Page 32 of Miss Kimble Bites Back

Sebastian stood. “I am a man of my word, but I do not appreciate threats.”

A woman’s piercing scream echoed through the house.

Kimble spun around. “Cordelia?”

The man sprinted for the drawing room and left Sebastian to follow.

When Sebastian arrived, Kimble was on his knees beside Cordelia, where she lay across the couch.

Gabby seemed equally as lifeless, bent awkwardly over the arm of her chair. Sebastian went to her first, touching her face and holding a finger under her nose to check for the breath of life. “Gabby?”

Gabby squinted at him through one eye. “Did you think I was dead?”

“What?”

“Dead? Did you believe us murdered?”

He took a step back and glanced across at Cordie, who seemed not to have moved from her prone position. Kimble had his head bowed over her still. “Of course not.”

“Well, I damn well did,” Kimble cursed, climbing to his feet and jerking Cordelia upright. “You must never to do that again!”

Cordie put her hand on Kimble’s arm, and Sebastian suddenly realized the man was trembling—with rage. Or was it fear? “I asked her to act with me. It was my idea to shriek. I had no idea the sound would travel to you.”

Sebastian put his hand over his heart, which still raced from the fright he’d just suffered. “Kimble, I do apologize for the misunderstanding.”

Kimble’s gaze never left Cordelia’s face. “Would you care to explain?” he growled.

“Forgive my sister, Kimble. When she was a girl, she professed an interest in treading the boards. She once claimed she could act out a death scene better than those at the theater. My parents, of course, forbid her those little theatrics.”

“It’s only a harmless little play, Bennett,” Gabby whispered.

To Sebastian’s surprise, Cordelia continued to whisper to Kimble, and even ran her hand up his arm in a soothing gesture.

Finally, Kimble nodded.

Gabby drew closer. “He did not take that well.”

Sebastian glanced down at her. “Neither did I. I’ve just lost five years of my life out of fright, thinking I’d lost you,” he warned. “She was horribly convincing.”

She smiled brightly, though. “Horribly?”

“Hmm, well yes,” he admitted. He glanced across the room to his sister. “You chose today of all days to dust off another forbidden desire of yours?” he called out.

Cordelia glanced his way and smiled, but her hand remained on Kimble’s arm. “I wanted to run away from home once, too. I might still do that for the right reason.”

Sebastian laughed at the hollow threat.

Kimble’s back stiffened, though, and he mumbled something to Cordelia that Sebastian couldn’t hear.

Sebastian regarded the pair through narrowed eyes. Something was going on between Cordelia and Kimble right under his nose…or had gone on before. “It would be best if you and Gabby continued your acting another day.”

“I’d like that,” Gabby gushed. “We could add others later, too. My good friend Miss Ellis would love to join us for a little play. She often takes the male grumpy roles very well, although Bennett would be a better choice right now, don’t you think?”

Cordelia frowned at the mention of including others but did not immediately decline the idea of enlarging their group.

“So, it is settled then,” he said, clapping his hands together. “There will be acting, but could we not reenact death scenes again?”

Cordelia crossed the room and kissed his cheek. “No death scenes for at least a month to give poor Sebastian’s nerves time to prepare.”