The Perfect Bride (5 page)

“It must be nice having your son working with you,” she said quickly when he started to turn away, not wanting to lose him
just yet.

“It’s a good way to keep an eye on him,” Ray said.

“Does he need someone to keep an eye on him?” she asked curiously.

He gave her a head-to-toe once-over, as his son had, but there was no interest in his gaze. “Most people do,” he said vaguely.

“What about Mr. Sutton, the previous owner?”

“What do you mean?”

“Zack was telling me a little about him. Made
it sound like he might have gone a little...crazy?”

The man’s mouth tightened into a hard, unyielding line. “The boy talks too much.”

Before she could say another word, he put his back to her and stalked into the gardens, quickly vanishing behind the hedge.

She could chase after him and ask him to show her the gardens in hopes of drawing out the conversation, but somehow she doubted
running after him like that was going to make him any more talkative. She was going to have to find another approach to get him to open up to her, even a little, if that was even possible.

Instead, she drew in a deep breath of the warm morning air, tilting her head back to feel the sun on her face again. It was still bright out, the sky clear and blue, but Jillian suddenly felt inexplicably
colder.

She needed answers, and if no one at Sutton Hall was willing to tell her what she needed to know, she’d have to go outside to get them.

And as she glanced up at the balcony hanging far in the sky, getting away from Sutton Hall for a little while didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

Chapter Five

“We need to talk about Jillian Jones.”

After waiting for hours to speak with Meredith, Adam didn’t wait for her to close the office door behind her before launching into the topic.

Meredith shot him an exasperated look. “What is it now?”

“I caught her in the tower bedroom last night. The one Courtney Miller was staying in.”

The clarification wasn’t
necessary, Meredith’s gaze dimming before he offered it. She knew full well where Courtney Miller had been staying. She was the one who’d put her there, a fact he knew she still felt guilty about, though it certainly wasn’t her fault the woman hadn’t had enough sense not to venture out onto a balcony in a fierce wind and tumble off of it.

“I thought it was locked,” she murmured.

Adam
swallowed a twinge of guilt. “I must have forgotten to lock it the last time I went to check that everything was cleared out.”

Meredith’s eyes narrowed with suspicion, and he knew exactly what she was thinking. He never “forgot” to do things. It was something he took a great deal of pride in.

She evidently decided to let the issue pass. “What was she doing there?” she asked.

“Nosing
around. Said she was curious.”

“Well, you can hardly blame her for that. Honestly, I think it would be more suspicious if she wasn’t.”

It was exactly what Jillian Jones had said, Adam remembered with no small irritation. And both she and his sister were right. The fact that Jillian claimed not to care that another bride had recently died in the place she herself intended to be married
had struck him as suspicious. If anything, the revelation that she wasn’t quite so indifferent to that information should serve as a relief of some kind.

Instead, their encounter had only left him more wary of the woman than ever. The fact that she’d had a flashlight meant she’d specifically intended to snoop around when she came here. There was no other reason for her to bring one, or simply
happen to have one in her luggage. And when he’d confronted her, she hadn’t been at all embarrassed or remorseful at having been caught in the middle of the night somewhere she had no right to be. She hadn’t backed down in the least, dodging every accusation and doing her best to turn the tables on him. She was smart, she was a fighter and she was determined.

Under different circumstances
he might have respected that. She was a worthy adversary.

At the moment, an adversary was the last thing he needed, especially a worthy one. She wasn’t going to be scared off easily.

The image of how she’d looked rose in his mind. Shoulders squared, spine straight, her green eyes flashing fire as she’d faced him.

A far different spark in those eyes, her supple mouth pursed gently,
as she peered up at him, mere inches away...

She’d been dressed for bed, in a thin white T-shirt and loose cotton pants that clung to her hips. She should have looked small, vulnerable. She hadn’t. Even with the wind filling the room, blowing the clothes against her body so that every curve, every tempting swell, was clearly outlined, she’d looked strong. Determined.

Tempting as hell.

“What is this really about?”

Adam jerked his head up, the words snapping him out of his thoughts. “What do you mean?”

Meredith folded her arms over her chest. “Jillian’s been here less than twenty-four hours and I haven’t heard you talk about anything else since she arrived.”

“Because I don’t trust her.”

“Is that really what it is?”

“What are you suggesting?” he said,
already suspecting he knew, unease crawling up the nape of his neck.

