girl nodded. “Can we use the telescope for tonight’s meteor shower, do you suppose?”
“Absolutely.”
She grinned as she dashed away to tell Miss Payne of my approval.
The building had been an old insane asylum. A place where women had been locked away, misused and abused. I’d used half of my inheritance to buy the property and get it running as a school. I still chuckled when I thought of Gabe’s reaction when he realized James had duped him. I might not have come with a dowry, but the inheritance left to me by my grandfather, more than made up for that.
Yes, we had brought light and happiness to the many rooms here. It had been the only building large enough to hold the sort of school I wanted to have. However, once we’d moved in, painted the walls and added flowers around the perimeter, I was glad we’d purchased it. It seemed right that where once women had been tortured, they now thrived.
I turned into the front office. A tall man stood near the windows, his hat in hand, a young girl of about thirteen at his side. He was lean, with broad shoulders, dark hair, and wore a fine, gray suit.
“May I help you, Sir?”
He turned to face me. It was a handsome face that was lined with age. Those dark eyes showed his reluctance, as if he wasn’t sure if he should be here or not. “My name is Senor Diaz. I…I have a daughter, Adriana, I would like to enroll in this school.”
The girl had big dark eyes that watched me curiously. She was a pretty little thing, but seemed a bit shy. I tried to read her gaze, to see if this is what she wanted, or her father. “How lovely to meet you.”
She curtsied. “You as well.”
“You will have to fill out a form, and she will take a test to see how compatible she might be, and to see where her interests’ range. I will gladly take you through it all. However, we are closed today for the holidays.”
“I see.” He hesitated.
I opened a drawer behind the desk, and started searching for the correct papers. “Is there a reason why you picked this school, Senor?”
He slowly twisted the brim of his hat. “Adriana’s mother died years ago. I travel as a horse breeder, and I needed a school I can trust to watch over her.”
My hands paused on the paperwork. From Spain. A horse breeder. My heart flip-flopped in my chest. The room around me spun. Slowly, ever so slowly, I raised my gaze.
He smiled gently. “I’m not only here to enroll Adriana. I’m also here…because of you.”
I studied his face, desperately looking for signs of familiarity. “Me?”
“I received a letter, from your husband months ago.”
“You did?”
He nodded. “Yes. I’m…I’m your father.”
Tommy swept into the room, startling me. “Are you ready, Ginny? Gabe sent me to pick you up. Even allowed me to drive.”
His familiar face brought everything back into focus. My father. Dear lord. He was my father. I stood and smoothed my hands down my skirts, ignoring the tremble of my fingers. “Yes. I…I see.” I wasn’t sure what to say, or how to act. All I knew was that he was my father, and I was not letting him leave until I got answers. “Do you have plans for this evening?”
He smiled a hopeful smile. “No.”
I nodded. “Well then, you do now.”
****
Gabriel
“Lady Alice,” I murmured as she stepped into the sitting room. “I don’t like keeping secrets from my wife.”
I’d received a note from her this morning after Ginny had gone to the school, asking if she could speak to me. Although she often visited, we’d only had passing conversations, and I wasn’t sure why she’d singled me out now.
“I know,” she said, sweeping into the sitting room. “But I need to tell you something, and didn’t want Ginny to worry in her condition.”
“Can I pour you a drink?”
She waved me off. “No. Please. Sit.”
We settled in the chairs near the fireplace. Although there was no snow yet this year, it was still bitterly cold upon these moors. She took off her gloves then placed them on her lap in precise, slow, movements.
Finally, she looked up at me. “Ervin, Ginny’s stepbrother, has been spotted.”
A cold chill raced down my spine. “He’s dead.”
“Yes, well, apparently the man is like a cat and has nine lives. Really, rather rude if you ask me. When you’re dead, you’re supposed to stay that way.”