An Agent for Anna Read online

  “Another trunk?” Liam asked, sounding incredulous. “Are you sure?”

  “Agent Mason, you men are lucky—you can fold your trousers up into tiny little squares and carry them around like they’re nothing. But have you ever considered how many yards of fabric goes into making a gown, and how hard it would be to fold one up into a tiny little square?”

  “Well, no . . .”

  “Then you must trust me when I say that I’ll need another trunk. Don’t worry—I’ll have it delivered, and we’ll arrange for a porter to take it to the ship once it’s packed. You won’t even have to lift a finger.”

  “Oh, but I will,” he told her. “That’s the way of it—I’m told that I’m completely off the hook, that I’ve done everything I need to do and that I can take my ease. The next thing I know, I’m up to my elbows in some project or another, and I can’t extricate myself.”

  She wagged a finger at him. “And yet we all know how much men like to be needed.”

  Anna smiled to herself as she watched this exchange. Veronica was insistent on proving her point, Liam was doing his best not to lose his temper, and in the meantime, they were wasting time arguing on a railway platform when they could be locating their hotel. When she pointed out as much, they both calmed down, and soon they were on their way.

  The St. Nicholas Hotel was everything Anna had imagined it would be after learning of its reputation, and she was overwhelmed by the beautiful furnishings in their rooms.

  “That’s it,” she said, turning in a slow circle to see everything. “I’m staying right here forever—no more traveling for me.”

  “I think your family would miss you after a while,” Liam said good-naturedly.

  “They might, but if these were my surroundings every day, that might be a sacrifice worth making.” Anna laughed, but then paused. “What on earth is Veronica doing?”

  They had arranged for adjoining suites, and the door between the two was open. Anna could hear a sliding, scuffling sound coming from the other room, and when she went to investigate, she found two porters moving the furniture under Veronica’s supervision.

  “That’s perfect,” she told them. “Yes, please exit through the other room, and thank you for your help.”

  “What’s going on here?” Anna asked once the porters had left. A heavy dresser now stood in front of the door of that bedroom, making it impossible to enter or exit the room from the hallway.

  “I’ve come up with the most brilliant idea,” Veronica replied, looking very pleased with herself. “You don’t feel as though you can leave me alone, which is admirable and I appreciate your diligence, but I also feel guilty because the two of you haven’t had a single moment together since we started this journey. So look!” She motioned toward the dresser. “I’ll take this smaller room, and no one can come in here to kidnap me. They’d have to go through your room to get to me, and you obviously wouldn’t let them. Now I can have my own room, the two of you can be together, each of our rooms has its own washing facilities so there’s nothing of that to worry about, and I’m a genius!”

  Anna opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to find a problem with Veronica’s idea. The problem was, it did seem rather genius, and she couldn’t think of a way to get out of sharing a room with Liam.

  “That’s very thoughtful of you,” Liam said, filling in the awkward silence when Anna couldn’t come up with a reply. “You realize, you’re rather trapped in there now.”

  Veronica waved a hand. “This room is so large, I won’t notice a thing. I’ll be asleep the whole time I’m in here anyway—and look, I have my own stove. No chance of being chilly.”

  “Thank you,” Anna finally managed, and Veronica smiled.

  “Honestly, it’s the least I can do. You’ve both been very good to me.”

  They all changed for dinner, Anna taking advantage of the dressing screen in the corner of the room, and made their way down to the lavish dining room on the second floor for their supper. “Just think—in a few short weeks, this will be my everyday life,” Veronica said, motioning around to the glamourous people who were being seated. “So many important people to meet, so many parties to hold.”

  “You’re starting to sound a little more excited about it,” Anna commented.

  “Perhaps I’m just more resigned,” Veronica replied. “I might as well enjoy myself while I’m at it.”

  Dinner was delicious, and the orchestra that played while they ate was divine. Anna was so glad Mr. Miller was picking up the tab—she knew this place was expensive, and she didn’t want to imagine what the bill would be. Instead, she pushed that from her mind and concentrated on living in the moment, knowing that such moments were rare indeed and that she might never have another one like this again.

  And then it was time to separate into rooms and get some sleep.

  “Goodnight,” Veronica said, crossing their bedroom floor to access her room. “I’d like to have breakfast around eight and go shopping right afterwards, if that suits you.”

  “Of course,” Anna replied, and Veronica disappeared into her suite with a waggle of her fingers.

  The door closed, and Anna stared at it, wondering what she was supposed to do next.

  “I suppose it was just a matter of time before we’d be faced with this,” she said at last, turning around. Liam was standing by the window, looking down at the street below, and he looked over and smiled at her.

  “You know me, Anna. I don’t have any unscrupulous designs on you.”

  “Of course not. I know that. It’s just bound to be a little awkward, don’t you think?”

  “Not unless we make it so.” He dropped the curtain and walked over to the changing screen. “Let’s get ready for bed and establish some territories. Would you like the north side or the left side?”

  “Um . . . We’re indoors. I don’t know what direction we’re facing.”

