Derrick shifted. He’d put his friend off when he returned to the party, but Barber was too clever and too focused not to push and question and cajole. He was going to have to find an answer. And he couldn’t let it be the truth. Barber would be furious that Derrick had brought an outsider into their case. He would be shocked that Derrick had tupped that very outsider against a wall in her brother’s library.
“Miss Oliver has some insight into Lord Winford,” he said with a shrug. “He’s obviously interested in her.”
“He’s not the only one,” Barber said softly.
Derrick jerked his gaze to him. His arms were folded across his broad chest and his brown gaze was unrelenting. “What are you implying?”
“I’m not implying. I know you, Huntington. I nearly died at your side. We’re friends as well as partners.”
“You are a true friend,” Derrick said with no hesitation.
“Don’t try to change the subject,” Barber said, though he chuckled and his mood softened a fraction. “It’s obvious the woman…entices you. You look at her like she’s edible and you’re starving.”
Selina was most definitely edible. Derrick had been fantasizing about all the ways to taste her all day. But he pushed those thoughts away.
“You’re seeing things,” he said, but he could hear that his voice wasn’t strong.
“I’m not, and the fact that you’re denying the attraction concerns me all the more about it.” Barber threw up his hands.
Derrick let out his breath slowly. “Very well. I will not deny that the woman is…she’s very attractive. And that I have…I’ve noticed her finer attributes. How could one not? She’s stunningly beautiful and alluring on every level. But that desire is not going to distract me.”
It already had. He hated being a liar.
Barber pursed his lips and shook his head. “If you say so. After all, if you don’t want to involve me in your thoughts, I can’t force you. But you asked me about Winford.”
Derrick nodded. “Yes.”
“I think the man is pond scum embodied. He’s a bigot and a bully. But he’s also an idiot. The Fox is not.”
Derrick sighed. “Yes. True. But I’ve been cross-referencing the parties the Fox stole from. The guest lists have all included Lord Winford but for two.”
“Two is a great many,” Barber said. “How would you explain his not being in two places where the Fox struck?”
Derrick shifted. “Because…er…well, these lists aren’t always accurate, are they? A person could come to a party where they aren’t invited. They could come in disguise. They could have altered the list.”
Barber looked at him as if he’d sprouted a second head. “Why reach so high to put this man on the suspect list?”
Derrick turned away and walked to the window. He had no answer, at least none that would appease his friend.
“To protect her?” Barber said softly.
Derrick shrugged. “Perhaps I am compromised at that.”
He heard Barber suck in a breath and turned to find his friend staring at him in surprise. Then his expression softened a fraction. “Miss Oliver is beautiful,” Barber said. “And I admire her fire. I think her spirit could be a good match for your own. When this is over, I wouldn’t tell you to ignore whatever this is between you two.”
Derrick let out a long breath. Barber was talking about a future for him and Selina. He didn’t even fully understand what their present was. The teasing, the flirting, the explosive passion…did that allow building something more? Especially since he never felt like he was on…solid ground when he was with her. Everything was constantly shifting and that was a wild adventure and a terrifying concept all at once.
Barber was oblivious to these thoughts as he added, “Wealldeserve to be happy, you no less.”
“Can men like us be happy?” Derrick asked, shaking his head. “After what we’ve seen in war? After everything we’ve done?”
“Of course.” It was clear Barber believed it. “We are more than our pasts. All of us.”
“Perhaps,” Derrick said softly.
Barber was quiet a moment. “Do you truly think Lord Winford would conspire to steal his own wife’s jewels? Because our sources saythatis the target.”
“Our sources. An anonymous note received by one of the past victims,” Derrick said. “Is that a good source?”
