Page 12
Chapter Twelve
L ily tried not to scratch her body as she walked up the stairs, but it was difficult when this dress seemed to make every inch of her itchy.
It was worth it, though, for the dress had its desired effect.
It had even taken Mr. Thornton a minute to recognize her, and she laughed again when she remembered how his eyes had widened when she had walked through the door.
Here, she had thought she would take on the guise of someone who didn’t require a second glance – apparently, unless it was from someone who knew exactly who she was.
She winced as the floor creaked beneath her feet when she walked down the corridor, but she hoped the noise from the tavern below would provide coverage for her.
She reached the end of the hallway, eyes narrowing as she peered through the dimness at the door handle, barely visible in the faint light filtering through the corridor window. She hadn’t thought about this part.
It took her a few tries to insert the key in the lock. She had to hold onto the handle firmly, and she wiggled it a few times until the key finally turned, and she could push the door open.
The moonlight allowed her to find an unlit oil lamp on the desk in front of her.
She lifted the glass chimney before reaching into her pocket and striking a match.
She held it to the wick, pleased when it caught.
It wasn’t a task she typically performed, and she hadn’t wanted to look like a complete fool if Mr. Thornton arrived and she hadn’t managed it.
She replaced the glass over it to control the flame and moved the lamp so that it was away from any papers but close enough that they would be able to see.
The corridor creaked behind her, and she whirled around, relieved to find Mr. Thornton filling the doorway.
“Mr. Thornton, you’re here,” she said in some relief, and he smiled that crooked smile at her.
“I’d prefer you call me Colin if you don’t mind,” he said. “Not many people call me Mr. Thornton. It’s far too formal for me.”
“Colin,” she said, testing the taste of his name on her tongue. “You may call me Lily.”
She was not used to the informal, but she liked the idea of him using it.
“Very well, Lily,” he said, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind him. “Should we lock the door?”
She nodded, even as her cheeks warmed at the thought of being locked in here with him.
She placed the key in his hand, and she had to resist the urge to wrap her fingers between his for that extra moment he lingered before he walked to the door and turned the key, the click sharp in the quiet room.
When he turned back around, she was suddenly overwhelmed by his presence. Lily had never been alone with a man unrelated to her, yet she innately knew she had nothing to fear from Mr. Thornton – Colin.
“Well, where do we start?” she asked, lifting her hands and looking around at the papers that littered the room.
“Let’s start by you telling me the story of how you were able to locate the key and sneak away unnoticed,” he said. “I am quite intrigued.”
“Oh, very well,” she said. “The key was easy. It was in my father’s study on his key ring. He keeps them all labeled so it was simple enough to sneak into the room and find the right one. Then it was just a matter of waiting until my parents left and making my way here.”
“You are leaving out one important part, Lily,” he said, slowly walking over to her, and she loved the way he said her name as though it was a caress. “How did you get here? I do hope someone accompanied you through Manchester.”
“Ah… somewhat,” she said, tapping her foot nervously.
He lifted a brow, waiting.
“I hired a hack,” she said, the words coming out in a whoosh. “My maid did accompany me partway, but then she asked if she could visit friends, and I said yes, why not? I did not need her assistance, and I feared if I denied her, she would confess all to my parents.”
“I see,” he said, looking down at her contemplatively, his nostrils flaring slightly. “You put yourself at risk.”
“I was fine,” she said, standing tall, not needing him to look down upon her. “Nothing to worry about. Now, why do we not see what we can find? I do not want to be too late and risk my parents returning home before me.”
“Of course,” he murmured. “Pritchard seems to have a few piles on the desk. Why do we not each start with one and see how far we get? Be sure to tell me if you find anything unusual, even if it doesn’t seem related. I will do the same.”
“Good plan,” she agreed before they set to work.
Lily sat at Pritchard’s desk, somewhat surprised when Colin pulled up a chair beside her, although it made sense, for they would need to share the oil lamp.
He was so close, his arm next to hers, and she couldn’t help the tingle that rushed through her from his proximity. He was the most masculine of men she had ever met, and she felt he was the type of man one could rely on, no matter the issue.
Here he was, helping her, believing in her when no one else had.
She tried to turn her attention to the matter at hand and the pile of papers in front of her, but she couldn’t help how attuned her body was to his, how his every breath seemed to reach her ear.
She slid the coarse gloves off her hands so she could more easily flip between the pages.
They worked in silence, the only sounds being the hum of voices from the tavern below them and the hint of music as it spread up toward them.
