Silent Deception by Cathie Dunn Read Free Book Online Page A

silky chestnut hair loose around her shoulders, lay as he’d left her. He crouched on the floor and filled the cup. Easing his hand beneath her head, he lifted it slightly and held the glass to her lips.
    “Minnie?” No reaction. “All right. I’m sorry for having to do this but…” He poured water into his hands and patted her face, swiping the cold liquid across her forehead and cheeks. Repeating the process, he was pleased to see color flooding back. She began to stir.
    “Minnie?” He took her hands in his cool grasp, pressing them gently.
    Her lashes fluttered. “Where am I?” Then her gaze hardened. “You?”
    She scrambled upright and, rising, he released her.
    “What are you doing here?”
    Gideon studied her. Still as white as her frilly nightgown, she seemed to compose herself. Her hand went to her shoulder, then she looked at the door. Behind the threshold, a blanket lay crumpled on the floor. He retrieved it and she almost ripped it from his grasp and wrapped it around her shoulder and across her chest.
    Pity, the glimpse he’d caught of her shapely form before she fainted had been enticing. If his memory served him right, her nipples had strained through the material when he carried her...
    Deep breath! He leaned against the desk. “Feeling better?”
    “Yes, thank you.” Minnie sipped the water, her thunderous gaze boring into him. “You still haven’t explained your presence.”
    Gideon sighed. Telling her the truth would prove her uncle’s innocence–and possibly destroy his family’s reputation. He must tread carefully.
    “Make yourself comfortable, Minnie. It’s a long story.”
    Not letting him out of her sight, she settled into a corner of the settee and pulled her feet up, covering them with the blanket. “We have all night.”
    Oh, how he wished she’d say that in another place. Upstairs, in that comfortable bed of hers…
    He shrugged off the treacherous thoughts. “I’m looking for evidence that Henrietta Walker was married to my grandfather, Rufus Drake, 6th Earl of Rothdale.”
    “Your grandfather? But she was married to Bartholomew Walker when she died.”
    He wished he could brush away the confusion from her face. “Did she die at Walker’s hands? My investigations raise doubts.”
    “Doubts?” She shook her head. “No. Henrietta fell down the cliffs; Bartholomew,” she paused, staring at the painting behind the desk, “pushed her.”
    “ Hettie…”
    Gideon turned sharply. Bartholomew Walker’s strict, cold gaze pierced him. It was impossible. He must have imagined–
    “You heard it, too?” Minnie was on her feet, standing beside him, clutching his arm. “You did, didn’t you?”
    He nodded. “Yes. A man whispering, Hettie .” A shiver ran down his spine. “I take it you’ve heard it before?”
    “I have. Yesterday, when I was alone in the bedroom. Then again tonight. It woke me.” She stared at the portrait. “Do you think it is him?”
    Gideon shook his head. A modern man, he didn’t believe in ghosts. “It has to be a trick.” He scanned the room but inside his mind, doubts began to creep in. They’d both heard it. Male. Strong. Calling his wife’s name. “It must be.”
    “I agree.” Her voice quivered. She swallowed. “So, let us say she didn’t fall down the cliffs. What happened instead?” Her questioning eyes implored him.
    He took her hands and led her back to the settee. Pulling her down, he sat beside her and draped the blanket around her shoulders.
    “My father never spoke of my grandfather. Being raised away from him, they were never close. I always felt Father resented Rufus, my grandfather, though he’d never tell me why.”
    “Was Henrietta your grandmother?”
    “No. When Father was four years young, my grandmother, Annabelle, died of a fever. Hers was a marriage of convenience, something Father entered into as well, insisting on family duty. He tried to force me, too, but…that’s another story.” Gideon refilled