Dreaming of You Read Online Free Page A

realized how rattled she was until now. “Everything happened so quickly.”
    “You must rest for a little while,” Worthy urged, “and steady your nerves with some brandy.”
    “Yes…perhaps a splash, in a cup of tea.” She twined her fingers together. “I’m staying with friendsof my parents, the Goodmans. The hour is late…they might worry…”
    “As soon as you’re ready, we’ll have a private carriage convey you anywhere you wish.”
    “Worthy!” Derek’s disgruntled voice interrupted them. “Stop that bloody whispering. Give the country mouse some money and send ’er back where she came from.”
    Worthy began to reply, but Sara stopped him with a light touch on his arm. Squaring her small shoulders, she approached the bed. “Mr. Craven,” she said calmly, “you’re very kind to offer a reward, but I have enough money to suit my needs. However, I would be grateful if you would allow me to tour your club, and perhaps ask a few questions of your employees. As I mentioned earlier, I’m writing a novel, and you could help me—”
    “No.”
    “Mr. Craven, it is a reasonable request, considering the fact that I saved your life tonight.”
    “Like ’ell you did.”
    Sara was taken aback. “But those two men were trying to kill you!”
    “If they’d wanted that, I’d be dead now.”
    “Then…their purpose was to…to deliberately mark your face?” She recoiled in horror. “But why would anyone want to do such a thing?”
    “Mr. Craven has many enemies,” Worthy remarked, his round face troubled. “In particular a man named Ivo Jenner, who owns a rival club. But I wouldn’t have expected Jenner to do something like this.”
    “Maybe not,” Derek muttered, closing his eyes. “Maybe it was someone else. Worvy…take ’er out of ’ere.”
    “But Mr. Craven,” Sara protested.
    “Come,” Worthy said, shushing her gently. He urged her away from the bedside. Reluctantly Sara followed him to the next room.
    Left alone, Derek gave a soft laugh threaded with bitterness. “Damn you, Joyce,” he whispered, and raised a hand to touch the stitches on his face.
     
    After Dr. Hindley departed, Worthy rang for tea and stirred the fire in the grate. “Now,” he said pleasantly, sitting in a chair near Sara’s, “we may talk without interruption.”
    “Mr. Worthy, could you try to make Mr. Craven understand that I wouldn’t be a nuisance, or inconvenience him in any way? All I want is to observe the activities at the club, and ask a few questions—”
    “I will talk to Mr. Craven,” Worthy assured her. “And I’ll allow you to visit the club tomorrow while Mr. Craven is indisposed.” Worthy smiled at her obvious excitement. “It is a privilege rarely granted to women, you know, except on assembly nights. There was only one other lady who has even been allowed to cross the threshold.”
    “Yes, I’ve heard of her—they called her Lawless Lily. She was Mr. Craven’s paramour for a number of years, wasn’t she?”
    “Things are not always what they seem, Miss Fielding.”
    They were interrupted by a maid bearing a tray of tea and delicate sandwiches. Efficiently Worthy poured Sara’s tea and added a liberal amount of brandy. Balancing the cup and saucer on her lap, Sara nibbled on a sandwich, feeling as if she were slowly awakening from a nightmare. She stretched her dampfeet toward the warm fire, taking care not to expose her ankles.
    “There is only one condition I must ask of you,” Worthy said, settling back in his chair. “You must not approach Mr. Craven, or ask him any questions. In fact, I insist that you take care to avoid him. You will be free to talk to anyone else at the club. We will all try to be as accommodating as possible.”
    Sara frowned in disappointment. “But Mr. Craven could be of great help to me. There are things I would like to ask him—”
    “He is an intensely private man who has spent his life trying to escape his past. I assure you, he will not