Chapter 3

“How do you know that?” Caroline screeched. Not even the movement-sensor alarm in the house had been put on at night as neither Mrs Cooper nor Caroline knew how to set it.

“No flashing red light on the sensor.” He gave a pointed look at the monitor near the ceiling in the corner of the sitting room. “Burglars have to be a bit more high-tech these days.” He shrugged dismissive shoulders beneath a thin black sweater.

Caroline’s mouth tightened. “Are you going to leave quietly and empty handed? Or do you intend to wait until the police arrive? I called them before coming downstairs,” she added defiantly as he raised dark, questioning brows.

“Did you?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes!” replied Caroline.

She was a plucky little thing; Nicholas would give her that. She showed a lot of courage in the face of adversity. Although he very much doubted that a real burglar would have stopped to chat like this, let alone bothered to carry a woman to the sitting