only one to enjoy the kisses they had shared earlier. That suspicion was bolstered by the fact that she was, once again, back in his arms. Although this time without the kisses. There was, however, a closeness, an intimate connection hovering between them, waiting to be acknowledged.

Oliver smiled and slowly released her. He forced himself to turn away before he kissed her again. Once at the front door, though, there was a decidedly intimate atmosphere between them that was fuelled by the unspoken desire they shared. He suspected that if he did come back tonight then they would have to have a conversation about what had happened between them this morning and why, and where it was going to take them. He knew it was going to take them nowhere. It was just imperative that Emmeline understood that as well. Briefly, he wondered if it might be wiser to send one of the others to come and check on her later. It was only the thought of Rhys calling upon the house late at night and clapping eyes on someone as stunningly beautiful as Emmeline, that made Oliver want to warn his friend to keep his hands, and his eyes, to himself.

“I will see you tonight,” he promised.

“Eight o’clock,” she reiterated, and watched Oliver leave the house.

Emmeline waited in the doorway while he mounted his horse and wheeled it around. He lifted a hand in farewell before he headed off in search of the graveyard. When he had disappeared, Emmeline thoughtfully closed the door and turned to face the house. Eight o’clock seemed such an incredibly long time to wait that she almost dreaded the long day ahead.

CHAPTER SIX