  He shook his head. “You still can’t tell directions when you’re inside? College didn’t teach you anything?”

  “It’s not a skill you can just develop! Some people are born with compasses in their brains, and I was not.”

  He sighed. “Would you like the left or the right side of the bed?”

  “Thank you. Was that so hard?” She studied the layout of the room. If she took the right, she’d be closer to the exit, so maybe Liam should take the right in case someone tried to come in. On the other hand, the right side was also closer to the door that connected to Veronica’s, and should their client need something in the night, it would be more comfortable for her to deal with Anna, and so she should make herself more available.

  Liam crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m waiting.”

  “And I’m weighing all the options. Is it better to have you closer to the door in case of an intruder, or is it better to have me closer to the door in case Veronica needs me for something?”

  Liam opened his mouth as if to retort, but then he closed again. “That’s a good point,” he said at last. “I think in this case, safety is our first concern, so I’ll sleep closer to the door.”

  “All right. Problem solved.” Anna moved over to the left side of the bed and folded down the top blanket. After she took her turn changing, she slid into the bed between the top blanket and the second blanket rather than lying between the two sheets, as Liam was doing.

  He raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. She knew she was being silly, but having that blanket obstacle between them was the right thing to do. Yes, they were married, but they weren’t married married, after all.

  “Did Veronica give you any reasons today to think she was lying about knowing the intruder?” Liam asked after the light had been turned out.

  “No. We didn’t talk very much, though—you know how noisy the train is. We’ll have more time to talk tomorrow while we shop.”

  “Yes. While we shop.” Liam sounded like a man being led to the gallows.

  “Come now, Agent Mason. Do you mean to say t
hat you don’t enjoy shopping for women’s items?”

  “I don’t even enjoy shopping for my own items. Adding the women’s clothing aspect to it just makes my torture complete.”

  “You could just send the two of us, couldn’t you? I have a gun, and I know how to use it.”

  She sensed him shake his head in the darkness. “It’s best if we both go. I can keep watch over things from a distance, and you can stay by her side. There’s a reason why agents work in teams—two pairs of eyes being better than one and so forth.”

  “I understand. I was just trying to spare you some of that torture you mentioned.”

  He chuckled. “That won’t come to an end until this case is closed. I have a feeling that Miss Miller will want to visit every fancy pastry shop and every elegant fabric store and every hat store we pass from here to the estate, and I’ll just have to endure it. Having you there will make it somewhat more tolerable, though.”

  “A pastry shop is a pastry shop whether or not I’m there.”

  “Yes, but the company will be decidedly improved.” He paused. “I know this isn’t how you’d planned to spend your summer, but thank you for coming, Anna.”

  “Let’s see—how was I going to spend my summer? Oh, that’s right. Watching my sister throw herself at a man twice her age. Watching my mother try to recover from an illness she shouldn’t still have. Watching my father bury himself in work. That does sound like a delightful time—you should never have pulled me away from it.”

  Liam reached out, touched her hand, and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sorry about all that, Anna. That’s more of a burden than you should have to bear.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that. I don’t think there’s a limit to how much each person should bear, and once they hit it, they can sail smoothly through the rest of their lives.” She was trying to keep her voice steady, but her heart had started thundering at Liam’s touch, and it was a miracle that she was able to speak at all without sounding utterly breathless.

  “Well, you’ve certainly borne it tolerantly. I confess, my attitude about taking care of my parents hasn’t been the best.”

  “What’s going on with your parents?” Anna was glad he was ready to talk about it. She’d wondered, but didn’t want to pry.

  “On the surface, it doesn’t seem like much—some house repairs that have gone neglected and so forth. But if you know my father, you know that taking care of his property is important to him, so letting something like that slide is cause for alarm. I don’t think he’s ill, necessarily, but I wonder if his memory is starting to fade, or perhaps his eyesight. I hired roofers to come in this week, and when we get back, I’ll be encouraging both of them to get in for a doctor appointment—just to ease my mind, if nothing else.”

  He hadn’t let go of her hand, and she liked lying there with their fingers intertwined. She didn’t dare move a muscle or even allow a finger to twitch—she didn’t want to remind him that she was still there, that they were still touching, because she didn’t want him to pull away.

  “I’m sure they’re grateful you came back to Denver,” she replied.

  “My mother’s been ecstatic—you know how mothers get about these things. My father’s happy about it too, but shows it differently.” Liam paused. “And I’m glad for this chance for you and I to get reconnected. You were my best friend during those college days, Anna. You saw me through some pretty rough times.”

  “I did? I thought we were just study partners.” She was glad it was dark and that he couldn’t see her cheeks, which were likely pink.

  “That’s exactly it—those classes weren’t easy for me, but I was able to pass because of you. I would have flunked without those study sessions.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that,” she started to say.

  “Hey, let me pay you a compliment, if you please. You’ve been good for me, and you’re good for me now. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” she said softly. She wasn’t sure what else to say. She wanted to tell him how much he’d meant to her as well—how he’d been one of the few who accepted having a female student in their midst without making things even more complicated for her. She hadn’t actually used her college education the way she’d hoped, but she’d always be proud of herself for obtaining what she had, and Liam was a huge part of that.

