she whispered, “I trusted him. Why is it always the ones I trust who betray me?”
Nick kissed her head. “Norbury could be innocent of all of this. My evidence is mostly circumstantial — all related to his investments, and his friendship with you.”
She hoped Norbury was innocent. But she understood Nick’s suspicions. “He asked whether you were a good man yesterday — almost like he needed to know. He must know something.”
“I will find out,” Nick said, squeezing her shoulders. “Now, eat your breakfast.”
She pulled away from him. “What are you going to do to Norbury?”
“Wait for him in the breakfast room. I don’t want to arouse his suspicions by summoning him. But once he’s in the breakfast room, I’ll make sure he answers my questions.”
“You said you needed my help. What do you want me to do?”
He nodded at her tray. “I want you to eat, and then enjoy a leisurely morning as far from the breakfast room as possible. I’ve asked my batman to loiter in this wing of the house to make sure you’re safe.”
Ellie frowned. “But I know Norbury better than anyone. Surely he will talk to me.”
“I thought of that. But then I thought of him injuring you, or taking you as a hostage, and it made me so angry that I nearly cut my own throat while shaving.”
“If only I’d known I could make you angry enough to do that — I could have escaped days ago.”
He stroked her thigh through the coverlet. “No escape, my love. Just promise you will stay safely upstairs until I tell you we are done.”
She could escape — Nick had made that possible the previous night, even though she hadn’t wanted him to. But she nodded. “I will stay away. But you will tell me every detail of what happens. And if you aren’t forthcoming, I shall ‘worship’ you again until you break.”
His lips quirked, giving the lie to his attempt at severity. “You won’t break me, but you are welcome to try. Now, my lady, if you will excuse me, I must go set my trap.”
He sounded formal. But the way he pulled her toward him, the way he claimed her mouth, was more feudal than civilized. His lips seared against hers. He pulled away too soon, but she tugged him back and kissed him again, slower, melting for him. When she finally let him go, her lips were swollen and his eyes were fierce.
“I’m not going to die, Ellie,” he said.
She hadn’t allowed herself to think of that possibility, but she recognized the way it hummed nervously beneath her other thoughts. She tried, transparently, to lighten the mood. “If you do die, I hope Marcus knows I’m clear of my debt to you.”
Nick grinned. “I will tell Marcus. If he tries to collect from you the same way I did, you have my permission to gut him.”
“Two Claibornes dead on the same day? Dreams do come true, don’t they?”
He tweaked her nose. “Do not worry. I order you not to.”
She made a show of turning back to her breakfast as though he was already dismissed. When he didn’t move off the bed, she turned back to him. “Is there anything else, my lord?”
He focused on her face as though memorizing it. Then he pushed a piece of hair behind her ear and stood up. “Enjoy your toast. Perhaps, when this is all done, we can see whether we can be real for each other.”
He was gone before she could speak again.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
When Nick left Ellie, he laid his plans. He started with a few terse orders to the servants, followed by a long discussion with Marcus. His brother was still angry about Lucia’s injury — if it wasn’t for Nick’s desire to keep everything quiet for Ellie’s sake, Marcus might have already shot Norbury in retaliation. Instead, he went off to verify Norbury’s whereabouts while Nick went to the breakfast room to put their plan into motion.
He would resolve this today, no matter the outcome. In a perfect world, Norbury would confess. In a less-perfect world, Nick might need to force it out of him.
But at least Nick had a plan and allies for this confrontation. What came after, when the business that had brought him back to England was finished and all that remained was the future…
He couldn’t consider it until he could guarantee Ellie’s safety. When he reached the breakfast room, a footman stationed outside confirmed that Nick’s preferred guests were waiting for him.