Page 38 of Trapped with the Earl of Sin

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nd that is when she told me that I could not ever set foot in her store again. It was utter madness! I could not even believe what I was hearing.”

As everyone around Susanna laughed at the anecdote Luke was telling them, she tried to join in as best she could, but truth be told, she could not take her eyes off Martin. The atmosphere between them had shifted this evening, she could feel it. They were more drawn to one another than ever before.

Unfortunately, they had already shared one dance, so she could not sneak off with him for another moment alone to figure out what was brewing between them.

Much as she kept trying to convince herself that was only because of the mission they were on together, she knew it was also because of the kiss. She could almostfeelhim wanting to kiss her again, just as she did him. When they were dancingtogether, she was surprised that both of them had managed to resist.

She did not know how much longer she could keep going with these complicated feelings swirling inside of her.

“I am sure I might have done the same thing,” Edwin boomed, putting himself right in the middle of the conversation once more. He had been doing this all evening. Every time Luke spoke, he made sure to join in, to make it clear that he did not intend to leave his cousin’s side. At least, that was how it seemed to Susanna. “I would not like any rabble-rousers in my store as well. You have always been this way, Cousin. You might have a sweet-looking face, but you are one for secret trouble.”

Susanna’s eyes widened as she watched Edwin take Luke’s glass from him, before making a quiet comment about heading to the bar. This was certainly suspicious because there were lots of people in their little group, and Edwin did not offer anyone else a drink.

Only Luke.

She saw Martin looking taken aback as well.

This was exactly the sort of thing that they needed to be aware of, this was just what Martin had been talking about earlier. If Edwin was going to do something dangerous to Luke, then this might be the sort of place that he would do it. He could quite easily slip something into Luke’s drink, and no one would know.

If this man really was capable of murdering his best friend in a sick attempt to get closer to Mary, then there was no telling what he would do to his cousin.

He might even poison him.

Panic reverberated through Susanna. She knew that she needed to act. If she was going to protect Luke and ensure Mary did not end up losing another person that she was in love with, then she had to dosomething. But what? How could she prevent something terrible from happening?

As she caught Martin’s eyes, she could see that he was struggling to figure out a solution to this problem as well. But unfortunately, he did not look like he had any ideas either. He was stunned, and his brain might have been whirring at the speed of light, but he had nothing either.

Time was ticking down.

This was becoming increasingly desperate by the minute.

Something needed to happen, but Susanna was worried that she would not be able to act fast enough.

Everyone else might have been calm, but they had no idea what was going on. They could easily lose themselves in the conversation without panicking about Edwin, because none of them had any idea of what he was hiding in his bedchambers.What he might be doing to Luke’s drink right at this very moment…

Eventually, Susanna spotted Edwin with two glasses clutched between his fingers, returning to the group. She was not sure if that truly was a smug smile playing on his lips, but it certainly felt that way. Her heart leapt up into her throat, and she felt like she could not breathe, her whole body trembling with fear. The closer he got to the group, the more frightened she felt.

If she was not careful, her heart was going to absolutely explode with terror.

“Here you are, Luke.” Edwin handed the drink to Luke and watched him intently. It was almost as if he was waiting for the moment that the glass touched his lips, which only amped up Susanna’s anxiety.

He wasdefinitelyup to something.

Luke had not yet stopped talking, so he was not trying to drink. That gave Susanna a little moment to try and gather her thoughts, to work out what her next move was going to be. She did not even think to see if Martin had any plans because without being able to talk to him, she could only rely on herself.

Uh oh.

Now Luke was lifting the glass to his lips. It seemed to be happening in slow motion, and Susanna knew that it was now or never. She had to act, she had to do something drastic.

In a state of panic, Susanna lurched forward. The only thing she could think of was to knock the drink out of his hand, so it spilled everywhere. Then, if there was poison in it, it would not affect anyone.

“Oh my goodness!”

Luke gasped loudly as Susanna’s tumble knocked his glass sideways, spilling the drink everywhere. It was a real mess—it went all over the wall behind him. Even the glass tumbled to the floor because she had bumped into him so hard. It did not shatter, but the scene caused everyone to stare at Susanna.

Uh oh.

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