The Mystery Woman (Ladies of Lantern Str - By Amanda Quick Page 0,18

energy burned in Joshua’s footsteps but she saw nothing that made her alter her first impressions of him. This was a man of ice and fire; a man capable of great passions but also of ironclad control.

If a woman were so unfortunate as to find herself trapped in hell, this was surely the man she would want to come for her.

He stood at the window, both hands locked around the hilt of his cane. He had his back to her and gave no indication that he had heard her. She smiled to herself. He knew she was there.

He was well dressed, she thought, but in a quiet, unobtrusive manner. His coat and trousers were of the darkest possible shade of charcoal gray. She suspected that he frequently wore somber colors. They certainly suited him.

“Good morning, Mr. Gage,” she said, keeping her tone polite but cool. “I wasn’t expecting you for breakfast.”

He turned politely toward her as though only now becoming aware of her presence. For the first time she got a close view of his hard, scarred face in the light of day. His raptor eyes were a fascinating mix of green and gold. The flicker of amusement that came and went in the depths told her that he had known precisely where she was at every step of the way when she had made the journey from the morning room to the parlor. She also knew that he was aware that she had tried to keep her approach silent.

Good grief, she thought, we are playing some sort of cat-and-mouse game with each other. It is as if we find each other a challenge.

Joshua had never so much as touched her. The closest they had come to a physical connection had been last night in the garden when he had given her his card. Yet there was an unsettling intimacy between them, at least there was on her side, she thought. The sensation stirred things deep inside her and caused her pulse to beat a little faster. All morning she had been trying to convince herself that the sensations she had experienced last night had been generated by the danger and excitement of events. This morning she was no longer so certain. There was something else between them, she thought. Something inexplicable. Something mysterious.

“My apologies for interrupting your breakfast, Miss Lockwood,” Joshua said. His tone was as coolly polite as hers. “I’m an early riser myself. I sometimes forget that others sleep late, especially after what must have been a very long night for you.”

From out of nowhere one of Roland Fleming’s rules came back to her. Do not take the stage unless you are prepared to take control of it and the audience.

“I am accustomed to long nights,” she said. She walked into the room. “In my profession, they tend to occur frequently.”

“That does not surprise me.”

“One of the many questions that kept me awake after I finally did go to bed concerned the fate of Mr. Richard Euston.”

“Euston will no longer be a problem for Miss Pennington.”

“He might be if his body is fished out of the river this morning. Everyone knows that he was spending a great deal of time in Miss Pennington’s company. It would be unfortunate if word got around that his suit was rejected and that he took his own life in despair. Some might be led to believe that Miss Daphne is a callous and cruel young lady.”

Joshua looked at her for a long, considering moment. She got the impression that he was not accustomed to having his decisions and actions questioned.

“I stopped by Euston’s lodgings on my way here,” he said eventually. “His landlord informed me that Euston had packed his things and departed for the Continent.”

“Fascinating. And how very convenient for all concerned.”

“I’m a great believer in convenient answers,” Joshua said.

She smiled and sank down onto the sofa. “Nevertheless, I would very much like to know what induced Mr. Euston to leave the country on such short notice?”

“Does it matter?”

“Given my own personal involvement in the situation, yes, Mr. Gage, it matters. Won’t you please be seated.”

He considered that briefly and then lowered himself into a chair. He propped the cane so that it was within easy reach.

“As we speak, there is considerable gossip going around to the effect that Euston was not what he seemed,” Joshua said. “His finances are in a disastrous state and it has come out that he is a fraud who is seeking an heiress to