Free Romancing the Earl by Darcy Burke

attributed her at least some value. Surely he did, since he’d shared his plans to come to Bath with her. Her head was beginning to hurt. She took a sustaining drink of tea.
    Andy set her teacup on the table. “We do in fact know Mrs. Hollister. Not well, but she’s active in Bath Society and we’ve run into her on occasion. I do believe she spends most Wednesday evenings at the Assembly Rooms. Should we go tomorrow so that we can speak with her about the tapestry?”
    Cate appreciated their assistance, but she wanted to see if Norris would simply share with her what he learned. “I need to find where Norris is staying so that I may send him a note.” She wanted to arrange a meeting to discuss their joint investigation and their findings. Or lack thereof. She also wanted to coordinate their visit to Septon House, which was only eight miles outside Bath.
    “You don’t think he’s staying with his mother? She lives over on Green Street,” Andy said.
    Cate didn’t think so. “I’m not certain if his relationship with his mother is cordial. It’s possible he’s lodging elsewhere.”
    Grey stood with her hat in hand. “I’ll find out. Don’t hold dinner for me.” She turned and left.
    Cassie lifted her cup to her lips. “Grey will run him to ground.”
    “Is he like the old Lord Norris?” Andy asked with a moue of distaste. “The antiquary?”
    Lord Norris the previous-previous. “No. In fact, if you told me they were related I should think you were lying. Or mad. He’s taller than Septon, if you can imagine. Fair-haired, rigid, but then he was in the military. In Australia of all places. His skin has a sun-kissed quality that must be permanent since he left there some ten months ago.”
    Both sisters’ movements arrested. “Sun-kissed?” Andy asked, exchanging a curious glance with Cassie, who shrugged.
    “Oh, stop.” Cate made a noise of disgust. “You’re as bad as Miranda. She was trying to pair us off. It was appalling.”
    Cassie pursed her lips. “Because he’s a woman-bashing cretin.”
    “Maybe,” Andy said judiciously. “Cate barely knows him. And they have to work together. You never know what might happen. Not all men are philandering, woman-denigrating cretins like Selina’s husband.”
    As they went in to dinner a quarter hour later, Cate couldn’t help but wonder what sort of man Norris really was. Could he be trusted? Time would tell. Unfortunately, Cate had never been a very patient person.

Chapter Five

    E lijah glanced up at the cloudy sky as he stepped out of the coach before his mother’s house in Bath. Yesterday had been clear and pleasant, perfect for their journey from Cosgrove, but today looked as though it would storm. It seemed an appropriate herald to seeing his mother after so many years away. It also went hand in glove with their acrimonious history.
    Within an hour of his and Wade’s arrival last night, he’d received a note from Miss Bowen requesting a meeting at his earliest convenience. Occupied with steeling himself—which had taken a larger than average course of whisky—in order to visit his mother, he had not yet responded to Miss Bowen.
    Reluctantly, he made his way to the front door and rapped sharply on the wood. After several moments, the door opened. Elijah didn’t recognize the butler. He was rather young, maybe not even as old as Elijah’s twenty-nine years.
    “Yes?” What the butler lacked in age, he made up for in haughtiness. He somehow managed to look down his nose at Elijah, despite being far shorter.  
    “I’m here to see Mrs. Hollister.”
    The retainer gave Elijah a thorough perusal, but didn’t reflect any judgment as to what he saw. “I’m afraid she doesn’t receive visitors until noon.”
    Elijah offered a humorless smile. “Please inform her that her son is here.” He strode forward, giving the butler no choice but to open the door wider and move out of the way.
    Time hadn’t changed the interior of the house, which