The front door below opened, and Seaton stepped through the threshold.He handed his hat to Joe and glanced up at them.Matthew let go of Lizzie as Rhys climbed the stairs.He didn’t mince words.“What did you find out?”
“According to my man, Sunday afternoon, Griffen received a visit from the Duke of Lavensham.And then, Monday afternoon, two carriages, one piled with luggage, left the residence.Seth confirmed with a maid in the house that Griffen was leaving for his country estate in Derbyshire.According to this timeline, he couldn’t have been the one to break into your home on Thursday evening.”
“Bollocks!”Matthew pinched the bridge of his nose.“It’s him.I can feel it.No ordinary thief would lay out her clothes like that.He’s still in town.”
“I checked the house myself and it’s empty, but for the housekeeper and a maid,” Seaton said.“Of course, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a place somewhere else in the city he keeps.The carriages might have just been for show.”
“Yes,” Lizzie said.“Last week at the party, I overheard two men discussing their concerns about him.One assured the other he would have a firm talk with him about his behavior.It was dark, and I couldn’t identify the men.But it makes sense that Lavensham would be one of them.He was one of Griffen’s club.”
Seaton nodded.“Lavensham is one of only three left of their boyhood club.Blackpool and Fleming being the others, if you don’t count Rawlings, who is in jail.”
“I don’t give a fuck about their boyhood club.What concerns me is that Jonas is skulking around the city, looking for my girls,” Matthew said.Lizzie had gone quiet, and he studied her expression.Was she frightened?She looked more contemplative than anything else.“Lizzie?”
“I was thinking about him earlier today.And I think if we could plant something in the paper to flush him out, then maybe we could catch him before he hurts anyone else.”
“We could use me.”
Matthew swiveled around to find Stella walking through the door of the theater.
“If you printed something in the gossip page about spotting me in the city, it would drive him crazy.He would have to surface again to try and find me.”
“Absolutely not,” Matthew said.“We are not using you for bait.”
Elizabeth laid a hand on his arm and squeezed.“I agree.Griffen has every right to come and take you, as he is your legal guardian.There is no reason to expose yourself.”
Matthew swung back to frown at Elizabeth.“And there is also no need to expose yourself further.You should not be traipsing about the city until we can find him.”
Her hand slipped from his arm.She raised her eyebrows high.“Traipsing about?What the hell does that mean?If you are referring to me doing my job, then you are stepping way out of bounds.”
“I simply mean that you should lay low here for a while.The paper can wait.”
Her eyes flashed fire at that, and he winced.She shoved past him to storm off down the hall.Staring at her retreating back, he fumed.Stubborn chit!He strode after her through the double doors to his wing.He caught her by the arm right before she went into her room.
“Lizzie, stop!I don’t mean the paper is not important, but that, temporarily, perhaps it’s your safety that should be more important.”
She tore her arm from his grasp and stomped into her room.“I don’t need you to tell me what’s important.And I don’t need you telling me what to do.I can take care of myself and my son.I have been doing it for three years now.I havetraipsedthrough every neighborhood in this city, talking to people, investigating stories, and I am still here.”She swung around to face him, practically vibrating with anger, cheeks flushed, and her hands clenched.All he could think about was how fucking magnificent she was.
He kicked the door shut and stalked over to her.She stepped backward, and he followed her until her back hit the wall.Grabbing her wrists, he pinned them to the wall next to her head.He blew out a frustrated breath.“Why won’t you let me take care of you?”
“Because I can’t.”
“But why?”He pressed harder when she struggled against his grip.
“Because I can’t.”She turned her head, but not before he caught the flash of anguish in her eyes.“Because if I begin to rely on you, then it will just hurt all the more when things fall apart.”
“Why would things fall apart?”
Her head snapped back to meet his searching gaze.“Because they do.Bad things happen.People die.”The last words came out in a whisper.
His frustration drained.He released her arms and instead cupped her face with both hands.“I cannot promise that nothing bad will ever happen to me.That would be foolish when the world can be a dangerous place.But what I do know is that with all the uncertainties of life, all we can do is take care of each other.Love…each other.”He stared into her wide green eyes, and in their depths, the vulnerability she normally hid so well shimmered.In that moment, he knew he would do anything for this woman and her child.They belonged with him now.He took a risk and dipped down to kiss her softly.“Let me love you.”
She gripped his wrists.They stood staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity.Then she nodded almost imperceptibly.She still looked apprehensive, and he couldn’t blame her.He knew what it was to have your whole life yanked away.To have to start over as something new.
Matthew captured her mouth in another kiss.Her lips tasted like heaven.He didn’t know how she had become so important to him in such a short time, but his desire for her had grown far past the physical.He desired for her to be his, to have her love him in return.To belong to her.
“Take a risk with me.Perhaps the rewards could be great.”
“You are in the business of risk.I don’t know if I am built to gamble.”
