Page 49 of On Edge

“Sorry, didn’t mean to frighten you.” He smiles when I just stare at him. Tall with black curly hair and dark brown eyes, he’s too well-dressed to be one of Severin’s staff. And he’s completely unfamiliar.

“Sorry, I was just…” I tail off.

“Where are my manners?” He extends his hand. “Tobias Ragg. I’m the journalist here to interview Mr. Severin. You must be...”

Ragg! “I’m…er…Sage.

“Are you a guest here as well?”

“Something like that.”

“We’ve met before?”

He offers me a curious look, brow screwed up as if he’s mentally trying to place me but failing to do so, and it’s bothering him. Many people around here know my fatherthrough his businesses, but not me. I was never able to leave my parents’ estate much. I guess I have my father’s look.And Nell’s.

Shaking my head, I smile at him to soften the blow. I know how frustrating that can be when you want to recall something and can’t. It’s my constant state of mind these days.

“You write for the Fleetwater Gazette?” If he’s the same Tobias Ragg who wrote that news article then….

His eyebrows lift with surprise. “You know my work?”

“I recognize your name from the paper.” My stomach knots as I take the plunge. “You wrote about the Swanley family fire three years ago.”

Something changes in his expression, his interest sharpening into focus. “That’s right. Terrible business. Such a tragedy. Thank god the devil that did it was put behind bars.” He pauses, brow furrowing. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious about local history.” I try to keep my voice casual. “This was their estate, wasn’t it?”

I’m treading a thin line. I probably shouldn’t be talking to this man with kind eyes that seem to bore right into your soul. But I need more answers.

“It was indeed.” He studies me more carefully now. “You said your name was Sage? I didn’t catch your last name?”

I hesitate. “Lovett.”

His eyes widen slightly. “Lovett. That’s...interesting. There’s been some business dealings between your family and Severin recently, hasn’t there?”

“Y...es.”

“Didn’t your father’s conservation company owned Grayfleet briefly, before Severin acquired it anonymously at an auction?”

My pulse quickens. My father owned Grayfleet? When?That explains why he’s involved in the property agreement I found in Severin’s office and how it’s so explicitly tied to my marriage.

“And now you’re here as Severin’s… guest?” There’s a note of professional curiosity in his voice, but it’s the spark in his eyes that makes my chest feel like it’s in a vice.

“Um, it’s complicated. Sorry, what conservation company?”

“Wychshire Heritage Extraction Ltd.” Tobias’s eyes narrow. “You must know that it’s one of your father’s more successful businesses. Stripping historic properties to make hard cash?”

My stomach roils. “I didn’t know.”

He leans forward slightly, watching my reaction. “How interesting. And yet you’re there with Severin now. Why exactly?”

I flash him a smile. “I told you, it’s complicated.”

He smiles too, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “I was at the Grayfleet auction. Your father was there, of course. Severin wasn’t there as his proxy did the bidding—not unusual for someone of his calibre buying real estate anonymously. But I saw you there. Standing off to the sidelines.”

“Me?”

“Your hair was different, but that’s where I recognize you from now, I’m sure.”