“Someone told me you have in your possession the only map of the legendary continent of Atlantis.” She made another stitch.
Again, his eyes met hers. “And who is this someone?” He gave her no time to answer as he continued. “Miss Tobias, it is not widely known that I own that map. Though certainly in some circles…” He trailed off. “I would have assumed that most map collectors would be more concerned with countries that are widely accepted as fact rather than a mythical continent.”
She paused over the next stitch to allow her hands to cease shaking. Damn him but he rattled her. It was no great secret that many did not believe in the existence of her homeland, but she had not considered that detail in her lie. He had a good point. A typical map collector would not bother with Atlantis. Real collectors valued detailed maps whose accuracy could be compared with real places. But she couldn’t change her story now.
“I don’t recall who told me.” She hoped she sounded casual. She added a short laugh to enforce the point. “And I collect maps from all over. Fact or fiction. I could not speak to what other collectors might deem appropriate. It’s not a scholarly pursuit with me. I told you, I merely find them attractive.”
“Might I see your collection? I have a great affinity for maps as well,” he said.
The needle slipped, and she accidentally jabbed him. “Sorry. I’m afraid I don’t keep them here. This isn’t our primary residence.”
“Of course,” he said. He sat quietly for a moment before he spoke again. “Generally, those maps worth collecting do not come at a cheap rate.”
“Surely you are not suggesting that I don’t appear wealthy enough to be a legitimate map collector,” she said. “That would be horribly rude and quite presumptuous.”
“Of course not. I could never be that crass.”
“Ah, such charm,” she said as she pulled the thread through. “I bet that sort of thing works well for you. Most of the time,” she added with a little bite to her tone.
“Most of the time,” he agreed.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t make such assumptions. Things are not always as they appear,” she said.
He said nothing, merely sat quietly with that seductive grin of his.
She finished the last stitch and tied off the thread. “There you go.” She paused and looked up at him. She once again found herself trapped by his soul-stirring eyes.
She looked away after a moment and tried to recover herself. “You need some salve,” she muttered. Gently she smeared a generous amount of the thick ointment over the stitches and the surrounding area. “This will help it heal.”
“Thank you,” he murmured.
“Regardless of why you were here tonight,” she said, “I do appreciate your assistance.”
“You need to be careful. Someone is after you, Sabine, and though you won’t tell me, I suspect you know why. If you don’t have the good sense to let me help, then at least seek assistance from someone.” This time she saw no playfulness in his eyes, no teasing.
His advice was sound; she could not deny that. But she had no one she could ask for help. “We can protect ourselves.”
“Four women living alone should always be cautious,” he said.
She busied herself by cleaning up the supplies. “We are cautious.” She had no one but her aunts. “We are perfectly safe here,” she insisted, despite the blatant evidence to the contrary.
“Yes,” he agreed wryly. “Your aunt’s shooting accuracy notwithstanding.”
He stood then and tugged his shirt on. He cringed as he stretched out his arm to slide on the bloodstained coat. But she made no move to touch him again.
Together they walked down the staircase in silence, then he turned to her and said, “Another kiss for my trouble?”
“I think not,” she said, though the invitation and his wicked grin sped up her heart.
“Pity.” He bent and pressed his warm mouth over her hand.
Sabine shut and locked the door behind him, then turned for the staircase and nearly walked right into Calliope and her other two aunts, who weren’t far behind.
She jumped. “Good heavens, you frightened me. What are you all doing sneaking around?”
“We weren’t sneaking,” Agnes said.
“We came to assist you,” Calliope said.