A Vengeful Deception

‘As you can see this part of the house has been altered and brought up to date as much as possible, without spoiling the old place. It used to be quite comfortable, and no doubt will be again when the heating’s working,’ he added dryly.

‘On the floor above, apart from the Morrisons’ self-contained flat, there are seven bedrooms and various bathrooms, but there’s nothing much of interest, so I won’t take you upstairs until we go to bed.’

His words were innocent enough on the surface, but there was something, some nuance, that made every nerve-ending in her body tighten.

‘This archway leads through to the East Wing,’ he went on smoothly. ‘It hasn’t been lived in for donkey’s years, and it’s by far the most interesting. There’s neither gas nor electricity, so this is where we’ll need to light the candle.’ Taking it from her, he went on, ‘The matches are in my right-hand pocket, if you’d be kind enough to fish them out.’

Feeling in his pocket seemed somehow so personal that Anna had to brace herself to do it.

Judging by the mocking gleam in his eye, he knew exactly how she felt, and was enjoying her discomfort.

As she stepped closer, she fancied she could feel the warmth emanating from his body, and shivered in response.

The box located, she struck a match and lit the candle he was holding. She was annoyed to find that her hand shook.

‘Something bothering you?’ he asked innocently.

Hurriedly blowing out the match before it burnt her fingers, she replaced the box in his pocket, and answered, ‘I’m cold.’ It wasn’t a complete lie.