A Curse of the Heart

“He believes my interests in you run deeper than that of a business partner or friend. He thinks my morbid fascination with the dead is not good for you.”

She shot forward, her cloak falling away, presenting him with luscious mounds of creamy-white flesh. “That’s absurd. There is nothing morbid about your interest in the ancient world. You are a scholar. I am the one who collects objects belonging to the dead.”

Gabriel winced as that was not entirely true. Thankfully, she had not seen the laboratory in his cellar.

“You have not said anything about my first comment. About the fact he believes my interest in you to be disreputable.”

She raised an arched brow and her lips curved into a flirtatious smile. “What is there to say? I am fully aware of your immoral intentions, Gabriel. But I wonder if you are aware of mine.”

Desire hit him like a lightning bolt, surging through his body at a remarkable rate. It was so strong he bounced off the seat. Then he noticed his carriage had stopped abruptly, and he looked out of the window to see the elegant facade of Miss Linwood’s museum.

Damn it.

“I shall help you out,” he said throwing open the door and jumping down to the pavement, the cool night air bringing a welcome relief. He lifted her down, his hands gripping her waist for longer than was necessary. “And I shall see you safely inside.”

As they neared the front door, she glanced up at him in a coy way, suggesting her thoughts mirrored his own. “You are welcome to come in,” she said struggling to meet his gaze.

He had never received a more tempting invitation and it would take a pack of wolves gnawing at his ankles to keep him out. But as he opened his mouth to speak, her housekeeper opened the door to greet them.

“Mrs. James,” she said with some surprise. “What are you doing here at this late hour?”

Mrs. James’ suspicious gaze moved back and forth between them as she sucked in her cheeks. “Mr. Pearce told me about this dreadful business with the curse. I thought I would wait until you came home. I thought it might bring some peace of mind to know the house was secure.” She glanced at Gabriel in a way that made him want to drop to his knees, confess all of his sins and beg for forgiveness. “I thought it might help if you knew you were not alone, that there was someone here to check on you before you retired for the evening.”

The woman had as good as trampled all over his flaming desire and he could hear disappointment sizzling in his ears.

“That is very kind,” she said. “Isn’t that kind, Mr. Stone?”

“Very kind,” he repeated, wondering if George Wellford was the pack leader of this particular wolf.

“Mr. Stone was kind enough to escort me home.”

Judging by the look on her housekeeper’s face, she may as well have said he had escorted her home with the intention of tearing her clothes from her body and ravishing her in the doorway.

Mrs. James followed the conversation and then offered to take Miss Linwood’s cape.

“Well, I should be going,” he said hovering at the door, his good mood well and truly ruined. A feeling mirrored by Miss Linwood’s strained smile. “Good night, Miss Linwood.”

“Good night, Mr. Stone,” she whispered as she walked inside and closed the door.

Chapter 12

This was not how Rebecca imagined the night would end.

Instead of warm masculine fingers trailing a seductive line over the buttons of her gown, Mrs. James’ chubby stumps were pulling and yanking at the delicate objects with all the grace of a chimpanzee.

“There, I’ve done it,” she said with a gasp, helping Rebecca to step out of it before draping it over the chair.

Once in her nightdress, she sat on the stool in front of the dressing table to remove the pins from her hair. Again, she imagined Gabriel’s deft fingers caressing the copper locks.

From the moment he rescued her on the terrace, to the moment she said good night on the doorstep, she was preoccupied with an overwhelming need to sate an inner craving for him. A craving so potent she could not define it in words.

“I … I hear Mr. Stone has agreed to become a partner in the museum,” Mrs. James said as she helped Rebecca take down her coiffure.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mention it before, but we’ve only just agreed the details.”

Rebecca had no idea why the lie fell so easily from her lips. It was not as though they were trying to discover the identity of the intruder and needed a cover story. There was no reason for Gabriel Stone to spend any more time at the museum.

“I’m sure Mr. Stone is a respectable gentleman. I know it’s not my place to say anything, it’s just sometimes a man can mistake a friendly countenance for something else, for something more …”