She huffed.“But why did you take it without me knowing?”
“I didn’t want to argue about it.”His smile was sheepish.
Robert tugged on his hand.“Let’s go see the bakery.Can I have a biscuit?”
As they headed down the aisle, Elizabeth glanced around more carefully at the people passing her by.She never thought too much about pickpockets, but then, she didn’t do shopping here often.The shops in Bloomsbury had all the things they needed for the household.Glancing up at Matthew, she tried to picture him as an adolescent, weaving his way through the crowds, snatching purses and watches.She’d bet he had made an excellent thief, flashing his charming smile and distracting people from what his fingers were doing.
“So, I’m not a fine lady, am I?”she teased him.
“Nonsense.You are the finest lady I know.Isn’t that right, Robert?”he winked at him.
“Yes, sir.”Robert smiled up at her.“Can I have a biscuit, mama?”
She chuckled.“Yes, let’s get enough to share with the others.”
When they returned to the club, Elizabeth excused herself and left Robert downstairs in the kitchen with Mrs.Todd and Ben.She had articles to write, and while the afternoon tooling around with her boys had been lovely, she was behind with her work.Her boys?Had she really just thought that?She plopped down in the chair.Staring out the window in the bedroom she and Robert were sharing, she tried to breathe through the sudden panic in her chest.What was she doing here?Getting comfortable at the club, spending nights in Matthew’s bed?She was setting herself up for heartbreak.
Matthew’s sweet whispered words last night felt like a hazy dream.One that she wanted to believe could be true, but she had believed in impossible dreams before, and they had been shattered.She had to be practical.They were here because Matthew thought she might be in danger.But they couldn’t stay at the hell forever.This was no place to raise her son.She had to be practical.
Turning back to the desk, she straightened papers and sucked in a calming breath.Time to get work done.Time to focus on her real life.
*
Later, Elizabeth madeher way downstairs.The empty club felt strange, too quiet.She followed the smell of roasting meat as her stomach growled.She hadn’t heard a peep from her son all afternoon, but she had gotten her articles drafted.Eager for some noise and distraction, she headed down the stairs to the kitchen, which she’d quickly learned was the heart of this place.She pushed open the door and entered its fragrant warmth.
“Evening, Elizabeth.”Rhys Seaton leaned against the wall to her right.
“Evening, Mr.Seaton.”She offered him a small smile.He really wasn’t so bad.Enigmatic, for certain, but she respected his loyalty to his friend, and she had only ever observed him being kind to everyone who worked in the club.Perhaps she had been hasty in judging him.She thought about the boy in the market today.“Mr.Seaton, do the pickpockets in the market work for you?”
“The pickpockets?No.But I do occasionally pay them to run errands for me.Sometimes, I ask them to keep an ear out for a piece of information, which I will also pay them for.They know they can earn extra coin by staying on my good side.”
“One tried to steal my watch today.Well, he did, but Matthew caught him in the act.The boy seemed scared we would tell you about it.”
Seaton’s lips twitched in amusement.“Matthew and I both did a fair share of pick-pocketing in our youth, so I’m not surprised he caught the thief in the act.Once you know the tactics, it’s easy to spot.As for not telling me, well, a lot of the older lads do work for me, and your pickpocket probably didn’t want to lose out on an opportunity to do the same in the future.”
“Oh.”She still didn’t really understand what Seaton did for a living, but perhaps it was best she didn’t.He was important to Matthew, and she was learning that not everything was as it appeared.She turned to observe the room.
Everyone had come down to supper, the long table full.Stella and the three other dancing girls who lived in the club sat together at one end of the table.Allan and Val sat in the middle, with a deck of cards between them.Ben and Mrs.Todd sat next to each other at the other end of the table, deep in conversation.A fire roared in the hearth, and a large piece of meat turned on a spit.In front of the stove, her son stood on a chair and stirred something in a large pot.At the counter next to the stove, Matthew sliced a crusty loaf of brown bread.
She went over to Mrs.Todd.“Is he all right by the stove?”
“Oh yes, I’m keeping an eye on him.Mr.Reeves has put him to work helping, and he is bursting with pride to be stirring the soup.Come and sit.”
Elizabeth sat and tipped her head toward Matthew’s back.“Does he need help?”
“Naw.He’ll let us know when he wants it,” Ben said.“He makes Sunday supper every week when Mr.Gregory is off.”
“Every week?”To say she was surprised was an understatement.She watched Matthew move about the kitchen with practiced ease.He checked on Robert, ruffling her son’s hair and giving him encouragement.Then he checked on the meat with a long fork.Turning to everyone, he clapped his hands together dramatically.“Supper is ready.”He gave her a wink when he spotted her.“Val, Allan, will you get plates down?Ben, come help get this roast off the fire.”
“Sure thing, boss.”Ben and Matthew donned thick gloves and pulled the meat off the spit and over to the counter for carving.
Robert scrambled down from his perch and came over to give her a hug.
“I see you have been helping,” she said.
“I am a good helper!”Robert grinned from ear to ear.Her heart overflowed with love as she looked down at him.
Then she glanced across at Matthew.He had donned an apron to protect his clothes as he carved the roast.He pushed the hair off his brow with the back of one hand.As though he sensed her gaze, he looked up, and her heart continued to spill over with emotion.Why had she ever thought that this man wasn’t a family man?His family surrounded them, talking over each other and passing around bowls of soup.Matthew had orchestrated this atmosphere of home.She had tried hard not to label her feelings for him, too scared to love again.But it was no use denying that she had fallen in love with him.
