“You whipped him?” Marietta wasn’t sure what she was more appalled by.
“Lor, some blokes like that. Where’d you come up from?” She looked her over, her eyes narrowing. “Ah, so you’s one of them. Getting your skirt up for the adventure.” She shrugged. “Might want to hide that accent.”
Gabriel squeezed Marietta’s suddenly tightened thigh. “Thank you.” He slid a coin over.
“I’m here anytime you have need of me.” She sent them a sly look and ambled off.
They left the tavern. Gabriel swore.
“He knew we’d be here.”
“Maybe he just figured it was time to move on.”
“No. Worley wouldn’t miss the opportunity for more of the activities she described. Not from what the investigator’s notes say. Somehow he knew we were coming.”
“What will we do now?”
“He’ll turn up if he doesn’t leave London. And Dresden is after him too. The roads will be watched.”
“Won’t they hold off Kenny’s trial, then?”
Gabriel grimaced. “No. We just have to provide enough evidence for him to get through it. I need to visit Cold Bath and give the latest batch of papers to Oscar. He will get them to your brother. Just hope that your brother will put his brain toward something other than the latest fashions.”
Marietta peeked under the bed. She had only ten minutes or so to locate it. Gabriel always went through his tasks quickly and efficiently. And Lord knew, Oscar didn’t waste any time on pleasantries.
It was always somewhere in his room where it didn’t touch his personal items. As if he couldn’t bear to hide it amidst his belongings. She’d made the mistake of going through his things once. They all smelled of him. Warm and protective.
She crouched on the floor and peered underneath the serpentine chest, cheek pressed to the hardwood. Success! Her knees squeaked against the wood planks and she pushed her hand to the back, grabbing the edge of the leather and sliding it across the floor.
She was morbidly lost in the words as soon as she opened the tome.
We’ll be moving to a new place for the summer. It will be painful not to see him, to hear his unwitting groans (how I ache just thinking of their music! so rare for him these days!) and to be away from his stoic glare, but we have a new candidate while we are away. Nothing like our little avenger, but enough to let us play. And a tantalizing step into a new caste. I don’t know if it will be worth it, but C.F. assures that he will be.
Perhaps we can introduce him to our little avenger, should all go well. A.F. is anxious to have her titillations tested even before we’ve broken this one to the saddle. I see defiance already in the new one’s stare. He thinks he stands upon the world, but will soon discover that we stand upon all.
Footsteps alerted her and she shoved the book under the chest, then quickly rose and moved away.
Gabriel entered, his eyes immediately falling on her. “Such a fair presence in a rather boring bedroom.”
She smiled as brightly as she could manage.
“You were looking for the journal again, I see.”
She said nothing. He moved to the chest and tossed his cap on top. He turned and leaned against it, uncuffing one sleeve as he watched her.
“Not even a word in protest? I’m shocked, Marietta.”
She gave up her halfhearted pretense. “Why? You already know full well my purpose.”
“But not the reason behind it.”
She crossed her arms over her waist. “It’s interesting.”
“A madwoman’s rambles?”
“She wasn’t mad, not really. She was just not normal.”
A dark smile graced his features. “So few of us are.”