“Colin,” she said suddenly, her hand reaching out and grasping his without thinking. “I’ve found something!”
She looked up to tell him, their eyes meeting as she did, and she immediately forgot what she was about to say as she became trapped in his stare.
His eyes held hers, and he seemed equally as surprised as she was, that, suddenly, nothing else mattered but the tension in the air between the two of them, his hand warm beneath hers.
She knew she should move it but couldn’t seem to bring herself to tear it away from his.
She swallowed hard.
“Lily,” he said again, moving in closer, finally breaking their stare to scrutinize the paper. “What did you find?”
“Oh,” she said, laughing nervously, mostly at herself.
“This seems to be a list of expenses for the team, which Mr. Lockwood submitted. Noted is that everything was paid and there is a total at the bottom. From this, he should have received the amount in full. So, either he is lying, or money went missing somewhere between this account and his payment. I can see no reason for him to lie if he makes up the difference between expenses and the payments.”
“No. Rhys wouldn’t lie. He’s one of the most honorable men I’ve met. So then, who are we after?”
“I wish we knew,” she sighed. “Perhaps this isn’t enough for us to look for. What kind of paper would show us something of use?”
Colin frowned as he looked down at his pile.
“Something like this?” he suggested and lifted a note with barely legible printing, the faded ink partially smeared off.
It was Lily’s turn to lean forward to see what he was looking at.
“Is that a bribery letter?” she asked, her words nearly hushed.
“I believe it is,” he said with a self-satisfied smile. “To our friend Mr. Pritchard. This would explain quite a bit.”
Lily bit her lip as she reread the letter.
Mr. Pritchard,
I heard that your family is experiencing some hard times. Please accept this small token of my appreciation for further endeavors and use it to help support your wife.
I will speak to you soon.
“That’s it?” she said with some disappointment. “That could refer to anything – not necessarily bribery. No one has signed it?”
“No. But it’s better than what we had before,” he pointed out. “It suggests foul play.”
“We can assume,” she countered. “This doesn’t tell us everything.”
“No,” he agreed. “It doesn’t.” He looked up at the regulator clock on the wall, its pendulum swinging back and forth in perfect time. “Do you have a few more minutes to keep looking?”
“A few more minutes, yes,” she said as they worked in perfect concert through the desk drawers, finding ledgers and papers.
“What about these?” Lily said, lifting a box holding organized paper. “These seem to be receipts. If we can find the recording of his notes regarding receipts Mr. Lockwood submitted and compare them to the receipts themselves, it might tell us something.”
“Let’s see how quickly we can do this,” Colin said, lifting the box and carrying it over to a clear desk.
“I’ll read the date and amounts to you while you check them,” he said to Lily once she approached, carrying the oil lamp.
She nodded and he read them out as she checked them off, his voice, even when reading dull amounts off of receipts, deep and throaty, causing all kinds of tingles to run through her entire body.
“Well?” he said when he finished. “Do they match?”
“There are a couple of receipts you read to me that match Mr. Lockwood’s records. They are higher than what is written on the ledger, but the dates correspond.” Her breath caught. “That’s it, then, I think? If that is repeated month after month?—”
“Then someone is scaling off the top. Pritchard, do you think?”
“He must certainly be involved.”
“I agree,” Colin said grimly.
“What do we do now?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I am not entirely sure. I want to say that I should confront him, but what will he do? Whether we are right or wrong, I am likely to be kicked off the team just for bringing it forward. Who will they believe, a man who has worked for the club for years or a new upstart to the team who happens to be a foreman at the mill?”
“Well, there is proof,” Lily argued. “And I would back you up, tell them I was with you when I found it.”
“Would that not cause trouble for you?” he asked.
As they spoke, they drew closer to one another.
Lily turned her head slightly upward to look into his eyes.
Her breath quickened at the proximity of his face, the stubble lightly lining his chin.
Lily wondered what would happen if she moved an inch closer.
“Yes, of course it would,” she said, licking her lips. “But if it would protect you?—”
“I’m not worth it.”
She was startled, taken aback. “Why would you say that?”
“Look at who you are and who I am,” he said. “We are worlds apart.”
“Not right now,” she whispered, taking the chance and looking up at him. “Colin?—”
She wasn’t sure what would have happened next – would he have leaned down and kissed her? Would she have been brave enough to have stood on her toes and been the one to initiate the contact?
Unfortunately, she would never know.
For it was at that very moment that they heard a creak in the hallway.
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12 (Reading here)
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38