A Curse of the Heart by Adele Clee

Author:Adele Clee [Clee, Adele]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2015-08-06T16:00:00+00:00

Rebecca felt ridiculous sitting in a formal dining room in her nightclothes while Gabriel sat dressed in a navy-blue coat and beige breeches. The staff made no mention of the fact and busied around her as though she was mistress of the house and as such could do as she pleased.

Gabriel, on the other hand, had eaten half of his meal without saying a word.

The atmosphere brimmed with suppressed tension, as though he had stuffed his feelings into a chest and been forced to sit on the lid to stop them leaping out.

In mentioning his sister, had she roused painful memories of the past?

Or did he find her presence stifling?

The life of a recluse demanded peace and solitude; perhaps he struggled with the idea that someone else was invading his personal space. After all, his world had been turned on its head in the last few days, and he had a habit of withdrawing into himself, of putting up a blockade to prevent anyone from getting in. She had seen it at George Wellford’s house, and she could see it now.

Perhaps he wanted her in his bed but did not need her troubles and complications in his life.

With a heavy heart, she said, “Thank you, for letting me stay last night. But I think it best I go home after breakfast.”

When he looked up, she diverted her gaze, feigning interest in the eggs on her plate.

“I thought we had already established that is not possible.”

“Well, I cannot stay here,” she said, testing the theory that he would be pleased to have the house to himself again. When he failed to reply, he confirmed her suspicion and the thought reinforced the dull ache in her chest.

He put down his cutlery, wiped his mouth with his napkin and gave a deep sigh. “There is something I need to tell you. Something,” he paused and swallowed before speaking again. “Something did happen at your house last night.”

She felt the blood suddenly drain from her face, pooling in her throat, thick and heavy. Something terrible had happened, and he’d kept it from her. “What is it? What happened? Did you lie about my father’s things?”

Gabriel shook his head. “No, I did not lie to you, Rebecca.” His tone suggested a disdain for lies and untruths, suggested the words were abhorrent, that the remark offended him. “An item has been damaged, ruined, but not one of the antiquities.”

Her hand flew to her chest desperate to ease the pounding. “Not one of the paintings in the lower gallery?” Heaven help her. She would have to sell her soul to cover the cost. “They are on loan, Gabriel, and I do not have the money to replace them.”

He pursed his lips, closed his eyes briefly. She knew that whatever he was going to say would hurt her in some way. “It’s the painting, the one of your mother. When I got there, I found it on the chair. The canvas had been slashed with a knife. Whoever defaced it wanted it to be the first thing you saw when you walked into the room.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.