Page 162 of The Highlander's Holiday Wife

Samantha returned to her work, but the housekeeper hovered in the doorway. “Is there something else, Mrs. Girvin?”

“I must ask you if you’re sure I can’t help you, Mrs. Kendrick. You seem fatigued today, which is quite understandable, given all that close work.”

“I’m just going to work a bit longer, and then pack up the rest and take it home with me.”

Girvin nodded. “Then I will leave you to it. Just ring if you need me.”

“Thank you. Oh, by the way, Felicity and Donny will be joining me shortly after a bit of shopping. When they arrive, please send them up to my office.”

“Dr. Kendrick will not be escorting you home tonight?”

Samantha frowned, thinking it a rather odd question. “Dr. Kendrick will be working late, so Donny and Felicity will take me home.”

“Very good, ma’am. I’ll send them up as soon as they arrive. Please ring if you need anything.”

She gave the housekeeper a quizzical smile. “Yes, as you already mentioned.”

“Oh, yes, of course. Well, I’ll be down the hall in my office.”

She left in something of a rush, which was also rather odd. It wasn’t like Girvin to appear so . . . distracted. Then again, the situation with Haxton was bound to produce disquiet. Girvin was also looking a bit pulled around the edges, as if she were tired as well.

Of course, Samantha had an additional reason beyond work for her fatigue—her husband. For the last two nights, Braden had kept her upquitelate, making love to her. Ever since their thrilling and highly improper encounter on the drawing room floor, Braden had been almost solely focused on her. The man was insatiable, and had a rather astounding degree of energy.

Not that Samantha minded one bit. Braden was a wonderful lover, both generous and inventive. Being married to a physician certainly had its advantages, especially one who had such a precise knowledge of female anatomy.

Even better, though, was the tenderness and love he poured out on her. She felt utterly cherished and safe in his arms. To be loved and to love again, to have this second chance, was a blessing beyond measure.

Well, she’d have plenty of time to daydream about Braden in the years to come. For now, she had work to do.

Samantha turned back to a record from a board meeting held a month before Roger’s death. The regular business seemed perfectly normal, so she focused on the financial committee. If she was going to stumble across anything new, that was where it would be.

Suddenly, she froze, staring at the page.

Staring at the name of the board member who’d presented the financial committee report.

It couldn’t be.

She flipped back to the foundation’s first official minutes. It was the same name, the new head of the finance committee.

And it wasn’t Haxton.

Impatiently, she flipped forward, scanning the reports for the name. After a few minutes, she shoved the book away and pressed her palms over her eyes, trying to think through the roar of consternation and disbelief in her head. Could such a heinous betrayal be possible?

She placed her hands flat on the desk, trying to keep them from trembling. From the first, they’d assumed it was Haxton managing the flow of money, probably with assistance from another quarter. Since Samantha had joined the board, Haxton had kept the books and thus controlled the flow of funds into and out of the foundation.

But Haxton hadn’t even been on the board while Roger was alive. Because Samantha hadn’t been involved with the foundation at the time, she’d never realized that the banker’s appointment had only come later. She’d never once thought to look back to the very beginning, to the other person who’d been working with Roger right from the start. She’d never dreamed that the person who might be at the bottom of it all could be the one she’d never suspect.

Arthur Baines.

Arthur had recommended Haxton as the new finance chair—insistently and over other candidates. Before that, Arthur had managed the books and handled the funds.Hewas the one in charge when Roger had begun to suspect financial misdeeds.

And when that first boy had disappeared from the orphanage? Arthur had been in the thick of it then, too. He’d been the one to discuss matters with the police and manage investigations, just as he’d done with every subsequent disappearance.

All had the same result—nothing.

Samantha pressed a clenched fist over her heart, which felt ready to pound through her chest. Guilt and rage swamped her in equal waves, clouding her brain. She needed to think, and she needed to know if her suspicions were justified.

You need Braden.

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