'Til Death Do Us Part by Amanda Quick Read Free Book Online Page A

would not alarm Mr. and Mrs. Sykes, who were eating in the kitchen.
    â€œTrust me,” she said, “there is a great deal of difference.”
    â€œSorry,” Andrew said brusquely. “Didn’t mean to bring up the subject of Kettering.”
    â€œMy nerves have been somewhat strained of late.”
    And that was putting it mildly
,
she thought.
    â€œI know.” Andrew’s mouth tightened in a grim line. “Bloody hell, I can’t believe the person who is sending you the memento mori gifts actually gained access to this house, unnoticed. He was in your
bedroom
, Calista.”
    â€œThere is no need to remind me. We’ve been through this several times. There were a great many people coming and going yesterday afternoon because of the preparations being made for the next salon. Tradesmen and delivery people were in and out all day long.”
    â€œHe must have got in disguised as a deliveryman. The thing is, who could have known about the existence of that old lift?”
    â€œAnyone who ever worked in this house or in the gardens, for starters,” Calista said.
    â€œNone of them has any reason to try to frighten you.”
    â€œWhatever the case, I’m quite certain it wasn’t Mr. Hastings who sent the tear-catcher to me and left the ring on my bed. Please believe me when I tell you that he did not come to see me today because he is feeling vengeful. In his view, he was simply attempting to protect his sister. You would no doubt have done the same in his place.”
    â€œHe must be a suspicious man by nature.”
    â€œThat is only to be expected. He writes novels with plots that revolve around dark secrets and murder. One can only imagine how dwelling on such matters day in and day out might affect a person’s view of human nature.”
    â€œI certainly have formed a very dark view of Trent Hastings now that you’ve told me about your meeting with him.”
    â€œI must admit I won’t be rushing out to purchase his next book,” Calista said. “Which is a pity. I quite enjoyed his last novel.”
    â€œVery clever plot and the final scenes with the villain were riveting.” Andrew’s brows scrunched together. “Not sure I care for the character of Miss Wilhelmina Preston in this new story, however.”
    â€œWhat’s wrong with Wilhelmina Preston? I rather like her.”
    â€œIt’s all very well to insert a woman into the plot but we don’t want Clive Stone to get sidetracked with a romance. It will ruin the series.”
    â€œThat is a matter of opinion.”

7
    H ER HUSBAND WAS a very dangerous man. She was terrified of him.
    Anna Kettering was intensely aware of her racing pulse. Her heart was pounding. Her breath seemed to be trapped in her throat. She was certain now that the only thing keeping her alive was her inheritance.
    The terms her father had insisted on incorporating into his will were strict and quite clear. If anything happened to her—a fall down the stairs, a fever,
anything
—the money would go to distant relatives in Canada.
    Papa must have had some suspicions about Nestor, she thought. Her husband had appeared to be the ideal husband. Her father must have feared that Nestor was too perfect.
    Her fingers were shaking so badly it was all she could do to insert the key into the lock. She finally managed to get the door open. One last glance down the long hall assured her that there was no one about to observe her. It was the servants’ afternoon off and Nestor was supposedly attending a sporting event but she knew she had to be very careful.
    Satisfied that she was alone in the big town house, she entered the shadowed chamber and quickly closed and locked the door. She lit a candle and looked around the small space.
    The room was decorated in the somber hues of deep mourning. An elaborate arrangement of white flowers was displayed on a wrought-iron stand. The heavy scent of the