Free Ascension by A.S. Fenichel

with you?”
    “Since I was a girl.”
    He leaned forward frowning. “No. When you were a girl, you had an old gray-haired maid named Dorothy. I remember her very well. We used to play pranks on her and vex her quite regularly.”
    The memories of playing with Gabriel as a child or those of her beloved Dorothy brought her a bubble of joy. “Dorothy retired a few years ago. Claire was the downstairs maid and I promoted her. Why do you ask?”
    “She seems loyal and very familiar.”
    “Why should my staff not be loyal to me?”
    He nodded. “The butler is quite young.”
    “Faust has proven himself a very good butler.”
    “I’m sure he has. When did he begin working for you?”
    “Why do you not just ask me what you want to know, Gabriel? Stop interrogating me. I am not a criminal.” Now she was angry. How dare he try to obtain information in such a way?
    The laugh that erupted from Gabriel’s lips grated with distaste. “Believe me, Bella, if I thought there was the slightest chance that you would answer my questions, I would ask you directly.”
    “For goodness sake, what do you want to know about Faust?” She was tired. Maybe if she answered his questions, he would go away.
    “How long has he worked for you?”
    “Three and a half years.”
    “So he was hired just after your abduction?”
    She didn’t like where the conversation was going. Why did he ask so many questions? She tried to think of a way to change subject. “What of it? The old butler was ailing. Father pensioned him, and I hired Faust.”
    “You hired the butler, not your mother of father?”
    “They were busy.”
    “Do you have an answer for everything, Bella?” He stood and paced the room.
    “I do not know what you want me to say. You want answers and then when you get them you berate me for having them.” Her voice was rising as frustration muddled her good sense.
    “I want you to say that Faust is a big strong man and you hired him to protect you after you were abducted. I want you to say that you were afraid and needed protection,” he shouted.
    She calmed herself as much as possible. She couldn’t let him make her unstable and force her to do something she’d regret. “Fine, that is true. He is a capable bodyguard as well as butler. Are you satisfied?”
    Anger flashed in his eyes. “Hardly, but it is a start.”
    Belinda tried to change the subject since the conversation flagged. She took a sip of her cooling tea. “Shall I call for more tea?”
    “Who is Reece Foxjohn?”
    Her tea slipped from her fingers and clattered in the saucer. She eased the china into the saucer before looking up at Gabriel. “Who?”
    He studied her, watched her every move. What was he looking for? “Do not play with me, Bella. I am in no mood. You were with a man named Reece Foxjohn tonight.”
    “Do not be ridiculous.” She raised her voice hoping she sounded outraged.
    He rubbed his jaw and ran his fingers through his hair. The action pulled the locks free from the tie leaving them falling around his face. The tie tumbled to the plush carpet while Gabriel paced stiffly across the room. He stopped gripping the back of an overstuffed chair. “You are a terrible liar, Bella.”
    “Actually I’m an excellent liar, you somehow…” She decided not to finish the thought that admitted her falsehood.
    He smirked. “I know you.”
    “It is irrelevant.”
    “I suppose it is. Let’s get back to that thing that I have done that I’m not entirely proud of.”
    She sat forward. “Yes?”
    Gabriel was the most honorable man she’d ever known. What was the cause of his shame and how did it involve Reece?”
    “I followed you.”
    Her heart leapt into her throat. What was he talking about? Suddenly the empty pit of her stomach roiled with dread. “When? Why?”
    “You would not tell me where you were going or where you had been. I had to find out.” He said it as if that were enough explanation for his behavior.
    Her initial shock ebbed as