Free Winter's Heat: A Nemesis Unlimited Holiday Novella by Zoe Archer

estate.”
    “They didn’t bring their own valet or maid,” he said. “Mistrust is running high. If they wanted anything done with the valise, they’d do it themselves.”
    “If they didn’t leave Covington Hall all day,” she said, “then they must have hidden the valise somewhere in the house.” She shook her head. “The place is enormous, and Larkfield knows it well. He could’ve hidden the bag anywhere.”
    Still, he remained undaunted. He’d always been so confident. That hadn’t changed.
    “Then,” he said with conviction, “we bloody well find it.”
    *   *   *
    They returned to the house in silence. Ada had no idea what Michael was thinking, but she couldn’t stop remembering how he felt beneath her as he climbed, or the way he moved so sleekly and purposefully in the ruin.
    Once back outside Covington Hall, they stood at the base of the building, exactly where they’d descended hours before. The wall loomed above them, and far up, the window that was their destination.
    Michael turned so his back was to her. “Hop on. Ferry’s returning to the dock.”
    Yet she didn’t move. She looked up at the wall and flexed her fingers.
    He realized what she intended to do and shook his head. “No. Absolutely not.”
    “I watched you on the way down. How you found foot and toeholds. I could feel the way your body moved.” Her face heated at this confession.
    “This isn’t a little garden wall. I fell and busted my arse countless times when I was training.”
    “Then I’d better not fall,” she answered.
    His face darkened. “Ada—”
    “I need to try this, Michael.” She fought to find the right words. The idea had been growing within her ever since they’d started back from the ruin, until it filled her with a blazing urgency. “I need to know … what I can do.”
    For a long moment, he only stared at her, his brow lowered, his hands on his hips. A debate seemed to rage within him. He took a step in one direction, then the other. A tight, controlled pacing. Finally, he cursed under his breath, and her heart leapt. In fear and excitement.
    “I’m going to be right behind you,” he growled. “And if I tell you where to move or how, you do it.”
    “Yes,” she answered at once. Her pulse beat thickly.
    “Face the wall,” he commanded.
    She did as he directed. He stood right behind her.
    “Now, find some good handholds, places in the mortar where you can shove your fingers in tight and get a good grip.” When she’d done so, he continued, “Next, find your toeholds. Those’ll be harder to find, because your feet are bigger than your hands. Just get enough of a wedge in with the toe of your boot. Start with one foot, then the other.”
    She searched for good places for her feet. It took a few tries, her boots sliding on the wall, but she was determined, and as soon as she got one foot wedged between the bricks, she found another toehold. For a moment, she simply hung there on the wall, only inches from the ground. A small victory, but one she savored.
    “Use the strength of your legs and your arms,” he ordered. “Push up with your legs and use that momentum to lift you higher once you find your next handholds.”
    Taking a deep breath, she reached up to locate places to put her hands. As soon as she found them, she shoved upward using the power of her legs. Though she’d lost a little of the strength she’d had as a housemaid, working as a shopgirl wasn’t soft or easy labor. All that bending and carrying bolts of heavy cloth had given her unladylike muscles, and she used them now to propel herself up the side of Covington Hall.
    Her fingers ached and her body complained from the hard use. Her limbs trembled, and sweat slicked her back. She glanced down and saw that she’d reached ten feet up the wall.
    Suddenly, he appeared beside her, holding on to the wall. “Now climb on. I’m not putting you in any more danger.”
    “But—”
    “You’ve proven what you can do.