One Night of Misbehavior by Shelley Munro

Author:Shelley Munro [Munro, Shelley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-04-11T04:00:00+00:00

* * * * *

On Saturday, they left the villa and drove to the property owned by Ash’s client on the outskirts of Clare. As they rounded the corner and the house came into view, a gasp escaped her. “It’s beautiful.” She stared wide-eyed at the mansion nestled at the foot of a hill amongst trees. It wouldn’t have looked out of place in a documentary about English manors.

“It’s breathtaking, isn’t it?” Ash glanced at her with a faint smile. “The Matheson family has lived here for several generations. The original Matheson came to New Zealand from England. The story goes he was a black sheep, and his family shipped him down here to avoid a scandal.”

“He obviously came good,” Charlotte said in a small voice. Had she brought the right clothes? She’d gone with smart casual, but her wardrobe choices weren’t exactly limitless.

Mature oak trees lined the drive up to the house and gave way to a huge gravel area. As Ash pulled up in front of the house, a woman appeared at the top of a flight of steps. While the house might have been traditional, the woman wouldn’t have looked out of place at an Auckland society party. Her white-blonde hair was cut in a structured bob. She wore a tight black skirt that struck her at mid-thigh and had teamed it with a matching black-and-white silky top. A pair of spiky black boots completed the look.

“Who is that?”

“Nicola Matheson.” Ash’s toneless voice dragged her attention to him.

Charlotte’s brows rose. “Oh?”

“The woman is a barracuda. Make sure you protect me.”

“What? Auckland’s premier bad boy is frightened of a woman?”

“Barracuda,” he repeated tersely. “She has a twin brother called David. I haven’t met him, but he’s meant to be here this weekend.”

Charlotte climbed from the car and waited for Ash to introduce her. He slipped an arm around Charlotte’s waist and pasted a smile on his face—a charming one, but she noticed it didn’t reach his eyes. She was coming to know his expressions.

“Hello, Nicola. This is my girlfriend Charlotte Dixon. Charlotte, Nicola Matheson.”

“Ah, the mystery redhead,” Cassandra drawled. “You have the gossip sheets humming with rumors and speculation.”

Ash didn’t comment, merely turning to the older couple who appeared at the top of the steps.

“Come in,” the man boomed in a hearty voice. “Leave your bags. Nicola will organize someone to deliver them to your rooms.”

Rooms? Charlotte had thought they were sharing.

Nicola must have caught her look. “Daddy is a bit old-fashioned. Don’t worry. We have oodles of guests this weekend. I’m sure the passage will be full of sneaking men and women in the small hours of the morning.”

Ash took care of the introductions. “Keith, Margaret, this is Charlotte Dixon. Charlotte this is Keith and Margaret Matheson.”

“You have a beautiful house,” Charlotte said to Margaret as they were ushered inside.

“It’s a money pit,” Keith boomed. “But it’s home.”

Charlotte spent the afternoon exploring the gardens and having afternoon tea with Margaret and some of the other female guests while Ash and Keith secluded themselves in the study and took care of their business.

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