Commissioner Worthington was as mad as a march hare. No wonder Philippa held such dislike for the man. He was pushy. Arrogant. Rude.
And he might have called me beautiful.
Which only confirmed his mental infirmity. No man thought Ivy was beautiful. And she wanted to keep it that way. The confounding thump of an errant heartbeat rattled her reasoning.
This is lunacy.
The commissioner was actually proposing she join him in hunting down an intruder. She could only imagine what Philippa might say on the subject.
She would tell me I can do this. Because she’s just as foolish as the commissioner when it comes to her faith in me. Well, I can’t. That’s all there is to it.
‘I can’t help you, Commissioner. You have the entire force of Scotland Yard at your command. Not to mention the Queen’s Deadly Damsels. What do I have to offer that you don’t already have?’
‘As I previously stated, you know what he looks like. That makes you integral to my plan.’
‘What plan?’ She tried to keep her voice even, but anxiety, fear, and frustration were making it difficult.
Reading looked up from his parchment. ‘Excellent question, Lady Ivy. Please do explain your plan, sir. Just so I can ensure I record it accurately, of course. Not because we doubt the veracity of your thoughts.’
Bless you, little whisper of a man.
Ivy had never had a male ally. She would not have guessed to find one in a reed-thin secretary with a silly moustache and wicked wit.
‘Everyone is replaceable, Reading.’ Edward’s clipped words would have been more menacing if he hadn’t delivered them with the hint of a smile.
‘Certainly, sir. Even you. But while we are both still here, perhaps you can enlighten us on how you plan to catch this man, protect the orphans, and ensure Lady Ivy is safe throughout the investigation.’
‘Yes, exactly.’ Ivy nodded. ‘Something reasonable, I hope.’
Edward returned his attention to Ivy. ‘I’m always reasonable, Lady Ivy. Unless a situation calls for me to be otherwise.’
And what on earth is that supposed to mean?
The commissioner addressed Reading. ‘You have brought up three points. For the first, I plan to catch this man through well-planned investigative work. Lady Ivy will join me in looking for the braggart in all the usual places a young gentleman might find himself until we ferret him out. As for points two and three, I shall keep the young urchins and Lady Ivy safe by disguising myself as a manservant and staying here. Until we can be certain the risk is eliminated.’
Reading muttered a curse as the nib of his quill broke. His ears were flaming torches of indignation. ‘You can’t be serious.’
‘You’re jesting,’ Ivy spoke at the same time.
‘Oh, I am very serious.’
‘But you are the Commissioner of Scotland Yard. You can’t waste your time here when surely you are needed elsewhere.’ She winced at the shrillness of her tone. But the idea of sleeping under the same roof as Commissioner Worthington, even with ten doors between them – because she certainly wasn’t putting him in a room anywhere near her – caused a strange reaction in her body. Fear, certainly, but not the usual wave that left her shaking and nauseous. It was more like a sprinkling that heightened her other emotions. Emotions she found most confounding. A strange thrill of anticipation. A sparkling fizz of something she couldn’t name. And underneath all of it, the warm sense of comfort, like a thick blanket wrapping her tight.
I do not feel comforted by the presence of a man. Especially not a large, powerful, highly infuriating man.
‘You are correct, of course. I am the Commissioner of Scotland Yard. A position that comes with the highest level of authority, and if I can be trusted with the safety of London’s citizens, then surely you can trust me to keep you and your charges free from harm. Besides, I shall only be sleeping here. When we are not conducting our investigation, I’ll spend my time at 4 Whitehall Place lest Reading become despondent with grief at my absence.’
Reading snorted. ‘Don’t trouble yourself on my behalf, sir. You have to hold some kind of affection for a person to grieve their loss.’
‘Which is why I know you would miss me terribly.’
Ivy interrupted their argument, too flustered to care overmuch about manners. ‘Well, I still see many flaws in your plan. Assuming I could be of any assistance, which is a dubious guess at best, how do you possibly expect me to join you for the investigation? Most of the locations where young men of the beau monde socialise are strictly forbidden to women.’
The commissioner winked at her.Winked.As if that answered any of her queries. ‘I’ve some thoughts on that. But we can go over the details later. We should have plenty of time to polish the finer points this evening once the children have gone to bed.’
It wasn’t her heart that thumped this time. Something lower, living dormant and still below her belly, clenched, then unfurled in a rush of warmth.
Good heavens!
