Page 57 of Dangerous Temptation
‘Tell me you stopped it.’
‘I did – when I caught it. There were times I’d take the boy to my own home.’
But he obviously hadn’t caught it all the time.
Elena’s stomach curdled. It had happened more than once. She dashed back the tears that threatened to fall.
‘Master Alex stopped it himself,’ Leonard admitted. ‘When he got big enough.’
‘Why did his parents keep sending him?’
‘They didn’t know. He wouldn’t tell them.’
That damn stoic mask he put on.
For protection. She got that now.
Leonard glanced worriedly at the open doorway. ‘You really mustn’t be in here, Elena.’
No, she mustn’t. Suddenly, she couldn’t bear to be in the room one second longer. She pushed the closet door back to the way she found it, but couldn’t bring herself to make it finally click shut. Leaving Leonard there, she ran into the hallway.
She was standing statue-still when he firmly closed the room behind them. She looked at her old caretaker. He’d left her as a toddler to go care for another, older child. A child who’d needed him much more than she had.
Their gazes locked and the butler let out a very undistinguished sound. It had come from the pit of his throat.
Impulsively, Elena clutched him in a hug.
‘He’s a good man, Miss Elena. It’s a good match, the two of you. You can get past the barriers he puts up. I’ve seen it.’ Again, Leonard let out the anguished sound. ‘When I think of what he did … what he sacrificed …’
She clutched him tighter, but he shivered and pulled back. Shaking his head, he blinked fast and straightened his tie. His chin wobbled as he tugged the sleeves of his jacket. She touched his arm. ‘Leonard?’
Sniffing, he straightened his shoulders and wiped the remaining emotion from his face. ‘I need to get back downstairs. The gardeners have just arrived. If you need assistance, could you please find Marta?’
That was all she was going to learn from him.
It was already too much.
Without another word, she and the butler parted ways. She watched him walk stiffly to the elevator. Wrapping her arms around her waist, Elena turned. She knew they’d never have this discussion again.
She wondered if Alex would ever tell her himself.
Then again, why should he? She’d given him little reason to trust her.
She wandered down the hallway with her chin tucked into her chest. He hadn’t been in cahoots with his grandfather. There was no way. She’d felt the hatred he had for that man, and now she understood why.
But money was a powerful incentive.
Could he have partnered with his grandfather and her father solely for the payoff?
She didn’t want to think so.
Although all indicators pointed to yes.
She turned into the room they’d shared last night. Like a robot she walked to the closet. She was afraid to open it. When she did, her shoulders sagged in relief.
Not here. Not in this room.
Without really knowing what she was doing, she turned on her heel. Her footsteps gathered speed as she went back the direction she’d come. Halfway along the passage, she turned and headed up the staircase. She was practically jogging by the time she made it to the tech room. As always, the door stood wide open.
