"She came back for Ringcross?" Prudence gripped Sebastian's arm. "Is that what you mean, Mr. Higgins?"

"She'll come for the others, too." Higgins moved out of the door­way. He started down the hall.

"Wait. Who are the others?" Sebastian asked quickly. "When did the girl jump?"

But Higgins paid no attention. He hummed tunelessly and kept walking away down the hall. Sebastian made to go after him.

"Let him be," Prudence said. "The poor man is mad. If you try to question him further, you will only agitate him. There's no telling what he will do. He might cause a stir and alarm the household. It would ruin any chance we have of completing our investigation."

"Hell and damnation, he knows something about this affair." Se­bastian watched in frustration as Higgins turned a corner in the dark hall and disappeared from sight.

"Perhaps less than you think," Prudence said thoughtfully. "He seemed to be suffering from some sort of delirium. The girl's death might be merely an old legend that he has somehow gotten confused with Ringcross's death."

"Who do you suppose he is?"

"I don't have any idea. An old family retainer long since pensioned off, perhaps." Prudence smiled. "Or mayhap he was a ghost."

Sebastian scowled at her as he took her arm and guided her to­ward the stairs. "That was no ghost."

"How do you know? You've never met one."

"I'll know one when I see one." Sebastian reached the stairs and the floor below. "You, on the other hand, have seen one too many tonight."

"Nonsense. I won't allow you to make it sound as if I am in the habit of seeing apparitions. I assure you, I am not. Just because I felt something odd in that chamber does not mean I am weak-minded."

"Hush." Sebastian came to a halt midway down the staircase.

He flattened himself against the wall and pulled Prudence into his arms. He turned her so that her face was hidden against his chest.

"What are you doing?" Prudence mumbled into his shirt.

"Quiet," he whispered into her ear. "The traffic in the hall seems to have become somewhat brisk again."

"Oh."

Somewhere in the corridor a door closed. Sebastian waited a mo­ment longer before releasing Prudence. "I think we are safe. It was Larkin. He tiptoed past the bottom of the stairs and never glanced up. Come, let's get you back to your bedchamber. We may not be so lucky the next time."

"This is really very exciting, isn't it, Sebastian?" Prudence allowed herself to be hauled swiftly to the bottom of the stairs. "I do believe I am going to enjoy our partnership immensely."

"I trust you will, my sweet," he muttered. "I, unfortunately, fear my nerves are going to suffer somewhat from the experience."

They reached the door of Prudence's bedchamber without further incident. Prudence could feel Sebastian's sigh of relief. He opened her door.

Prudence heard the squeak of another door down the hall. She hurried into her room and whirled about to make certain Sebastian was not seen by whoever was now traipsing down the busy corridor.

Sebastian was right behind her. He closed the door so softly that it did not make a sound.

"Damnation." He released the doorknob. "That was close."

"Yes, but we are quite safe now." Prudence lit a candle. The flar­ing flame revealed the determined expression on Sebastian's face. She looked at him in surprise. "Is something wrong? I am certain you will be able to return to your own room in a moment or two."

"As it happens," Sebastian said, "there is something I wish to discuss with you." His gaze moved over her with unmistakable posses-siveness. "Now seems as good a time as any." analyze the results of our investigation tonight. We should make notes. Give me a moment and I'll fetch my journal."

"Later." Sebastian's eyes gleamed gold in the candlelight. "What I wish to discuss now is something of a much more personal nature."

"Personal?"

"Yes."

He took two steps toward her and pulled her into his arms. "Very personal."

The soft knock on the door came just as Sebastian covered Pru­dence's mouth with his own.

Qfline

orfWAC>‘bloody hell." Sebastian broke off the kiss and turned his head toward the door. He had never looked more dangerous. "Who, in the name of the devil, thinks he can knock on your bed­chamber door at this hour of the night?"

"I have no notion." She frowned in concern as she saw the cold rage that had flared to life in Sebastian's glittering gaze. "For heaven's sake, calm yourself. It's undoubtedly Lady Pembroke. Perhaps she is in need of assistance."

"Not likely." Sebastian swung around on his heel and started to­ward the door.

Alarmed by his menacing mood, Prudence grabbed for his arm and missed. "Sebastian, wait. You mustn't answer my door."

"You most certainly are not going to respond to that knock."

"Think about what you are doing, my lord." Prudence scurried after him. "This is not a logical, rational approach to the matter."

"You're wrong, Prue. It is a very logical tactic. My approach will be extremely effective in putting an end to future such late-night visits from whoever is out in the hall."

"May I remind you, sir, that it will be exceedingly difficult to break off our engagement if people believe we have been in the habit of sharing a bedchamber. The entire affair is going to be awkward enough as it is."

There was another soft, inquiring knock on the door.

Sebastian slanted Prudence a derisive glance. "My dear, you do not know the meaning of awkward."

Prudence had had enough. "This is nonsense. You are not thinking

"Is that so?" Sebastian had his hand on the doorknob. "And pre­cisely what would you have me do under these circumstances, Miss Merryweather?"

"The practical thing. Get into the wardrobe and stay there while I deal with this."

He gave her a look of total disbelief. Then he jerked open the door.

Prudence was so annoyed with his high-handed behavior that the identity of her late-night visitor did not register for a few seconds. She gasped when she recognized Edward.

Lord Underbrink stood in the hall garbed in slippers and a dark blue dressing gown embroidered with his family crest. He did not immediately notice Sebastian because he was too busy checking the hall to the left to make certain it was still empty.

"Good evening, Underbrink," Sebastian said in a voice that could have frozen hellfire. "For the sake of efficiency, we may as well skip the formalities. Let us go straight to the point. I shall have my seconds call on yours as soon as we return to London."

"What?" Edward jumped a good three inches. His head snapped around and he stared at Sebastian with mounting horror. "Damna­tion. Angelstone, my apologies. I appear to have knocked on the wrong door."

"A brilliant observation. Definitely the wrong door."

"It was all a mistake, I assure you," Edward stuttered.

"A mistake for which you will pay dearly."

"Now, see here," Edward blustered, "you surely don't intend to call me out simply because I knocked on your door."

"This is not my door," Sebastian said.

Edward affected blank confusion. "It's not? But you are standing right there in the doorway. I fear I do not comprehend."

"This is my fiancee's door, Underbrink, and you damn well know it. I do not intend to discuss the matter now, however. I prefer to do so over pistols."

Edward was stricken. "It was an honest mistake, I assure you. I was under the impression this was another lady's door. An older woman. Married for years. Under the circumstances, I'm sure you'll under­stand that I can hardly reveal her name, but it was definitely not Miss Merryweather."

Edward was clearly desperate. "Sir, you cannot mean to challenge me over this."

"That is precisely what I mean to do." Sebastian started to close the door.