“She’s a very attractive woman.”

Meredith didn’t have to elaborate. He had no trouble picking up on the implication. Maybe because the same notion had been percolating in the back of his mind, bubbling just beneath the surface.

“You’re imagining things.”

“Am I? It’s been years since I’ve heard you talk this
much about any woman. In fact, I don’t actually remember you
ever
talking this much about a woman.”

That was because he hadn’t, Adam acknowledged reluctantly. He’d always been so consumed with work he’d never had time for anything serious, and never met a woman who’d made him want to change that.

“She’s getting married,” he said, unable to keep the hint of irony from his tone.

“You seem to have your doubts about that,” Meredith pointed out. “Or is it because you don’t want her to be?”

“No, because that would make her a liar and a fraud, and we’d have a much bigger problem on our hands.”

“Actually, I think that would be less of a problem than you being interested in a woman who’s very much attached and who came here to get married.”

“Trust me, my only interest
in her is why she’s really here.”

Even as he said it, he knew it was a lie.

If he was right, then he was attracted to a woman who was a liar, and probably worse. If he wasn’t, then he was attracted to a woman who was completely off-limits. He wasn’t going to chase after a woman who was marrying someone else.

Either way, he had no business thinking about her at all.

From the
look on her face, Meredith didn’t believe him any more than he did. He waited for her to call him on it, but she didn’t.

“Good. Then we don’t have a problem.”

“Unless she gives us one.”

“It’s fine,” she said firmly. “Everything is going to be fine.”

Adam almost wondered how she could be capable of such optimism and hope after everything she’d been through.

The words were
definitive, but Adam caught the barely noticeable tremor in her voice, the slightly tremulous quality of the smile she worked up. He knew her too well. He knew deep down she was trying to convince herself as much as she was him, as though if she tried hard enough, she could will it to be true. Because she wanted everything to work out, needed it to for reasons he understood all too well.

He would give anything to make it true.

But every instinct told him he couldn’t, any more than he had in the past. At least this time he could keep her from getting hurt.

Even as part of him wondered if there was any chance he would be more successful at that than he’d been before.

* * *

U
NABLE
TO
SHRUG
off her wedding-planning duties any earlier without it looking suspicious,
Jillian waited until lunch to announce she intended to drive into town, saying she wanted to explore the area a bit.

“I can come with you,” Meredith offered. “I could show you some spots you might want to know about so you can point them out to your wedding guests as places to visit.”

“That’s all right,” Jillian said. “I think I’d like to try to get a feel for the area on my own.”

“Of course,” Meredith said, forcing a smile. Jillian didn’t miss the worry the woman could barely conceal. Was she concerned Jillian wouldn’t come back? Jillian wondered if Meredith was aware her brother was trying to scare her off, or if she had other reasons to be worried. It was just another of the mysteries at Sutton Hall, and Jillian already had enough of those to unravel.

She left
midafternoon, finding her way to the garage where her rental car had been parked. The tension tightening the back of her shoulders eased slightly as she drove away. She glanced back in the rearview mirror once. The mansion completely filled the reflective surface, looming as large as ever. It didn’t look as dark and gloomy as it did up close, but Jillian still felt unsettled as she took it in. Only
when the trees blocked it did the mansion finally disappear from view. The instant it did, an involuntary sigh eased from Jillian’s lungs. Inhaling deeply, she turned her focus to the road.

The town of Hawthorne was located a few miles down the road at the base of the mountain. Jillian hadn’t paid much attention to it on her way through the day before, too intent on reaching her destination.
This time she made a point to study her surroundings as she entered the town limits. It was even smaller than she’d realized, but utterly charming, with a comfortable small-town feel. The buildings that lined the main street were large and older, classic in style. She wouldn’t have been surprised to learn they’d all been standing for more than a century, all beautifully maintained.

Spotting
the library, Jillian parked out front and made her way inside. The building was quiet as she entered, even more than she would have expected for a library. The only person in view was the woman behind the front desk. Appearing to be in her fifties, with a head of brown curls and half-rimmed glasses, she looked up and smiled at Jillian’s approach.

“Hi there,” Jillian said. “I’m hoping you
can help me. I’m interested in doing some research on Sutton Hall.”

The woman’s expression didn’t change, but Jillian didn’t miss the way her smile seemed to tighten slightly. “What kind of research?”

