Amanda Quick - Wait Until Midnight

Guilt sank its claws into him. He had not meant to snap at her like that. "I know. I apologize for my short temper. Wilson is right. I need some sleep."

"I suppose I find your affairs dull for the most part be-cause you seem to find them dull," she said, thoughtful now.

"Forgive me, Julia, but I believe I have lost the thread of the conversation. Nor do I wish to rediscover it."

She nodded, as though confirming a private opinion. "That is it, of course. I should have reasoned it out sooner. I have always found your liaisons singularly uninspiring primarily because you never appear to be particularly inspired by them."

"I do not look to that sort of thing as a source of inspiration."

"Obviously. You treat your romantic associations with ladies the same way you do your business affairs. They are always well-planned and deftly handled according to your rules. You never exhibit any degree of strong sentiment or emotion. When a connection ends you seem almost relieved, as though some routine task had been completed, allowing you to move on to another project"

"I cannot fathom what you are talking about."

"I am talking about the fact that you never allow your-self to fall in love, Adam." She paused for emphasis. "Uncle Wilson and I believe that it is past time that you did."

He set his teeth. "Julia, I will give you fair warning. I have just endured one lecture from Wilson on the subject of finding a wife. I am not in the mood for another."

She ignored that, whisked her skirts aside and sat down in me of the leather chairs. "So, you have established a new liaison. Who is she, Adam? I cannot wait to learn her name."

It occurred to him that the simplest way to deflect Julia's attention while he continued his search for the diary was to encourage her in the belief that he was involved in a new love affair. If she thought that to be true, she would be less likely to question any unusual or secretive behavior on f t s part during the next few days.

He shuffled the papers while he mentally assembled his plan.

"You cannot expect me to divulge her name," he said. "I am aware that you have a rule against that sort of thing, but it does not apply in this case."

"The rules apply in all cases."

"Rubbish. You have always taken your own rules far too seriously. Now then, were you with Lillian Tait last night, by any chance? I knew that she had her eye on you. Did you finally succumb to her wiles?"

"What makes you think that I would waste an entire night and a good portion of the morning on Lillian Tait?" He stacked the papers he had just finished shuffling. "I can barely tolerate the lady's conversation for the length of a dance."

"I can imagine a number of reasons why you might find her quite entertaining in other circumstances. Mrs. Tait is a very attractive, very rich widow, and she makes no secret of the fact that she has no plans to marry again. She quite enjoys her freedom. All in all, she would appear to meet most of your basic requirements in a paramour."

"Do you think so?" He kept his tone deliberately uninterested.

"I know you better than anyone else in the entire world, with the possible exception of Uncle Wilson. I have been aware for some time now that you have very specific rules when it comes to your intimate liaisons." She paused meaningfully. "Do you know, I believe that is your chief problem, Adam."

He went quite blank. "What?"

"Your insistence upon living your entire life by rules. For heaven's sake, you've got them for everything, even your romantic connections"

He cocked a brow. "You stun me, madam. I was under the impression that properly behaved ladies did not discuss a gentleman's romantic connections."

She smiled serenely. "I assure you, every lady I know finds the topic of who is dallying with whom fascinating. Indeed, it is usually the first subject discussed at any tea or social gathering."

`Another illusion of feminine behavior shattered." He reached for a pen. "And here I thought that the only subjects you discussed with your friends were fashions and the latest sensation novels."

She clicked her tongue. "It is a mystery to me how so many seemingly intelligent gentlemen manage to convince themselves that women are shockingly ignorant of the realities of life."

The comment made him go very still. "We both know that the one thing you are not is shockingly ignorant of the realities of life, Julia," he said quietly. "I only wish that I had been able to do a better job of sheltering you and the others"

"Nonsense" The teasing light vanished from her face in a heartbeat. "Do not say such things, Adam. You protected us very well indeed when we were young. I suspect Jessica,

Nathan and I would not have survived without you. But surely you did not think that I believed that you lived the life of a monk?"

He winced. "I had not realized that you gave so much thought to my private life."

"I'm your sister in every way but blood," she reminded him gently. "Of course I give the matter of your private affairs my closest personal attention." Her delicate brows rose. "As I recall, you gave mine even more intense scrutiny when I told you that I was madly in love with Robert."

"You were an heiress. It was my duty to make certain that you were not married for your fortune."

"Yes, I know, and you did not rest until you had assured yourself that Robert and I had indeed contracted a love match. Robert still shudders whenever he mentions the various inquisitions that he was obliged to endure in order to gain your trust and respect."

"I did not consider those meetings to be inquisitions. I preferred to think of them as opportunities for Southwood and I to get to know each other and establish a bond of friendship"

She laughed. "He told me that he came close to trying to drown you during that fishing trip to Scotland. He said the only thing that stopped him from pushing you into the loch was the knowledge that you were an expert swimmer."

"We caught some very fine fish on that trip."

"And then there was the time that you invited him aboard Wilson's yacht for a three-day sail along the coast. He dared not refuse for fear you would think him a weakling."

"The weather was excellent for sailing."

"He was violently ill throughout the entire trip. He says he still does not understand how you discovered before the journey that he is prone to mal de mer."

He nodded sagely. "I have my sources."

"My point is that you have always paid very close attention to my personal affairs, and I feel it is only fair to return the favor. Unfortunately, you have never given me much of interest to observe"

"I regret that you find me so exquisitely dull but there is little that I can do about the situation. Now then, I hate to interrupt this fascinating conversation but I have plans for this afternoon. I would like to get some rest before I go out."

She made a face. "You are not going to tell me her name, are you?"

"No."

"Why so secretive? Sooner or later I am bound to learn her identity. You know how gossip flows in Society." She paused, tilting her head slightly to one side in a quizzical fashion. "Unless, of course, your new friend does not move in Society."

He stood, reaching for the newspaper. "If you will excuse me, I am going to go upstairs and rest for a while."

"Very well, I give up, at least for now." She rose. "It is clear that you are not going to indulge my curiosity. But sooner or later—" She broke off, glancing at the paper in his hand. "I did not know that you read the Flying Intelligencer, Adam. It is not your sort of paper at all. It thrives on the most exciting sort of sensation and gossip."

"I assure you, this is the first and only copy I have ever purchased"

"You were lucky to get it." She started toward the door. "Mrs. Fordyce's latest novel is being serialized in it. She is very popular. I expect the copies will be sold out quickly. In fact, I made certain to send Willoughby off to find a newsboy first thing this morning. I couldn't bear to risk missing the next chapter of The Mysterious Gentleman."