Gentlemen Prefer Nerds (5 page)

“I see nothing funny about this situation,” Isabella said sharply.

“Nor do I.” His grin faded, to be replaced by a frown as he swirled the amber liquid in his crystal tumbler. “How’s Father?”

“James hasn’t been well lately. He’s very run-down,” Isabella fretted. “I wish you’d done as he wished and made a career of managing the estate instead of—”

“Don’t worry,” Fabian interrupted before she could say anything incriminating. One never knew who might be listening in. “Everything will be all right.”

He said goodbye to her and called Jack Waterman, ex-SAS, who’d retired to Sydney a few years ago. A pilot, Jack now worked as a terrorist consultant and elite bodyguard for high-level politicians.

In response to Jack’s gruff “Yo,” Fabian said without preamble, “I’m in Melbourne. Are you available?”

Jack’s chuckle rumbled down the line. “For you, mate, anytime.”

The hours and minutes dragged as Maddie toiled in her workshop, met with customers and waited for the shop to close. The cuckoo’s jaunty chirps seemed to mock her impatience. She was torn between an agony of anticipation over Rolf’s arrival and nervous dread that Fabian would show up unexpectedly. If he crashed her rendezvous with Rolf, she would call the police. Ruining her first date in six months had to be a crime in anyone’s books.

A date. Was that how she was thinking of tonight? It was a business appointment. Although how dinner fit into the business model, she didn’t know. All she knew was that if Fabian didn’t buy her lie about the Cuckoo Restaurant and turned up tonight, her evening would be wrecked.

Five-thirty rolled around, and then six. First Kim, then Tiffany left. The doors were closed to the public. Maddie brought out the Rose and put it in the glass case so Rolf’s first viewing of it would be a dramatic display under the fiber-optic light.

“I wish I could stay,” Grace fretted, as she put her coat on. “I don’t like leaving you and the Rose alone with a stranger. Especially when we might be close to a sale. A representative of the Sultan of Brunei contacted me this morning. The Sultan is interested in adding the Rose to his gem collection.”

“Go to your yoga class and don’t worry.” Maddie handed Grace her purse. “Everything will be fine.”

“Don’t forget to put the diamond back in the safe when you’re done and make sure the alarms are set.”

As if Maddie needed reminding. After Grace left she locked the glass doors in the front of the shop but didn’t roll down the steel security door. Then she double-checked the alarm on the alley door before returning to her workbench where she resumed the task of valuing a case lot of jewelry from a deceased estate.

On the dot of seven a knock sounded at the outer door. She hurried through the showroom to open up.

Dr. Hauzenegger was dressed more casually today in khaki pants and white shirt. Seeing her, he brushed at his hair. In his other hand he tightly clutched a long-stemmed red rose.

“Did you have a good day in the Grampians?” she asked, stepping back to let him in.

“I, er—” Rolf fumbled the rose, pricking his thumb on a thorn. A bead of blood formed. Murmuring another apology, he transferred the flower to his other hand and groped in his pants pocket for a crumpled handkerchief.

Maddie found his nervousness endearing. “They’re supposed to take the thorns off before they sell those.”

Rolf pressed the scrap of cloth to his bleeding finger and handed her the flower. “I’m afraid I acted on impulse as I passed the public garden on the way from my hotel. Please don’t think badly of me. This is most out of character.”

She suppressed a smile at the thought of the distinguished professor darting into the garden and tearing off a rose. “I don’t ordinarily accept stolen goods,” she said demurely. “But since you’re wounded I’ll make an exception.”

She found an Erlenmeyer flask and filled it with water. Dropping the bloom in, she led Rolf into the shop where the marble pedestal stood in isolated splendor.

Maddie switched on the fiber-optic light and whisked away the black silk cloth draped over the glass. The facets of the pink diamond reflected the light internally then released the rays outward in a radiant shower of sparkles, creating a dazzling sight.

Rolf’s indrawn breath made an audible hiss. “It’s magnificent!” He bent down, angling to get a closer look, his eyes gleaming behind his glasses. “Extraordinary.”

His eager expression was that of a true aficionado, confirming Maddie’s impressions from the café. He wasn’t just a scientist. He loved diamonds for their unique beauty as much as she did.

“You can examine it under the microscope after we have dinner,” Maddie said, reflexively feeling for the lanyard around her neck that held the keys to the display case. “Did you make a reservation somewhere?”

“A little French restaurant not far from here.” Rolf’s thoughtful gaze lingered on her. “The Rose would look wonderful against your black dress.”