“My name is Jillian Jones. I’m going to be getting married there and would love to learn more about the place. The new owners have told me a little, but I’m sure there’s more they don’t
know about since they’re fairly new to the place themselves. I thought I might try to do some research on my own.”

With every word, the woman’s smile had tightened further. By the time Jillian finished her explanation, it couldn’t have looked more forced. “How nice,” the woman said faintly. “You must be so excited. Are your friends and family up there with you preparing for the big day?”

“No, it’s just me at the moment.”

The woman’s eyebrows lifted. “Oh, so you’re...all alone out there.”

The way she said it sent a shiver down Jillian’s spine, reminding her all too well how true it was. “Well, not exactly,” she made herself say. “The Suttons and the rest of the staff are there, too, of course.”

“Of course,” the woman echoed flatly.

“I know what you’re thinking,”
Jillian said. “And yes, I am aware of the death that happened there recently, so you don’t have to tell me about that.”

The look on the woman’s face said she clearly needed to if Jillian was dismissing it that easily.

As if realizing she hadn’t said anything for far too long, the woman straightened with a start. “All right,” she said finally. She motioned toward a nearby table. “Why
don’t we have a seat and I’ll tell you what I can.”

“That sounds great,” Jillian replied, not having to fake her eagerness. She’d thought the woman might point her to some reference materials, but this was better. Especially since some of the things she wanted to know were unlikely to be in any books.

With a nod, Jillian moved toward the table, glancing around the room as she made her
way there. There didn’t seem to be any other patrons at the moment, luckily enough for her since it gave the woman time to talk.

The librarian followed Jillian to the table, taking the seat across from her with a clear view to keep an eye on the door. “I’m Emma, by the way,” she said, introducing herself.

“I’m glad to meet you,” Jillian said honestly. “The folks at Sutton Hall haven’t
been all that talkative.”

“I’m not surprised,” Emma confessed. “The folks up there have always kept to themselves. Has to be odd for them to have strangers around.”

“I can understand that. But I’m still fascinated by the place and would love to find out everything I can about it.”

The librarian pursed her lips, considering. “All right. Well, let’s see...Sutton Hall was built in
1874 by Hugh Sutton, a manufacturing tycoon who owned a number of factories throughout New England. Jacob Sutton, the last owner before the current ones, was Hugh’s great-grandson. He was an only child, and he and his wife never had children, which is why the place was inherited by Adam and Meredith, who are descendants of one of Hugh’s other sons.”

“I heard Jacob’s wife died in a car accident,”
Jillian said.

“That’s right. About twenty-five years ago. It was during a winter storm. Her car went right off the road and over the edge of the mountain. It took some time to reach the car and get her body out. Jacob blamed himself. They were supposed to be traveling together. He should have been in the car with her.”

“Did he think he could have done a better job driving in the storm?”

“Or he thought he could have died with her. It often seemed like he wished he had. The way he lived the rest of his life, I’m not sure he didn’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“He never really left Sutton Hall after that. He sold off most of his business interests. As far as I know, he didn’t work. He didn’t have to, of course. Between his investments and the family fortune, I’m sure he had
more than enough to live on for far longer than he did.”

Jillian had already thought Jacob Sutton’s story was sad, but the more she heard about him the more tragic it seemed. “Rosie mentioned that he seldom had guests. I guess I didn’t realize just how reclusive he’d become.”

“He hadn’t been seen in town in more than twenty years, though a few people who went up to the house for various
reasons saw him. They said he was practically wasting away, a shadow of the man he’d once been. I don’t think anyone was surprised to hear he’d died.”

“I heard he might have gone a little...crazy in his last few years?”

The woman’s eyes narrowed shrewdly. “I’m guessing you heard that from Zack.”

“How’d you know?”

Emma grimaced. “If anyone was liable to tell you that, it’s him.
The rest of them up there are all too loyal, and Zack likes to talk. Most of what I’ve heard about Jacob in the last years of his life started with Zack talking here in town and word getting around. But, yes, from what I hear Jacob spent most of his days sitting on the balcony of one of the tower rooms, the one that looks out over the road leading up the mountain. He’d just sit there and stare,
as if he was still watching for her, waiting for her to come back.”

The balcony of the tower room that looks out over the road leading up the mountain.
Jillian didn’t need her to tell her which one that was, as a prickle of unease raised goose bumps on her arms. It was the one with the best view in the house.