Leigh had not heard him approach. She whirled and almost seized the treasure from his extended hand. “My locket! Where did you find it? I feared it was gone forever.” Her hand closed around it and sentimental moisture glimmered in her eyes.
His green gaze traveled over her as Jace replied, “In the alley. It glittered in the moonlight. I’m glad I noticed it. Obviously it means a great deal to you.” As she gazed at the meaningful possession, lost in poignant reflection, Jace observed how the gold threads in her gown matched her hair. The white pearls and creamy fabric made a stunning contrast against her tanned flesh, silky skin his fingers longed to stroke and roam at leisure. Her waist was small enough for his large hands to encircle and nearly meet in front and back. It seemed like ages since he had last seen and touched her; yet it also seemed that no time had passed since their separation. He realized how pleasant it was to be with her again and hoped no one would interrupt this stolen visit. How he wished he didn’t have to sneak about to see her, but that couldn’t be helped for now. Her sultry voice warmed him as she spoke.
“It means so much to have it returned. Chad posted a description and reward for it. Thank you. I’ll see that you receive the reward. Where shall I send it? To whom?” she asked, meeting his enchanting gaze as she begged her body to stop trembling.
Chapter Four
Jace’s sensual lips curled into a compelling grin as his fingers toyed with the bow at her right shoulder. “Your beautiful smile and gratitude are thanks enough, Miss Leigh. You look ravishing tonight. Are you having a good time at Lord Salisbury’s?” Jace had been watching her through the windows all night, and he was glad she had finally taken a breather from her many admirers. He had observed her with Chadwick Hamilton, and vexation had chewed at him. Of all men, Chad didn’t deserve this exquisite prize.
“Thank you for the compliment, kind sir. And yes, I’m having a glorious time. Did you want to make certain I survived that nasty encounter, or did you only want to return my locket?”
He looked into her eyes and said, “I wanted to see you again, and apologize for being rude and rushed.”
Leigh felt herself tremble at his nearness and gaze. “I do recall you were both, as was I,” she responded. “Thank you again for my locket and my rescue. Friends?” she hinted, and offered him her hand.
He clasped it between his and smiled. “Good friends, I hope.”
Leigh did not extract her small hand from his larger ones as she asked, “Did you make your dinner appointment and have fun?”
He did not break their locked gazes. “Neither, I’m afraid.”
“I hope it wasn’t because of helping me.”
“Not in the least. But if I’d known I was wasting my time, it could have been spent with you. After your frightening ordeal, I didn’t like sending you off alone and still upset.”
She laughed to break the tension rising in her body, and teased, “Aren’t you the same man who warned me about cunning predators and scolded me like a child … for being too friendly with a strange man? I still don’t know your name or where you live.”
He chuckled and evaded her last words. “Alas, guilty as charged, Miss Leigh. But I hope you forget such foolish and impulsive words.” He released her hands and reached into his pockets.
She saw that he was in casual garments, a cotton shirt and dark pants. Obviously he wasn’t a guest she had missed seeing all night. “What are you doing lurking out here in the darkness?” she questioned, noticing that he was on alert again and still mysterious.
“I tracked you down to return your locket and these …” he replied, holding out the aigrette and silk bouquet. “I was hoping you’d come outside alone for fresh air, but I honestly doubted it. Those eager young men have been keeping you busy inside, but I can’t blame them … Here.”
Leigh couldn’t conceal her surprise. “My gown is being repaired and I purchased a new hairpiece. Why not keep them as souvenirs of an exciting evening? If I carry them inside, someone might wonder how I recovered them. I asked Chad not to report my attack or to seek you as a witness, because I didn’t want people to learn about my carelessness. You do understand?”
“I shall keep them with pleasure, Laura Leigh. It was a most interesting episode.” He stuffed both items into his pocket. He could not sneak into the party to see Lord Salisbury, who had arrived in town this afternoon, yet, if he was quick and clever, he might learn something from this female who was close to Chad. But how? Without her room number—which he dared not request—he couldn’t visit Laura tonight, or risk searching the large hotel for her room. Nor could he expose himself to request it at the front desk! Too, she might not be alone.
Leigh’s eyes roved her rescuer’s towering frame and handsome face. She was thrilled to see him again, but she was nervous, as well. They were alone in a moonlit garden, and he was most enchanting. She noticed how his brows—close to his eyes and over prominent bone structure—gave those green depths a hooded air of sensual mystery. A small hump indicated to her that his nose had been broken long ago but clearly had healed without disfigurement. His angular jawline was clean shaven, and she had the urge to run her fingertip over his inviting lips and through the cleft on his strong chin. She mastered that wild impulse by questioning, “You didn’t say why you are sneaking around in the shadows? You could have left it with the hotel doorman.”
He chuckled, knowing she was apprehensive. He stroked her warm cheek with the back of his cool hand, a very strong one. “Then I couldn’t have seen you again. Do you mind my forwardness?”
Leigh wondered if she had misjudged this man. What if he was here to spy on an important person or to commit a daring robbery? What if he was following her for a dark reason? After all, she was a wealthy woman now. Perhaps he was up to hazardous mischief.
“Who are you? What do you really want from me? Why do you keep showing up in the oddest places?”
“How else can I pursue a beautiful woman in such demand if I don’t trail her constantly to catch her without her horde of admirers?”
“Will you trail me all the way to Mombasa, Sir Lancelot? That’s where I’m heading Monday morning with my guardian,” she said to test his intentions. “I’m sailing to East Africa with Lord Hamilton and friends to go on a safari. We’re staying there two months and the voyage requires three weeks in each direction, so we won’t return until late June. As you can see, my gallant champion, you’ll have to find another damsel in distress to rescue and track on dark nights.”
“Lord Hamilton is your guardian?” he asked, wary.
“Yes, he is. And I doubt your sneaky pursuit and my recklessness will please him if he catches us. After all; I don’t even know who you are. He is most strict and protective,” she ventured to catch his reaction to her impending and lengthy absence and to withdraw more information. She knew that Chad would be furious with her for taking such a risk, but she couldn’t help herself.
“I see …” he murmured, wondering where that “strict and protective” nature was last night when she was out alone and in danger. “Is the whole family going?” he inquired in a casual tone.
“Of course,” she responded, wanting only to let him know she wouldn’t be alone with Chad, but not wanting to explain about Louisa, Cynthia, and Reid. She awaited his response to those words.
Jace’s heart raced with excitement and anticipation at those unexpected clues. He was to sail at dawn, hopefully after meeting with Lord Salisbury, if he could catch the powerful man alone. If the entire family was going on safari in his area, that meant William Webster would be along, the man who had taken over his father’s business because of “outstanding debts” to Webster International. He had tried to sneak a visit with the old man, but the Webster home was closed up tight and the servants were gone. Perhaps, he reasoned, they were staying at the hotel until Monday’s departure.