Seduced at Midnight

while.'

'I'm a bit tied up right now with this recent rash of crimes-'

'I'm not in a rush.' A smile that didn't reach his eyes curved Jennsen's lips. 'I'm a patient man.'

'In that case, yes. Who is this man you want information on?'

'Lord Beechmore. Before I seriously consider his proposition, I need to know more about him. Everything about him. Not surface information-I already have that.'

'I understand. I'll look into it and let you know what I find.'

'Excellent. I look forward to hearing from you.'

'Jennsen, before you go…' Gideon slipped the snuffbox he'd found the previous evening from his pocket and held it out, carefully gauging Jennsen's reaction. 'Would this be yours?'

Jennsen shook his head. 'No. I don't partake of snuff. Nasty habit, if you ask me.' Speculation glittered in his eyes. 'Since you've asked me about it, the box clearly isn't yours. Where did you get it?'

Gideon debated whether to tell him, then decided it couldn't do any harm. 'I found it beneath an open window during Daltry's party.'

'May I?' Jennsen asked, holding out his hand. Gideon handed him the box, and Jennsen studied it more closely. 'I've seen this piece. And recently. But at the moment I can't recall where or who had it.' He handed it back to Gideon. 'If I remember, I'll let you know.'

After Jennsen departed, Winslow announced, 'His lordship will see you now.'

Gideon followed him down the corridor, his footfalls swallowed by the blue and gold patterned runner. Gilt-edged mirrors and fine paintings-some landscapes, some dour gentlemen who were no doubt Gatesbourne ancestors-lined the paneled walls. Fresh-cut flowers arranged in crystal vases dotted gleaming tables, their floral scent mixing with a hint of beeswax. Every inch oozed wealth and privilege.

Winslow announced him at the threshold to what he surmised was the earl's private study. Sunlight poured in from the bank of windows lining the far wall, highlighting the masculine mahogany and leather furniture, massive fireplace, and floor-to-ceiling bookcases. The Earl of Gatesbourne sat behind a highly polished desk, watching Gideon approach with all the enthusiasm one might bestow upon a large insect.

'What brings you here, Mayne?'

The curt greeting didn't surprise Gideon. People were rarely excited to receive a call from a Runner. With a negligent wave of his hand, the earl indicated the leather chair opposite the desk. After seating himself, Gideon told the earl the purpose of his visit.

When he finished, the scowling earl remained silent for several long seconds. Finally he said, 'Quite frankly, I've never heard of anything so ridiculous as this nonsense about ghosts.' He regarded Gideon through narrowed eyes that held not the slightest trace of warmth. Indeed, if Gideon had to describe the earl in a single word he'd choose frigid. Everything in his demeanor and tone bespoke of iciness.

'As for this outlandish tale my daughter told you last night and me this morning,' the earl continued, 'I can only conclude the foolish chit's imagination got the best of her. Just like a woman to blow something as simple as a branch scraping against a window all out of proportion.'

Gideon's jaw clenched at the earl's disparaging tone and less than complimentary words about Julianne. They raised an overwhelming urge in Gideon to defend her-a surprise, as he'd questioned her story himself. And because he himself had thought her foolish last night for venturing into the garden alone. Foolish… and achingly desirable.

Yes, if he had to describe Julianne in just one word, that word would be desirable. And foolish would be reserved for him. Or perhaps idiotic was more apt, for giving in to his craving to kiss her, to touch her had surely been the height of idiocy.

'I've instructed my groundskeeper to trim the branches around Julianne's windows so there won't be any further disturbances tonight as there were the last two nights.'

The earl's voice roused Gideon from his brown study and he frowned. 'Last two nights? Lady Julianne heard the moaning sounds again last night?'

'She heard the wind. For the last two nights. I assure you she won't hear the sounds again tonight.'

Something in the man's tone set off warning chimes in Gideon's mind, and his fingers involuntarily clenched. He was well acquainted with men like the earl. Men who ruled by intimidation. Gideon certainly recognized a bully when he saw one. But he was long past being intimidated by anyone's father.

'While I don't believe in ghosts, given the recent rash of crimes, I think Lady Julianne's claims bear investigating,' Gideon said, keeping his tone even and his expression carefully blank-talents honed from years of practice.

Another layer of ice glazed over the earl's eyes. 'Nothing is missing from my home. I was not robbed; no one in my household was murdered. There is no proof of an intruder outside of my daughter's frivolous imagination. She should not have mentioned her outlandish story to you. I assure you she won't make such an error again.'

Gideon's shoulders tensed. He didn't know how the earl planned to assure that Julianne didn't make such an error again, but he did know that all his protective instincts were on alert. 'Perhaps you weren't robbed, but I believe this so-called ghost meant to burgle Lord Daltry last night.' After telling the earl about the opened window at last night's soiree, he said, 'I checked the area outside Lord Daltry's home early this morning. There were footprints in the flower bed beneath the window. Someone had tried to gain entry. The window, however, had not been opened after I'd jammed it closed. I interviewed Lord Daltry's entire staff this morning. Except for one footman who believes he saw a shadowy figure leaving the garden about an hour after the party ended, no one saw or heard anything.'

'So Daltry wasn't robbed, and no one was hurt.'

'No. Not yet.'

'And neither was I robbed.'

'No. Not yet.'

'Nor do I intend to be.'

'An excellent sentiment, one I applaud. However, the so-called ghost criminal may have other ideas.'

The earl pushed his leather chair back from his polished mahogany desk and stood. 'My home is secure, and there is no proof that anyone attempted to gain entry. There is nothing here to investigate, Mr. Mayne-'

A knock cut off his curt dismissal. Shooting a dark scowl toward the door, the earl said, 'Come in.'

The door opened, and Lady Julianne crossed the threshold. And it felt to Gideon as if all the air had been sucked out of the room.

Bloody hell, she literally stole his breath. She wore a high-waisted blue gown that exactly matched her incredible eyes. The garment, although modest, hinted at lush feminine curves. Golden hair framed her beautiful face, the glossy curls upswept except for the artful tendrils that curved next to her cheeks and along her slender neck. Caught in a ray of sunshine, she looked like an angel.

His gaze settled for several seconds on her mouth… on those lush lips that had parted so eagerly beneath his. Lips he now knew were pillowy soft. And warm. And tasted like vanilla. He felt a sudden urge to squirm and forced his gaze upward, where it collided with hers.

Although he did his damnedest to conceal the flare of desire that ignited in him every time he looked at her, he wasn't certain he succeeded, especially after a scarlet flush washed over her cheeks.

'Did you come to stand mutely in the doorway, Julianne, or is there some reason why you've seen fit to interrupt my meeting?' There was no missing the annoyed chill in the earl's words. Gideon watched her attention jump to her father. She moistened her lips in an unmistakably nervous gesture then ventured