Chapter 15. A Deceptive Dress

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Though I had fully expected to feel awkward around Sean after the conversation we’d had during our training session, we were actually so busy that I didn’t have a chance.  We’d gone into Paris to shop for evening wear and come straight back to the vacation home to do research.  Sean was pulling up any information about the castle and its owner online.  The owner’s deed was in the name of Rémy Gravois, and it had been purchased approximately six years before.

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While Sean searched the internet for clues, I called Nick to get status updates on anything they could find on their end.  Sean had decided that this village was a bit too small to go around asking a lot of questions, so we would have to settle for whatever could be found through background searches and accessible records.  Nick and Belinda sent through a lot of society-page type articles mentioning Gravois, but there was nothing that mentioned any criminal records.  On paper, Gravois was a rich playboy who dabbled in art collecting and dealing.

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On the morning of the auction, Sean and I were going to visit the grounds of the castle disguised as electricians.  If we were detected, we were going to say that someone in the area had reported a power outage, and we were checking the lines.  Sean didn’t want us to be recognized if we saw anyone, so he’d stopped shaving so that he’d have a little stubble to mask his face.  I thought he wore it pretty well.

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His stubble was even darker on the morning we donned our disguises.  I’d pulled my hair into a cap yet again—I was beginning to think that I’d spend most of my time in the field wearing a cap to hide my hair.

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“Overalls and toolbelt in the morning, and an evening gown and heels tonight.  What a strange life I’m leading these days!” I joked as he joined me in the foyer.

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“Well, I’m betting you’ll look better in the evening gown—though you are pretty cute in a toolbelt.” Sean said, winking at me.

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“I told you there would be a moat.” I said.

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We’d parked nearby and hiked up the hill to get to the castle, trying to look purposeful.  Sean peered into the water.

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“But no dragons or sea monsters—luck is with us.” he joked.  We walked along the half-wall toward the side of the castle that faced the rest of the village.

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“I can’t believe how big this place is.” I said, craning my neck to see it before turning to look over the village.

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“It probably takes an army of servants to keep it maintained.” Sean murmured.  “That’s something we’ll have to look out for when we are here tonight.  If the vase is here, we might have to come back to…retrieve it.”

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“I knew we wouldn’t be able to call in the local police to get it.” I said ruefully as I let my eyes roam over the gorgeous landscape.  Our client wanted to keep the theft of the vase from his wife, and that meant keeping law enforcement out of the matter altogether.  If the vase was here, Sean would very likely have to steal it back.

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“Hey, don’t worry—I’m really good at this.” Sean said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

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“I know.  But we don’t know enough about Gravois.” I said.

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“We’ve both studied the blueprints.  We have a good idea of where the exits are, and you’ll be my back-up if something goes wrong.  Besides, we don’t know that we’ll even have to go that route.” Sean said.

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We looked around for about twenty minutes more, surreptitiously confirming the placement of the exits and balconies before leaving to go back to the vacation home.  When we got back, we reviewed the blueprints and our plans for that night.  One or both of us would find a way to search for the vase in the castle if it wasn’t up for auction, and we reviewed techniques for getting away and Sean made me recite a list of excuses for being found in various rooms.  Finally, we each took a nap so that we’d be well-rested and completely alert.

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It was almost time to leave for the auction when Sean came out of his bedroom.  I was waiting for him, trying to keep my gloved hands from trembling.  In my anxiousness over the coming task, I’d dressed quickly.

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Sean looked at me with a small smile.

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“You look perfect—very elegant.” he said.  He meant that I looked perfect for my role.

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“Thank you—you look very nice.” I said.  It was an understatement.  He had the strange ability to look both at home and really good in anything he wore.  It wasn’t fair.

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“Ready to go?” he asked.

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“Just a minute—I’m going to check to make sure nothing is smudged.” I said, standing up and turning to the mirror.

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I had the satisfaction of seeing his mouth drop open in stunned surprise in the reflection of the mirror.  When he realized I could see him even though my back was turned, he quickly shut his mouth and moved to stand behind me.

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“Your dress….” Sean trailed off.

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“Is there something on the back of it?” I asked, suddenly worried.

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“No…there’s hardly anything to the back of it.” Sean said hoarsely.

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“Oh.  Well, it is a backless dress.” I said in a matter-of-fact way.

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“It’s a very deceptive dress.  Fairly proper from the front, but so much exposed skin in the back.” Sean said softly, moving even closer.

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“Is that a problem?” I asked.

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“Definitely.” he said, moving to my other side and staring at the aforementioned bare skin.

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“What?” I asked.

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“It invites the touch.  The urge is…irresistible.” he murmured, lightly grazing one of my shoulderblades with the tips of his fingers.

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I shivered involuntarily, then took a deep breath before speaking.

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“Sean…” I began, rolling my eyes before continuing, “I’ve never had a problem with men being unable to keep their hands off me.” I said, and to my credit, my voice was dripping with skepticism.

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“You might tonight.” Sean replied, then shoved his own hands into his pockets.  “Let’s go.”

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• March 28, 2010
• An Edith Prescott Mystery: Story 2
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