She wished he hadn’t said that. Instantly she could picture herself wearing the pink diamond. Temptation wound its wicked tendrils around her heart. Bad thoughts crept into her mind. The pendant was in the safe. Setting stones wasn’t her area of expertise but she could do it.

It’s just one night. No one need ever know.

Maddie took a deep breath and pushed the idea firmly away. “I couldn’t possibly. The Rose isn’t insured for anyone wearing it. If I lost it or it was stolen—”

“I was joking!” Rolf took off his glasses and cleaned them with the end of his tie, too agitated to hunt for his handkerchief. “The Rose must stay here where she’s safe.”

“Safe,” Maddie repeated, embarrassed to have thought even for one second that he’d seriously been suggesting she wear the diamond. Goodness, what had come over her? Letting out her breath, she made herself to relax. Unlike Fabian, who only increased her anxiety about the precious diamond in her care, Rolf was very reassuring.

* * *

“Someday people will speak about the Rose with the same awe with which they refer to the Hope Diamond,” Rolf said, concluding an anecdote about the famous gem. He picked up the wine bottle. “More wine?”

“No, thank you.” Maddie reached out a hand to cover her glass. Too attentive, he kept topping her up and she’d inadvertently drunk more than she wanted to. She reached for her water instead. “You never did tell me how your day with Willa went. Did you find anything interesting in the Grampians?”

“They were…spectacular,” Rolf said, watching her face closely. Indeed, he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her tonight.
Take that, Lord Mucky Muck.

“Willa is on an eternal quest for amethyst deposits. She’s yet to find any.”

“Amethyst? No, I doubt there’s a lot of amethyst there. We did locate a band of red quartzite though. I took a few samples.” Reaching into his pocket he brought out a handful of small rocks and tumbled them onto the tablecloth like dice.

If Maddie’d had any lingering doubts about Rolf’s identity they were dispelled by the sight of five lumps of reddish sandstone with silica inclusions. No one but a dedicated mineralogist carried rocks about with him.

Her thoughts must have shown on her face for he smiled sheepishly. “My friends think I have rocks in my head.”

“You make perfect sense to me.” Maddie pushed her empty plate away. “Shall we go back to the shop and look at the Rose?”

Rolf captured her hand and kissed her knuckles. Suddenly he didn’t look nerdish so much as wolfish but in Maddie’s present state that was exciting.
“Andiamo alla Rosa.”

A thrill went up her spine. “Is that Italian?”

He started, as if for a moment he’d forgotten himself. Then he got to his feet, bumping against the table as he came around to awkwardly pull out her chair. “I’m taking a night school class. There’s a conference in Rome next year. I only know a few words.”

Maddie smiled at him over her shoulder. “In Italian, a few words go a long way.”

* * *

Below in the alley, footsteps sounded on the cobbles. Fabian started awake from a light doze, ears pricked as the steps come closer. About bloody time! Unfolding from his uncomfortable position on the cold warehouse floor, he stretched out the cramps in his legs. He’d been sitting across from the rear entrance to Grace Jewelers for two hours, waiting for Maddie and “Rolf” to return from dinner. Cuckoo Restaurant, indeed.

Training his high-powered night-vision binoculars on the figures, he tracked Maddie’s slightly unsteady progress with a sinking heart. If she’d been drinking, her defenses would be down, her judgment awry. Foolish, foolish girl.

She stumbled. Rolf put a hand under her elbow then slid his fingers down her back to touch her butt. Just long enough to cop a feel but not long enough to cause Maddie to react.

That sly bastard. If he took advantage of Maddie, he would pay.

Rolf’s glasses winked in the tungsten blue of the light over the back door. Fabian had to admit the man played a nerd rather well. His diffident manner when Maddie admonished him to move back while she punched in the security code was very convincing.

Fabian memorized the new numbers as she pressed them. As he’d told his mother, he didn’t want to come face-to-face with the thief after their last encounter in England. Not that he was afraid of him, but there was Maddie to consider and the potential for collateral damage. This wasn’t an isolated estate in the English countryside. Once ambulances were involved, it was difficult to keep the police away.

The green light on the security alarm flashed. Maddie inserted a key and pushed open the door, standing back to let Rolf enter. Fabian tensed, muttering a curse. The fox was in the henhouse.

* * *

Maddie crossed the workshop and flicked on the gooseneck lamp. A soft light illuminated her workbench. She went back and reset the security alarm then turned on her microscope. “Wait here,” she said to Rolf. “I’ll get the stone.”

The showroom was dim and quiet. The Rose slept on its bed of black velvet. By the light coming from the workshop Maddie disarmed the display case and unlocked it. Reverently she lifted out the diamond and carried it back to the workroom. It was cool to the touch and heavy in her palm. Taking up a soft cloth, she polished away her fingerprints. She went to place it in the stone holder beneath the microscope lens.

