To Catch A Thief (Saved By Desire 2) Read Free

she could find any argument. Inwardly though, she hated the thought of having to travel to Hertfordshire. She loved the house she shared with her father and their housekeeper, however, couldn’t bear to see Hooky so distressed over something she knew had plagued him for a very long time.
    “If you think she might listen to me then I am happy to try. However, Delilah has always been like this. I cannot see how I can be any more successful than you.” She frowned when she saw her father’s hesitation, and knew there was more he had yet to tell her.
    “There are rumours she has a man,” Hooky warned darkly.
    “A m-man?” Sophia asked with a scowl. “Whatever for?”
    Hooky’s eyebrows lifted.
    She looked at him askance. “Is he her butler?”
    Hooky coughed and shifted uncomfortably in his seat while he contemplated how to answer.
    His daughter never ceased to amaze him sometimes. Her innocent response warned him that while he adored her and wanted to keep her with him all the time, he had done her no favours by sheltering her from the world she should inhabit. She had too much innocence for someone who was three and twenty. While he deplored Delilah’s lifestyle, he did consider that rural Buckinghamshire was a little, well, too rural for Sophia. He hated the thought of her leaving because then he would be all by himself, but was painfully aware he was getting on in years and wasn’t going to be around forever. Who would look after his darling daughter then? Her apparent disinterest in finding a worthwhile mate to spend her time with had been proven over the past several years when she had declared on several occasions that she never wanted to take a husband. To his dismay, in spite of the many social engagements she attended, she had spurned any and all potential suitors.
    It was part of the reason why he felt that sending her to Delilah’s house for a while might just show her a side of life she really didn’t appear to even realise was there.
    “No. I think the man might be more of a lover.” He smiled when Sophia gasped and blushed prettily, and began to hope that while she was away, she might find a gentleman who was able to open her eyes to the world. As long as he didn’t break her heart, then what harm could there be?
    “I will give you some money to take with you, and a little extra to give to Delilah. Tell her it is to cover your living costs while you are there, but make sure she spends it on food and the like for you both. Don’t let her fritter it away on dresses, or dining with her associates. I doubt any one of her layabout circle could be true friends. I really don’t know why she continues to associate with them,” he grumbled on a sigh.
    “Maybe she gets lonely by herself? You know, maybe it is a way of avoiding the fact she is alone?” Sophia replied thoughtfully as she contemplated her aunt’s new lover. She was a little shocked, and now worried about what she might find once there.
    Hooky studied her, stood up, and moved to stand in front of her chair. He cupped her chin with a gentle hand and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.
    “You are the delight of my life, my dear. I do think you have the most generous heart, and you may very well be right. However, Delilah has always been frivolous with her spending, and rather too arrogant. It is time, even in her middle years, to slow down a bit. I think that if anyone can persuade her to, it shall be you. I shall miss you dreadfully while you are gone, but I don’t want you to miss me. Accompany Delilah on those social engagements of hers and make a note of who her friends are. I think that man in her life is her lover, but if she has any conscience, she won’t accommodate him with you in the house. Find out what you can about him.”
    Sophia’s brows shot up, and she immediately began to look doubtful.
    “Oh, well, if that is the case, maybe I should not pay a visit after all. I mean, I shouldn’t want to intrude. If they are –