Page 33 of The Lady and the Footballer
She nodded, even as her cheeks warmed at the thought of being locked in here with him.
She placed the key in his hand, and she had to resist the urge to wrap her fingers between his for that extra moment he lingered before he walked to the door and turned the key, the click sharp in the quiet room.
When he turned back around, she was suddenly overwhelmed by his presence. Lily had never been alone with a man unrelated to her, yet she innately knew she had nothing to fear from Mr. Thornton – Colin.
“Well, where do we start?” she asked, lifting her hands and looking around at the papers that littered the room.
“Let’s start by you telling me the story of how you were able to locate the key and sneak away unnoticed,” he said. “I am quite intrigued.”
“Oh, very well,” she said. “The key was easy. It was in my father’s study on his key ring. He keeps them all labeled so it was simple enough to sneak into the room and find the right one. Then it was just a matter of waiting until my parents left and making my way here.”
“You are leaving out one important part, Lily,” he said, slowly walking over to her, and she loved the way he said her name as though it was a caress. “How did you get here? I do hope someone accompanied you through Manchester.”
“Ah… somewhat,” she said, tapping her foot nervously.
He lifted a brow, waiting.
“I hired a hack,” she said, the words coming out in a whoosh. “My maid did accompany me partway, but then she asked if she could visit friends, and I said yes, why not? I did not need her assistance, and I feared if I denied her, she would confess all to my parents.”
“I see,” he said, looking down at her contemplatively, his nostrils flaring slightly. “You put yourself at risk.”
“I was fine,” she said, standing tall, not needing him to look down upon her. “Nothing to worry about. Now, why do we not see what we can find? I do not want to be too late and risk my parents returning home before me.”
“Of course,” he murmured. “Pritchard seems to have a few piles on the desk. Why do we not each start with one and see how far we get? Be sure to tell me if you find anything unusual, even if it doesn’t seem related. I will do the same.”
“Good plan,” she agreed before they set to work.
Lily sat at Pritchard’s desk, somewhat surprised when Colin pulled up a chair beside her, although it made sense, for they would need to share the oil lamp.
He was so close, his arm next to hers, and she couldn’t help the tingle that rushed through her from his proximity. He was the most masculine of men she had ever met, and she felt he was the type of man one could rely on, no matter the issue.
Here he was, helping her, believing in her when no one else had.
She tried to turn her attention to the matter at hand and the pile of papers in front of her, but she couldn’t help how attuned her body was to his, how his every breath seemed to reach her ear.
She slid the coarse gloves off her hands so she could more easily flip between the pages.
They worked in silence, the only sounds being the hum of voices from the tavern below them and the hint of music as it spread up toward them.
“Colin,” she said suddenly, her hand reaching out and grasping his without thinking. “I’ve found something!”
She looked up to tell him, their eyes meeting as she did, and she immediately forgot what she was about to say as she became trapped in his stare.
His eyes held hers, and he seemed equally as surprised as she was, that, suddenly, nothing else mattered but the tension in the air between the two of them, his hand warm beneath hers.
She knew she should move it but couldn’t seem to bring herself to tear it away from his.
She swallowed hard.
“Lily,” he said again, moving in closer, finally breaking their stare to scrutinize the paper. “What did you find?”
“Oh,” she said, laughing nervously, mostly at herself. “This seems to be a list of expenses for the team, which Mr. Lockwood submitted. Noted is that everything was paid and there is a total at the bottom. From this, he should have received the amount in full. So, either he is lying, or money went missing somewherebetween this account and his payment. I can see no reason for him to lie if he makes up the difference between expenses and the payments.”
“No. Rhys wouldn’t lie. He’s one of the most honorable men I’ve met. So then, who are we after?”
“I wish we knew,” she sighed. “Perhaps this isn’t enough for us to look for. What kind of paper would show us something of use?”
Colin frowned as he looked down at his pile.
