returned his gaze to the center of her back. She was an attractive woman, there was no denying it. A slim blonde with startling green eyes and curves in all the right places, he would have to be blind not to notice.
Not that he had any business noticing. The woman was getting married.
Or so she said.
He was no more convinced about that than he was about her motives for being here, or anything else about her for that matter, as he continued studying her.
He wasn’t surprised when she paused and glanced back at him as if she’d sensed his attention. Her eyes met his, one brow raising in silent question.
The polite thing would have been to look away, pretend that he hadn’t been watching her.
He simply stared back, unwavering, unrepentant. Let her know he’d been watching, the same way he would be as long as she was here.
She frowned, her brows knitting together, and turned to continue up the stairs.
He should have looked away, he admitted. It wasn’t as though he was trying to scare her.
Or maybe he was. Maybe she was someone who needed to be scared off, someone who was here to cause trouble. It was certainly easier to believe than the idea that she’d come here to be married. What kind of woman would want to have her wedding in a place where another bride had died so recently?
For Meredith’s sake, he wanted to be grateful for this woman’s presence here and apparent lack of superstition. But he didn’t have that much faith in people, and Meredith had already paid once because he hadn’t done a good enough job looking out for her. He wasn’t going to let it happen again. If the woman was lying, Meredith was the one most likely to be hurt.
Grim determination settled over him as he watched the women reach the next level and disappear from view.
Every instinct told him Jillian Jones was going to be trouble.
And he was fully prepared to do whatever was necessary to prevent her from causing it.
Chapter Two
“Here we are,” Meredith declared with a cheerfulness that was starting to sound forced. “I think you’ll be pleased. This is one of the largest rooms in the house, with its own private bathroom, and it has a wonderful view.” Pushing the door open and reaching in to flip on the lights, she stepped aside to let Jillian enter first.
The room she’d led Jillian to was on the second floor in the east wing near the front of the manor. Courtney had been staying in one of the tower rooms, Jillian knew, the one at the top of the tower at the other end of the east wing. Jillian had to believe it was nicer and had an even better view since it had been given to the first bride to come to Sutton Hall, but considering what had happened to that bride, Jillian could understand why Meredith had chosen differently for her.
Even so, it took only one glimpse of the room to prove Meredith had given her little reason to complain. The suite was every bit as nice as she’d said. A glorious four-poster bed stood against the right wall. Plush rugs covered the floors, and while there may not have been a balcony, the windows offered stunning views of the mountains, flooding the room with sunlight.
“It’s lovely,” Jillian said to the woman’s expectant silence, not having to fake the admiration in her voice.
“I’m glad you like it,” Meredith said with obvious pleasure.
“Is anyone else staying nearby?”
“Adam and I are both at the end of the hall, far enough that you should have privacy, but close enough if you need us.”
“Great.” It would have been better for her purposes if there was no one remotely close by, but that was probably too much to expect. Given what had happened to Courtney, they likely wanted to keep a closer eye on their guests during their time here. It was just another challenge she’d have to deal with.
“I thought we could meet in a little while to begin going over the plans,” Meredith said. “I have plenty of ideas and options to show you, and of course I want to know everything you’re thinking of. And Rosie, our cook, is ready to go over potential menus with you.”
Jillian did her best to look properly enthused. Faking excitement for the wedding plans would be the hardest part of her mission here, hands down. “I can’t wait. Just give me some time to