Was he following her?How long had he been following her?What had he seen?
“I imply nothing.I’m stating a fact.I know you are in contact with The Gentle Rogue.I know you have been in contact with him for years, ever since an incident in your debut Season when he robbed a mail coach you happened to be on—and took you with him when he rode away.”
Lucy gaped; she must have looked like a stunned codfish.She certainly felt as though she’d been hit in the face with one.Nathaniel had gone to great lengths to quash the gossip about that misadventure.“How could you possible know that?”
He shrugged, utterly without pride.“I told you, I’m thorough.My job is to bring The Gentle Rogue to justice.And you, Lady Lucy, know who he is.”
The constriction of Lucy’s lungs eased.She didn’t even have to try to produce a laugh; only she knew it was born of relief.“I assure you, I have no idea who he is.I would love to!But I don’t.So you can save yourself the trouble of following me about.Yes, I saw you at Gunter’s.You aren’t half so subtle as you seem to think.”
“I’m not trying to be subtle.”Sir Colin blinked, annoyingly impervious to Lucy’s scorn.“I’m trying to solve the mystery of The Gentle Rogue’s identity.His Majesty is most insistent upon it; his brother, the Duke of Cumberland, was recently robbed upon the Bath Road and is quite irate.”
“And it was The Gentle Rogue who committed the theft?”
Sir Colin’s expression didn’t change.“Irrelevant.The Gentle Rogue is the most famous highwayman; whether he is guilty of this particular crime or not, he is certainly guilty of many more.And his capture will act as a deterrent to others.”
“Well, you’re wasting your time with me,” Lucy declared, straightening her shoulders and making sure to look the man dead in the eyes so he’d know she had nothing to hide.
Sir Colin subjected her to a moment of intense scrutiny that made Lucy feel as though she’d been turned inside out and scraped raw.For such an unassuming little man, he truly was terribly unpleasant to be around.
“Oh, I don’t think this has been a waste of my time.Very interesting to make your acquaintance, Lady Lucy.I look forward to meeting the rest of your family and associates; perhaps they will be more willing to share information with the Crown than you are.”
Lucy scoffed, despite the sick feeling the words induced.“There’s nothing to share!Your threats are empty, Sir Colin.My family and friends have no more idea who The Gentle Rogue is than I do.”
“I assure you, I would never dream of threatening a lady,” Sir Colin placidly replied.“Enjoy the rest of your evening with your…companion.Perhaps I ought to turn my attention to him next.”
Flicking a glance in the direction of the table where Thornecliff still sat, Sir Colin arched a brow.
“By all means,” Lucy exclaimed, out of patience.“Bother the Duke of Thornecliff with your silly nonsense and see where that gets you.”
Giving Lucy another infuriatingly mild smile, Sir Colin bowed and murmured, “My lady.I shall certainly be seeing you again soon.”
Then he was gone.
More shaken than she wished to admit, Lucy groped for the doorway and let herself through it without thinking.She breathed in a calming draught of the quiet that blanketed the back hallway in which she found herself.
It was well lit and empty, for the moment, and Lucy took a second to calm herself.Was she still going through with this, knowing an agent of the Crown was skulking about, trying to unmask the very same man Lucy was?
She didn’t have long to decide.Thornecliff would notice if she took too long in the “ladies’ retiring room” and come searching for her.
She hated to give up on her plans, but as she moved farther down the corridor to peer up the stairs that no doubt led to Mr.Rook’s office, Lucy’s heart sank.
She couldn’t risk it, not knowing that she was being watched.If she found anything, Sir Colin would swoop in and then what would she have accomplished but The Gentle Rogue’s downfall?
Lucy sighed and turned to go back to the card room.But a heavy hand landed upon her shoulder.
Cursing silently, Lucy turned, expecting to see the grim face of the gaming hell owner glaring down at her, demanding to know why she was trespassing in the private areas of the club.
Instead, a man she’d never seen before gazed down at her blearily, his bloodshot eyes half lidded in his ruddy face.
Good God, could a woman not walk two steps unaccompanied in this place without being accosted?Thornecliff was correct to warn her.Intolerable.
“Caught you,” the drunk crowed, dropping his meaty paw from her shoulder to her arm and pulling the bodice of her dress askew as he went.
Lucy gave an outraged growl, her hands flying to pull her gown back into place.
“No need for that, pretty,” he slurred, pawing ineffectually at her chest.“These bubbies ain’t much, but what’s there is choice!Ha!Ha!”
Jerking back, Lucy stumbled away from the stairs and nearly fell over.A sense of the danger she was in crashed over her; they were alone in this corridor frequented by the women who worked for the club, a corridor where Lucy absolutely wasn’t supposed to be.