  And then there were the feelings she’d developed for him that went above and beyond gratitude for his friendship. Those were best kept tucked away—dangerous things, feelings.

  But then she was saved from having to make a further reply when his breathing told her he’d fallen asleep, his hand still curled around her fingers. He must have been exhausted—he wasn’t sleeping on the train, like she’d been doing, because he was staying alert and watching over Veronica. That kind of diligence was touching and inspiring, and for the tiniest moment, she was jealous of Veronica until she realized that he wasn’t just watching over their client, but he was watching over her, too.

  “I love you,” she whispered so softly that it was more of an exhale than a speech. She might be too shy to say it aloud when he was awake to hear, but she couldn’t keep quiet about it altogether. When the time came for them to go their separate ways and she removed the ring from her finger, she honestly didn’t know if she’d be able to bear it.

  Chapter Seven

  As a young man, Liam had read Dante’s Inferno. He found much of it difficult to understand, but certain bits of imagery had stuck with him, and he had been both intrigued and repulsed by the description of the nine circles of hell. As he sat waiting for Anna and Veronica to finish their shopping, he couldn’t help but compare his current experience in a women’s shop to at least one of those circles.

  He turned the page in his newspaper, using it as a foil to hide the fact that he was keeping an eye on everyone else in the store as they milled about. They were mostly women, and that allowed him to lower his guard a bit, knowing he was on the lookout for a man. He wasn’t about to become too lackadaisical, however—a sloppy agent was an agent who put his client in danger.

  Just what was it that made Veronica a target—was it her father’s wealth, or was the kidnapper infatuated with her? If he could narrow down the motive, that would help him ascertain whether she would have been followed all this way. There were other wealthy families in Denver, and if money was the motive, Liam felt that the perpetrator would have let her go and moved on to someone else. Chasing her across the country wouldn’t be worth it.

  However, if the man had a pathological obsession with her, that would make it more likely that he’d follow her. Men with that particular mental disorder found it difficult to let go once they formed a bond with someone. But wouldn’t Veronica be aware of someone who felt that strongly about her?

  Again, he was back to the same question—was Veronica protecting her kidnapper? Did she truly not know who had made the attempt?

  As many times as Liam had cycled through this, he always arrived at the same conclusion—she did not know her attacker, and he had not followed them out of Denver. It may have been exactly as she said—a random encounter with a man who’d had a bit too much to drink and was feeling a little overly confident about his ability to sweep her off her feet. But even with that decided once again, Liam still couldn’t let down his guard just in case.

  And it was exhausting.

  He watched Anna as she and Veronica examined a display of gloves. Anna’s hair was pinned up in the back, but loosely, and some tendrils had fallen down to drift around her face. She was lovely—absolutely lovely—and his heart warmed when he remembered waking up that morning and finding her curled up next to him. He’d been so tired, and he was grateful that she hadn’t made a fuss over sharing the bed. He would have slept on the floor if necessary, but he’d slept well with a proper bed, and it was nice that there was no argument about it. All he’d wanted was sleep, and she’d understood that. Bless her for caring about him.

  Her eyes lit up as she picked up one p
air of gloves in particular. He didn’t know what made that pair special—they looked like all the others to him—but they seemed to make her happy. Then she set them back down and moved on, and he wondered why. Maybe she hadn’t brought any additional money with her. That was likely—he hadn’t realized they’d be going shopping, and she probably hadn’t realized it either.

  He waited until they’d moved on to a display of hats down the way, then he stood up and walked over to the glove counter. “Excuse me,” he said to the sales girl. “That pretty young lady over there is my wife, and I’d like to surprise her. Was this the pair of gloves she was just looking at?”

  “Yes, sir, it is,” the girl replied.

  “Would you wrap them up for me, please?”

  “Of course.” She brought out a piece of paper from beneath the counter and folded the gloves neatly inside it while Liam fished the money out of his pocket, careful that he was grabbing his own money and not Mr. Miller’s. He’d felt a flush of pride when he’d referred to Anna as his wife—the words felt good on his tongue.

  “Here you are, sir,” the clerk said, and he tucked the parcel into his pocket. He hoped it wasn’t inappropriate to give Anna such a gift—they were married, but only on paper, and he didn’t want her to be embarrassed by such a personal item. He’d just have to see how she reacted. All he knew was that she had fallen in love with those gloves and had put them back with reluctance, and he wanted to do something nice for her.

  It was such a small token in comparison to all the many things he wished he could give her.

  ***

  Anna had once dreamed of having an entire day to spend shopping, and at first, it was fun. After about two hours, though, she was ready to return to the hotel, but it seemed that Veronica had just gotten her second wind.

  They stopped in at a dressmaker’s shop, and Veronica was disappointed to find that there weren’t any gowns already made for her to try on. “I’d hoped you’d have something,” she told the seamstress. “I’m sailing for England, you see, and I must have more gowns.”