thoughtful characteristics.
The Superhero thing had been a jibe, but she realized now that she’d genuinely thought
of him in those terms. A gifted loner whose self-obsession would always be his downfall.
“Ellie?”
“Hmm?”
Gideon’s raised eyebrow told her she’d zoned out again and she needed to pull herself
together, and fast.
“You want to see the rest of the place?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Follow me.”
• • •
Gideon walked her through the ground floor of the large manor, taking her into room
after room; the breakfast room, the library, the sitting room, the drawing room …
they went on and on, each one more impressive than the last.
“Wow. I hope you’ve got a cleaner because you could spend your whole life keeping
this place straight.”
“I have a team of them.”
“How much money do you actually have, Gideon? Are you a secret millionaire or something?”
“No. Not a secret one.” The look on her face made him laugh, his deep tones echoing
round the hallway.
“I had no idea.”
“Why would you?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never thought of you in those terms. I know you work hard and
that your family were rich. You’ve just never acted like a rich person before.”
“With good reason.”
Ellie shook her head. “No wonder you have so many women dripping off your arm.”
A dark expression flashed across Gideon’s face. “Let’s go upstairs. I’ll find those
clothes out for you.”
The sudden change in the atmosphere unnerved her. She realized she’d hit on a touchy
subject and thought it best to file it away under “best left well alone.”
Gideon was already halfway up the stairs so she mounted them and hurried after him.
He led her to a door at the end of the sweeping landing and opened it to reveal a
small, neat room, flooded with soft light that housed an antique wooden wardrobe and
a freestanding mirror.
“The dressing room.”
He opened the doors of the wardrobe to reveal neat rows of clothes on hangers, and
carefully folded piles of sweaters and jeans.
“Wow. Your sister left all her clothes here when she disappeared?” Ellie ran her hands
over the row of clothes in wonder.
“Yeah. She saw a chance and took it.”
“And you’ve never heard from her?”
He crossed his arms and gave a small shrug. “No.”
A shiver tracked up her spine at the thought of how devastated she’d feel if it had
been her left behind in a loveless household. “What did your grandparents say?”
“Nothing. It was like she’d never existed.”
“Wow, that’s cold.”
“That was my grandparents. She committed the ultimate sin, falling in love with someone
they considered to be a low life. They’d never have let her marry him if she’d stayed.
She’d have been miserable. I don’t blame her for going.”
“But what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Didn’t she miss you?”
“Apparently not.” His face revealed nothing of the hurt she knew must be there, digging
into his heart.
“I’m sorry.” Ellie thought about her haphazard family, and with a pang of guilt, how
much she would miss them if they weren’t around anymore. No wonder Gideon had spent
so much time at their place, if all he had left in the way of family were grandparents
who hid him away at boarding school at age eight.
She almost went to put her arms around him, to pull him in close, but stopped herself.
Their relationship was already precariously balanced as it was and she’d be totally
humiliated if he pushed her away.
He took a step backward, breaking the moment. “Anyway, help yourself. When you’ve
chosen what you want, take them into the room two doors down — that’s your bedroom
while you’re here.”
“Thanks.” She turned back to rifle through the rail, grateful for the chance to be
on her own for a few minutes. Just being in the same room as him made her jittery.
Pulling out a pair of jeans and a cardigan, she