Rolf touched her arm. “May I do the honors?”

She hesitated then placed the diamond in his open hand. Rolf breathed in and for several seconds just gazed at the priceless gem he was holding. She watched him. Then he smiled at her and, still in full view, positioned the Rose under the microscope.

Rolf drew the chair forward, adjusting the focus on the binocular eyepieces and tilting the light for optimum viewing. He manipulated the stone holder, swiveling the diamond to view it from every angle. Maddie leaned against the bench at his side, arms crossed, chewing a thumbnail. She felt like a proud mother showing off her child prodigy, anxious for praise.

“The clarity is exceptional,” he said finally, not taking his eyes away from the microscope. “In spite of everything I’ve heard about this stone, I was half expecting to find inclusions but it truly is flawless.”

“For such a large diamond it’s amazing.” Maddie placed the grading report on the bench for him to look at. “Isn’t the raspberry color fabulous?”

“I suppose like all Western Australian pink diamonds, the color intensifies with heat?”

“Yes, and bleaches under UV light.” To her embarrassment Maddie had to stifle a yawn and blink hard. Discussing the Rose with the world’s leading expert while he examined the stone was a highlight of her career and not something to be rushed just because she was tired.

But Rolf had noticed her yawn and was looking at his watch. “I didn’t realize it was so late,” he said apologetically. “I should go.”

“No, that’s all right. You’ve only just started. I’ll put it under the UV light.” Maddie loosened the stone holder on the microscope and removed the diamond, ready to take it to the UV chamber.

“Don’t,” Rolf said, staying her hand. “I’m suffering from jet lag, anyway. Tomorrow morning I give my lecture to the students and staff in the Earth Sciences Department. Perhaps I could come back on the weekend.”

“That’d be fine.” Maddie’s disappointment that the evening was ending was tempered by the prospect of another meeting. “Afterward I could show you some sights.” She blushed. “Of Melbourne, I mean.” She fussed with the Rose, placing it just so in its black velvet-lined box.

Rolf rose and stood close to her. He wasn’t looking at the Rose now. He was focused on her. Maddie swallowed, straightening. His physical presence wasn’t as imposing as Fabian’s but he had an attractive quicksilver grace. Maddeningly, the memory of Fabian’s height and athletic frame filling an elegant suit edged out Rolf and his wrinkled garments. Irritated with herself, she pushed aside thoughts of the arrogant Englishman.

“I’ll just put the Rose away—”

Before she knew what was happening, Rolf was kissing her. She would have thought he’d be clumsy but he was surprisingly good at it. Expertly he coaxed her lips apart and slipped his tongue inside, his hands moving across her backside. Too bad his timing was so bad. She pushed on his chest, breaking the kiss. “Please don’t. Not now.”

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” With a nervous laugh, he dragged a hand through his hair. The fine blond strands stood out with static electricity.

“It’s okay. But I need to put the Rose away.” Maddie checked the stone, still safely nestled in the box, and closed the lid. She was vaguely disappointed that he’d apologized. And with her reaction to his kiss. She hadn’t gotten that toe-curling feeling she’d always longed for, but that was probably because he’d caught her off guard.

“I’m not very good at romance,” he mumbled, taking off his fogged-up glasses to polish them. “Especially when it comes to beautiful women.”

Given his demonstrated expertise, this timidity was unaccountable. And while it was nice to be called beautiful, it would have been nicer if he’d been wearing his glasses when he’d said it. But as usual she was probably being too critical. Maddie snapped shut the brass padlock on the box and slipped the tiny key inside her purse.

She’d carried the box to the safe when her cell phone rang. She debated letting the call go to voice mail then rejected that idea. What if Al was having a heart attack in the middle of a job and her brothers weren’t around to call an ambulance?

“Excuse me, Rolf. I won’t be a moment.” She clicked the phone on. “Dad?”

“You weren’t where you said you were going to be,” a peeved English voice said in an upper-crust accent.

“You again!” She should simply hang up but, knowing Fabian, he’d only call back. “Don’t you have a life?”

“Where are you?” he demanded.

“Still at the Cuckoo.” With the phone pressed to her ear, she blocked the view of the safe’s digital number pad with her body and pressed the buttons to open it.

“Liar,” Fabian said. “You’re in your workshop.”

“So what if I am? It’s none of your business,” Maddie said in a fierce whisper. She placed the Rose’s box inside the safe next to the pendant setting. She shut the door and tugged on the handle to make sure it was locked tight. “I have to go.”