Page 34 of Irresistible
“‘Mary’?” he asked.
“Over tea, she asked me to use her Christian name. I felt I had to ask her to do the same.”
“Definitely. At dinner, I’ll make sure Chesmore and I follow suit.” He stood from the chair. “You look as if you’re dressed for dinner. Do you mind if I use the dressing room to change?”
“Not at all. I do need to touch up my cosmetics.”
He moved toward the dressing room. “I’ll be quick, and then you can come back in.”
“Before you go, would you mind fastening the back of my gown?” She went to him and presented her back. Anticipation rippled along her flesh.
Wordlessly, his fingers went to work, closing the garment, but also lightly stroking her with his movements. She felt as if she could easily fall into a trance.
“I’ll leave the door cracked so you can tell me about your conversation with Mrs. Farr. All finished.”
She felt him step back and turned to thank him, but he was already walking into the dressing room. He left the door ajar, presumably so they could continue their conversation without speaking too loudly. Accordingly, she moved to stand near the doorway.
Taking a breath, she worked to banish the lingering sense of heated expectation. “Where was I?”
“You said you were concerned I wouldn’t have time to finish my search of Mrs. Farr’s chamber. As it happened, I didn’t require much time because it’s surprisingly spartan. I didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.”
“That’s good, isn’t it?” She tried not to think of him removing clothing even though that was precisely what he was doing.
“I think so. I took the opportunity to search everything I could below stairs. Again, there was nothing out of the ordinary, just the usual preparations for a social event. Then I went to the stables. My horse seemed glad to see me. As I mentioned, there are two grooms. I also met the gardener.”
Jess heard him pour water and was now actively trying to ignore the fact that he was washing. Was he nude? She clasped her hands together, wishing she could move away from the door. Since she still needed to hear him, she was unfortunately unable to do so. “I was going to tell you I’d learned there was a gardener.”
“Well done,” he said with a warmth that fueled her confidence. “What else did you learn from Mrs. Farr?”
“Most of the household was employed by the prior owner and stayed on after the Chesmores purchased the house. However, Mrs. Farr was hired when the housekeeper left shortly after the Chesmores arrived.”
“Did Mrs. Farr know why she left?” Dougal asked.
“I learned that from Mary, not Mrs. Farr. She said the housekeeper’s departure was odd, that she simply packed her things and left one day without notice. Mary assumed it was because she didn’t like them.” Jess still felt bad about the tinge of sadness when Mary had said that.
“Perhaps because of their eccentricity,” he said.
“Probably, but I didn’t ask.” She should have, she realized. “Anyway, what I thought was most interesting was what Mrs. Farr revealed about the prior owner. He wasFrench.”
A moment later, Dougal peeked his head around the doorframe. She saw his bare shoulder and knew that he was at least shirtless. “Indeed? Did you get his name?”
Jess swallowed and averted her gaze from him. “Monsieur Dumont. Unfortunately, I didn’t learn anything else. That’s when Mary interrupted our conversation.”
“Good work.” He disappeared into the dressing chamber once more.
Pacing to the window, Jess pressed a hand to her flushed face. This would not do! They were partners working in concert, not actually husband and wife. And yet it felt so very intimate as they spent so much time in each other’s company and did all these…intimatethings together. She needed to gather her wits and stop being distracted by her attraction to him.Hewasn’t having this problem, and neither should she.
His voice carrying from the dressing room startled her. “I should love to know why Monsieur Dumont sold the house and where he is now. Perhaps he simply hired the former housekeeper away.”
She strolled back toward the dressing chamber, but still kept her distance from the door. “I suppose that’s possible, but why would she leave without notice, without saying a word at all?”
“I wonder if Ogelby might know anything.”
“It seems Ogelby is somewhat of a titular head of the household,” Jess said. “I got Mary talking about the servants, and she confided that they don’t have the heart to send him into retirement. He’s very slow, but he’s apparently worked here his entire life.”
“I shall definitely speak with him then,” Dougal said. “What was your general sense of Mrs. Farr? Or did you not have enough time to speak with her?”
“She seems as baffled as we are by the Chesmores’ behavior. I mentioned the new name of the house, and she hadn’t heard it. I suggested it was fanciful, and she agreed. It seemed to me that the Chesmores may make her uncomfortable.”
