The Scarlet Wench Read Online Free PDF Page A

business. With any luck, he’d have time to get back to his painting right after the troupe left. Thank goodness Nora was willing to step in for Kate and help him run things smoothly.
      Nora. She’d put her life on the line, and her baby’s, too, to ferret out the real murderer last year to prove his innocence. He’d seen her at her worst over the past months: crying through post-partum blues, adjusting to breast-feeding, feeling sleep deprived but thrilled with her infant son. It had forced him to see her as a real person, not as the romantic notion he’d harbored. He would always look at her differently—that one night together assured that—but his ardor had cooled as he understood his feelings weren’t reciprocated. Nora loved him, but it had taken him time to realize she wasn’t in love with him, and he knew there was a distinct difference. He’d taken a giant step back from putting any kind of pressure on her. At the same time, becoming a murder suspect had renewed his instincts for survival and made him inspect his own future. Nora would always be there for him, but she’d seemed relieved when he’d started dating his manager, Maeve Addams.
      He’d dated the brunette with the shiny hair briefly in school. When Kate hired her years later to help manage the lodge, he’d protested. Now he could see what Kate had seen, that Maeve was industrious and organized. Her presence allowed both Simon and Kate time off, and for Simon, that meant valuable hours to pursue his painting.
      Maeve quickly proved herself an asset to Ramsey Lodge and made no secret of her interest in Simon. He’d missed having a real relationship and envied Kate and Ian. When he’d asked her out, they’d seemed to click, and their dating hadn’t impacted his working relationship with Nora. If anything, they were more at ease with each other than ever.
      Having someone in his life reciprocating his desire for affection and companionship wasn’t half bad. All good things on the horizon these days, and with financial relief in sight, Simon felt his spirits on the rise. Now where was that bloody train?

    *

    12:20 PM

    Simon pulled up in front of Ramsey Lodge and turned to the ruddy-faced man with white hair sitting next to him.
      “Here we are. Ramsey Lodge in all its glory.”
      “Delightful,” Rupert Denton said, exiting the car and opening the rear door for his wife.
      Lydia Denton gazed around her and made a beeline for the end of the drive, where she scrutinized the lake across the road. “Rupert, look!” She waved for him to join her.
      Simon watched the couple talking and pointing as he retrieved their suitcases. They had shared an amiable chat on the way from the station. Lydia must be over seventy but still had a lovely English rose complexion. He’d seen the sparkle in her blue eyes in the rearview mirror when she’d talked of honeymooning in Bowness.
      “We stayed at the Belsfield Hotel and walked by the lake every afternoon,” she said.
      “Didn’t have money to travel far in those days,” Rupert added. “Still, did us just fine, didn’t it, Lydia?”
      “Forty-three years this May,” she agreed.
      The lodge door opened, and glimpsing a flash of reddish hair, Simon expected to see Nora welcoming the visitors, but it was Callie Barnum who came out to help with the suitcases. Callie had been a boon to him getting the lodge ready before and after Kate’s wedding.
      Simon pulled up the handles on the Dentons’ rolling cases as Callie reached for one. “Thanks.” He threw a garment bag over his shoulder. “Nora back yet?”
      “Nope.” Callie bumped the suitcase up the stone steps and into the hall.
      Simon stopped at the desk to check Kate’s list. The Dentons entered behind him, and Simon introduced Callie. “She’ll be around all week, so don’t hesitate to ask her if you need anything.”
      “You’re Dr. and Mrs. Bradman,” Callie said with a light blush. “I read