Read Online An Unexpected Encounter ( Half Moon House, Novella 1) by Deb Marlowe - Free Book Online

back. She dreamed of picking him apart like one of
his mechanical marvels, showing him and the rest of the world all
the shiny, beautiful parts he hid away. Surely some lucky, lovely
girl would recognize them and he would find the happiness he
deserved.
    Except that the way he avoided her told her
that he did not want her help. Perhaps he didn’t want happiness.
But she couldn’t stop thinking about it, which was why she had to
go. Before she seriously annoyed him or made a fool of herself.
    She smiled reassuringly at Aurelia. Perhaps
she should have left her at home. Perhaps she shouldn’t have come
at all. But as fascinated as she was with Lord Cotwell, she could
have gone a lifetime without seeing James Vickers again—until she
thought of a way that he could help her out of her predicament.
    James knew the work she had done. They’d met
when his father, tired of his wastrel, scandal-courting ways, had
sent him to rusticate at one of his lesser estates, the one that
just happened to border Lisbeth’s own home. Over the months of his
stay he’d seen the workload she carried, remarked on the breadth of
knowledge she’d gained and sense of duty that drove her, and joked
that his father should hire her to run his property.
    Well, he could put that knowledge to good use
by writing her a letter of recommendation—and if he could write it
on his mother’s stationary and somehow see her signature affixed as
well—then so much the better. It was the least he could do after
luring her to London and leaving her high and dry.
    The carriage slowed. Aurelia stared with
trepidation at the slightly dilapidated home. “Your friend lives
here?”
    “He has rooms upstairs, I believe.” Lisbeth
stared too. “It doesn’t look very promising, does it?”
    “We should just go home.”
    “Soon,” she promised. Climbing out, she made
arrangements for the hack to wait, then spent a few minutes coaxing
Aurelia out. By the time she’d succeeded, a woman had emerged from
the house. She stood on the stoop, adjusting her faded brown hat
and eyeing them with displeasure.
    “What’s this, then?”
    “We’re here to see Mr. Vickers.” Lisbeth
smiled. “Are you the landlady here?”
    “Aye.” The woman narrowed her eyes at Aurelia
and frowned. “Some folks just don’t learn the first time, do
they?”
    Lisbeth didn’t understand, but she reached
out to stop the woman as she tried to brush past them. “Is Mr.
Vickers at home?”
    The woman shrugged.
    “May we go in and try his door?”
    “Do what you will, much good it will do,” the
woman huffed. “Second floor. On the right. And if you see him, tell
him rents are due at the end of the week.”
    Lisbeth stared after her. “Well, that was
unpleasant, wasn’t it?” She took up Aurelia’s hand and led the way
into the house and up a somewhat grimy set of stairs. Aurelia’s
grip grew tighter and she edged a little behind Lisbeth as they
stopped before the door. She gave her hand a reassuring squeeze,
then disentangled her hand to give a knock.
    They waited.
    She knocked again, and when there was still
no answer, she blew out a breath of exasperation and gave the door
a good pounding.
    “He’s not here,” Aurelia whispered. “Please,
let’s just go home.”
    Lisbeth swallowed and lifted her fist away.
“All right, then.”
    Wasn’t it just like James Vickers to not be
at home? Still, she wouldn’t let him defeat her. She’d make the
trip again, perhaps on her free day.
    It was time for her to focus on her
future.
    * * *
    James Vickers heaved over in bed. Wincing, he
dropped an arm over his eyes to block the indecently bright light.
A constant, low moaning sounded somewhere near. As the rhythm of it
kept respectable time with the heaving of his gut, he felt fairly
certain that it came from him, but at least the incessant pounding
in his head had quit.
    Wait.
    He moved his arm away—a little too fast—and
groaned again. No. No. The devil’s pick axe still slammed