Page 26 of Power and Possession

I refused to respond to both of her questions. “Laudie was irritated because you didn’t curtsey to her.”

Her eyes narrowed, and I found it hard not to focus on her lips as she pressed them together tightly.

“Curtsey? As in bow? I don’t bow to anyone.”

I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to me, my mouth against the shell of her ear. “You don’t have to bow to Laudie, but I’ll have you bowing to me before the night is over, love.”

She twisted out of my grasp, but it was too late. I could already see the desire in her eyes, watching as her breathing increased and her eyelids fluttered.

I grabbed two glasses of champagne from the nearest server, and passed one to Ashlynn, steering her to the edge of the garden. The entire area was bathed in a warm glow from the torchlights, and tables with crisp white linens and elaborate centerpieces were strategically arranged on the lawn. There were at least a hundred men and women, each with impressive pedigrees scattered about, joking and laughing as they complimented themselves on their money and power. It was the type of gathering I loathed, but this wasn’t a social call;it was business. My eyes darted around the back of the manor, and I saw a server coming out of the kitchen with a large platter of appetizers.

All of a sudden, I felt Ashlynn tense beside me. Her eyes were focused on a couple in the corner, heading towards us. I recognized them instantly. The Harringtons.

Edward moved closer, his wife sharp on his heels. I braced myself for this moment, anticipating the elation I’d feel knowing I’d taken Lord Harrington’s mistress and not only that, made her my fiancée.

However, as Lady Harrington’s face crinkled into a look of recognition and then disbelief, my excitement faltered. Edward would have certainly kept his mistresses’ identity a secret, but it was obvious that both Harringtons knew her.

“Ashlynn,” Lady Harrington said sharply, looking at her with disappointment. “Is this how you repay us for providing you with decent employment? You quit and don’t even give notice?”

“You left us in a tricky spot. We missed countless events, not to mention how upset the children were.” Edward stared at her like a misbehaving child, rather than a hot piece of ass.

Then it clicked. Ashlynn was working for the Harringtons, not sleeping with Edward. She was their nanny. That fact alone made me respect her more, even though it meant I couldn’t taunt my possession of her. When I heard she was staying with the Harringtons, I’d instantly pictured her as another one of Edward’s dumb and clueless whores.

Ashlynn’s face turned ashen, and she stumbled on her words, trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for her abrupt absence, or, perhaps, tell the truth in hopes they’d help her.

“I’m afraid Ashlynn’s father is very ill,” I said smoothly, the lie rolling easily off my tongue. “I told my fiancée I’d have my assistant handle her position with you, but something obviously got missed. I’ll have to have a talk with her. These things need to be handled delicately.”

“Fiancée? I didn’t even know you were dating.” Lady Harrington frowned, obviously irritated that she’d somehow missed this juicy piece of gossip.

I put my hand on the small of Ashlynn’s back. “We’ve been very private, haven’t we, love?”

I felt Ashlynn tense the second my skin touched hers, but she recovered quickly. “Yes, very private.”

Edward nodded. “Well, I hope we’ll be invited to the wedding. The children would be crushed to miss it.”

“Absolutely,” I said, nodding my head as they moved on to speak with another couple.

Still silent, Ashlynn grabbed another flute of champagne and chugged it rather inelegantly.

“Thanks to you I lost my job,” she said.

I ignored her comment, and then pulled her closer to me, and this time she didn’t flinch at my touch. “Here’s the deal, Ashlynn. The owner of this estate, Lord Stanley, has something that he has no business owning. I need you to find out where he’s keeping it.”

“And what exactly is this item?”

“A four-hundred million euro painting.”

“Oh, is that all?” she replied sarcastically.

Chapter Seventeen

Ashlynn

I couldn’t believe that I was allowing Steele to manipulate me like this. It infuriated me to no end, listening to him parade me in front of the Harringtons and then command me to go snoop around this guy’s house to find some random painting I’d never heard of. I was as cultured as many of my friends, but I had never heard of Paul Gauguin, and I’d even taken an art history class in college. At least the painting was brightly colored and should be easy to spot in the manor.

Grabbing my empty clutch, I headed towards the door that Steele gestured to, making my way inside the house. The second I stepped through the back door, it was as if I had entered a beehive full of fluttering activity. Servers were gathering up platters full of delicacies, food was being cooked, and chaos was everywhere. It was easier than I could have imagined as I moved through the butler’s pantry and up the stairs into the main house.

Despite the lively activity downstairs and the cacophony of polite chit-chat in the garden, the manor house was dark and silent. The stairs led me up to a long hallway, and I walked silently down the passage, wishing that the floor had some kind of carpeting to mask the sound of my heels on the stone tiles. As I passed each door I peeked inside, trying to get a sense for the bottom level of the home. Most rooms seemed devoted to running the house, and I quickly headed towards the end of the hall and up the small wooden staircase to the main level.

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