A scant fifteen minutes later, she was ready to go downstairs. The white silk blouse was a bit too tight
in the bosom, but the jacket hid that fact. The boots scrunched her toes, too, but only just a little.
She'd tried to braid her hair, but it was a disaster. She gave up the task when she saw the lopsided mess she was making. Jade had little patience and absolutely no expertise in the area of hair styling. That fact had never bothered her before, yet now it worried her. She was a gentle lady of the ton until this masquerade was finished, and it wasn't like her to let any little detail slip her notice.
The dining room doors were wide open. Caine was sitting at the head of a long, mahogany table. A servant was pouring dark tea into a cup from a beautiful silver pot. Caine wasn't paying any attention to the man, however. He seemed to be engrossed in the newspaper he was reading.
She wasn't certain if she was supposed to curtsy or not, then decided it really didn't matter since he wasn't paying any notice. She was mistaken in that belief, however, for as soon as she reached the chair adjacent to his, he stood up and offered her his assistance.
No one had ever held out a chair for her, not even Nathan. She couldn't make up her mind if she liked
the fuss or not.
Caine continued to read his paper while she ate her breakfast. When he'd finished with what she decided was probably a daily ritual, he leaned back in his chair, folded the newspaper, and finally gave her his complete attention.
'Well?' she asked as soon as he looked at her.
'Well, what?' he asked, smiling over the eagerness in his expression.
'Was there mention of a finely dressed gentleman being murdered?' She pointed to the newspaper.
'No, there wasn't.'
She let out a gasp of dismay. 'I'll wager they tossed him in the Thames. Do you know, Caine, now that
I reflect upon it, I did feel something slither against my legs. And you did say nothing could live for long
in the Thames, didn't you? It must have been that poor…'
'Jade, you're letting your imagination get the better of you,' he interjected. 'Not only was there no mention of your finely dressed gentleman, there wasn't any mention of anyone being murdered.'
'Then they haven't found him yet.'
'If he's a member of the ton, someone would have noticed his disappearance by now. It's been two days, hasn't it, since you saw…'
'It has been two days, exactly,' she interrupted.
Caine thought that if she became any more enthusiastic, she might jump out of her chair.
'Which leads me to my first question,' he announced. 'Exactly what did you see?'
She leaned back against her chair. 'Where are Lyon and Christina, do you suppose?'
'Are you avoiding my question?'
She shook her head. 'I just don't want to have to tell it twice,' she explained. Even as she gave that lie her mind was racing for another plausible story.
'Lyon went out for a bit,' he answered. 'And Christina is tending to Dakota. Answer me, please.'
Her eyes widened.
'Now what's the matter?'
'You just said please,' she whispered. She sounded awestruck. 'If you're not careful, you'll soon be giving me the apologies you owe me.'
He knew better than to ask her why he should apologize, guessing she had her list of his faults memorized. Besides, the smile she just gave him was so dazzling, he could barely hold his concentration.
'They pitched him from the roof.'
Caine was jarred back to their topic when she made that announcement. 'You were on a roof?' he asked her, trying to imagine what in God's name she'd been up to.
'Of course not,' she replied. 'Why would I be on a roof?'
'Jade…'
'Yes?' she asked, looking expectant again.
'You weren't on a roof but you saw 'them' throw this man…'
'He was a finely dressed gentleman,' she interrupted.
'All right,' he began again. 'You weren't on the roof but you saw several men throw this finely dressed gentleman from the roof? Is that it?'
'There were three of them.'
'You're certain?'
She nodded. 'I was frightened, Caine, but I could still count.'
'Where were you when this happened?'
'On the ground.'
'I gathered that much,' he muttered. 'If you weren't on the roof, I did assume…'
