Midnight Secrets by Jennifer St. Giles

Author:Jennifer St. Giles
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf

I wanted to argue, to ask them what if it was something

more sinister afoot, but I had no evidence, and I could just

see Constable Poole’s mustached smirk. I decided to let

Stuart handle the problem, but asked him to let me know

what he found out.

After Bridget fell asleep, I dressed, still unsure what

I would do, but unable to get Sean Killdaren’s parting

words the night before out of my head. I wondered if he’d

venture to the library again, and decided to go peek. By

the time I reached the library door and saw the warm glow

of a fire flickering in the hearth, my heart pounded so

loudly that I was sure it could be heard echoing through

the whole castle.

MIDNIGHT SECRETS

183

“I hoped you’d be here,” I said, stepping into the room.

The dark-haired man who had his back to me turned from

where he sat studying the flames. Only then did I realize

it was the earl. Fire scorched my cheeks.

“Indeed.” He stared hard at me for a moment. “And to

what do I owe the pleasure of such hopes?”

I coughed as I tried to spit words out of my frozen

lungs. “I . . . well . . . never had the opportunity to re-

spond to your statement in the garden. Your words dis-

turbed me so much that I couldn’t speak at the time.”

The earl burst into laughter. “Lass, you lie well. Must

be some Irish in your blood. It would seem you’ve met

Sean more times than when Rebecca wandered to the bell

tower, then. Come, have a seat.” He motioned to the sofa

by the fire and I took a step into the room, drawn to his fa-

therly demeanor, which reminded me a little of my

grandfather. Then I hesitated. I didn’t really know this

man at all, and his emotions in the garden seemed to have

changed as quickly as the wind.

“Don’t you have any fears, lass,” he said, moving to the

far side of the room and sitting down in the same leather

chair Sean had occupied last night. “You’re bonnie

enough to have any man be thinking what he shouldn’t,

but I think you’ve an eye for my son and I won’t be trying

to turn your head any other direction. He’s entirely too

alone in life.”

“You’d approve of such an impropriety?” I asked be-

fore thinking about whom I spoke to. Considering Stuart,

this man had had his share of scandal.

He burst into laughter again, this time reaching for a

drink I hadn’t noticed on the table by the chair. A nearly

empty decanter sat next to the glass, and I realized he was

a bit into his cups again. “I’ll let you and my son discuss

184

Jennifer St. Giles

that matter, I think. Tell me about yourself, lass. From the

stiffness to your skirts, I detect a bit of English in with

that Irish. Am I right?”

The man was flagrantly improper, but I still found my-

self warming to him. Enough to move a little further into

the room and perch on a small chair near the door.

“Maybe more than just of bit of English then,” he said.

“Enough to see me through my Irish blood with few

mishaps,” I said, finding myself laughing when he did.

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