She hazarded a guess. "Fifteen years, perhaps twenty?"
"Hmm. Then I'd suggest..."
"Yes?" She bent forward.
"That your character leave the job to the professionals." Mr. Kent aimed a stern look at her. "His lordship is having the matter of Jack Spades investigated, and the last thing he needs is your interference."
Percy heaved a sigh. "If you knew all along, why did you let me go on?"
For the first time, she saw the policeman smile. The crooked grin transformed his worn features, giving him a raffish charm. "Because your tale was quite entertaining. You really should write a novel, you know."
Soon thereafter, they arrived at Hatchard's. Mr. Kent entered the premises first, signaling a pair of his men to flank the door. He surveyed the bookstore with the same vigilance he might use at the docks or in the stews.
"I am going to browse around, and there's no use following me through the stacks as they're quite narrow," Percy said. "Perhaps you'd care to wait for me at an assigned place?"
His alert gaze scanned the environs. Finally, he nodded to the fireplace, the central point of the store. "I'll be here if you need me, Miss Fines."
Feeling like a bird freed from its cage, Percy escaped into the shelves. She perused her way through sections of history and poetry before winding her way to the back of the store where the novels were housed. She caught Mr. Kent glancing her way and waved at him before wandering off the main aisle into a row of shelves. Selecting a new volume by one of her favorite authors, she was flipping through the pages when she felt a tug on her arm.
Looking down, she saw an urchin, no more than five or six, peering up at her.
"Are you Miss Fines?"
Her pulse sped up. "Yes, I am."
"I've somethin' for you, then." He shoved a note at her; before she could ask him a question or even hand him a coin, he scampered off down the row.
She broke the wax seal.
My dearest love, I must see you again. There is much I need to say to you and know that I will do whatever is required to make things right. I am waiting for you outside the back entrance—please don't make me wait in vain, my darling.
-H
Her heart flip-flopped in her chest.Whatever is required to make things right.Could Gavin be saying that he meant to give up his revenge for her? Was he capable of changing after all? More to the point: after all she'd been through, was she willing to risk her pride and heart again for a man like Gavin Hunt?
A thousand times, yes.
Peering down the main aisle, she saw that Mr. Kent remained in position. He nodded at her, and she fluttered her fingers back before returning behind the shelves. She looked to the opposite end of her row: the back door, less than a dozen yards away. She could see Gavin in moments, possibly without Mr. Kent finding out. And if Gavin was proposing what she hoped, they wouldn't need to meet in secret any longer.
Giddy with excitement, she made her decision and walked steadily toward the door. She brushed by another patron who gave her an annoyed look, but she continued on. She saw that the door had a lock on it, but the knob turned easily in her hand. She opened it and slipped through.
Despite the early time of day, the alleyway wavered with shadows from the tall abutting buildings. Her heart leapt as she saw the dark-clothed figure standing a few feet away. His broad shoulders were turned away from her, his head obscured by his hat.
Softly, she said, "Gavin?"
He turned.
"Oh, I—I'm sorry," she stammered. "I thought you were someone else."
Though the stranger was handsome, his smile raised the hairs on her nape. "You're prettier than I thought you'd be, Miss Fines. No wonder Hunt's been in a constant state of rut. You'll come in handy, I'm sure."
She backed away, only to bump against a solid, burly form. A cloth covered her mouth, muffling her scream. A sweet, pungent smell filled her nostrils, and she knew no more.
36
Gavin kicked the door open."Where the hell is she, Morgan?"
The group of men sitting around the long table stared at him. Behind him, the bespectacled idiot who'd tried to bar his way into Morgan's office yapped like an irate dog. "My apologies, my lord. I tried to stop this person, but he would not listen. Shall I have him removed from the premises?"
