One of the servants had placed it there, a deliberate taunt. The smirks of the footmen had grown more pronounced. Mr. Carter outright ignored her.
She strode into the library, Reggie at her heels, and pulled up short when she saw the figure seated behind the desk. “Julius! I didn’t hear you return.” She rocked onto her toes, her feet wanting to hurry to his side. Propriety, and a lingering sense of irritation, stopped her. Reggie leapt onto the settee, circling three times before dropping down on his side.
“I’ve only been back a couple of minutes.” Pushing back from the desk, Julius stretched out an arm. No amount of irritation could stop her from accepting that invitation. She went to his side, and Julius pulled her down onto his lap. “I have some correspondence to respond to and then I’ll be up.”
This close, she couldn’t not touch him. She tucked a damp lock of hair behind his ear. “Julius, is there something you neglected to tell me?”
His eyes widened, the picture of innocence. “Whatever do you mean?”
“I don’t think my question could be any clearer.”
He twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. “Do you refer to the fact that our Reginald has finally become a man? It is big news, but I thought you’d want to congratulate him for yourself when you see him relieve himself against a tree.”
“What? No.” She wrinkled her nose. “That’s not what I’m talking about, as you well know.”
His shoulders slumped. “Is this about the paper? I was going to tell you, I just hadn’t found the right time.”
“Wrong again.” She smacked his chest. “You dismissed another servant. That poor footman who didn’t accompany me for my walk.”
“Of course.” Julius firmed his lips. “He didn’t do his job.”
“I told you I wished to walk alone.” Even though she had to admit that had been a foolish idea. “No wonder all the servants detest me if you fire everyone who slights me in the least.”
“What do you mean they detest you?” Julius’s chest vibrated against her shoulder with his growl. “Do they insult you?”
The house would be empty before Liz and Marcus’s return. She pasted on a bright smile. “Of course not. You’re damp. We should get your coat off of you before you catch cold.” Sliding her hand under his chilled coat, she pushed it down his shoulder.
Julius trapped her hand. “You can take my clothes off in a minute.” Turning the wick up on the oil lamp on the desk, Julius picked up a letter and squinted at it. Three or four others were tossed carelessly on the desk before him.
She’d managed to distract him from dismissing the entire domestic staff, but now she was the one distracted. Amanda wrinkled her nose and sniffed. She pushed back his coat, and the smell of smoke intensified. “Were you at a bonfire?”
He arched an eyebrow. “In the rain?”
“Then why do you smell like the inside of a char pit?”
His eyes scanned from left to right, not looking at her. “Hmm? Oh. My friends and I were inside a building that was set afire. I’ll burn the clothes if they smell that bad to you.”
Amanda pushed off his lap. “You what?” She examined him from head to toe but saw no injuries. “Are your friends all right?”
“Dunkeld has some nasty scratches on his stomach and fist, but he’s seen worse.” His voice trailed off, and he turned the letter over to read the back.
Amanda snatched it from his hand.
Startled, Julius looked up and finally seemed to realize her agitation. His brow knit together. “We all survived unscathed. It is nothing to concern yourself over.”
She poked him in the chest. “You may not think I have the right to care, that I’m just one of your bits of muslin, but I do care. A great deal. And when you say you were in a burning building, I think I deserve a little more information.”
“Now just a minute.” Julius shot up. “I’ve never said you were a bit of muslin. And don’t insult me, or you, by claiming such.”
“Tell me about the fire.” Amanda could be as tenacious as Reggie with his rope. Sweet words wouldn’t turn her from her course. “Is this about your investigation?”
He ran a hand through his thick hair, and a damp lock stuck straight up. “The blackmailers don’t appreciate my snooping. The fire was an attempt to intimidate us.” He shuffled through the papers on his desk and came up with a tan piece of parchment covered in a looping scrawl. “I also received this note, threatening to expose my unusual preferences.”
Amanda took it from his hand and skimmed its contents. She pursed her lips. “What would happen to you if this information came out? You can’t lose your title, can you?”
“No. Very little would happen to me.” Julius plodded to the large globe in the corner of the room and lifted the lid. He pulled out an amber bottle, and poured himself a drink. “Want one?” he asked.
Amanda shook her head.
