“And rob me of the chance to meet her?” Henry smiled at the woman he loved. “Tomorrow could prove interesting.”
She ran a hand along his arm, worry in her eyes. “Is there any progress on the bombing investigation?”
Henry hesitated about how to answer. Yet once again she was involved, and had an understandable urge to know. “We’ve been told to leave the case for the Special Irish Branch, though I have unofficial approval to look into the matter.”
“Hmmm. I suppose that’s something.”
“We have one lead, so we will see where it takes us.” He didn’t mention the barrels falling at the dock, as it would only worry her, and she clearly did enough of that.
She shot him a concerned look. “I confess I find myself reluctant to leave the house. When I do, I can’t help but look around to see if anything looks out of place.”
Henry reached for her hand and held it tight. “That’s understandable.” Especially as he did the same thing.
Amelia took another sip of her sherry, seeming to need a moment to collect her thoughts. “It frustrates me that, once again, a scientist is using their knowledge for such a purpose. The goal of science should be to improve the world, not cause more destruction and chaos.”
He lifted her hand to press a kiss on the back of it. “And your ideals are one of the many reasons I love you.”
The line of tension between her brows disappeared as she smiled, suggesting his attempt to distract her from such dark thoughts had worked. “Thank you. I admire yours as well.”
While it was important to talk about such things to help sort through them, he didn’t want to dwell on them during their limited time together. As if of the same mind, as she so often was, Amelia shared more stories from her day and several ofthem made him laugh, something he appreciated—even if it hurt his side.
“Will you stay for dinner?” she asked at length.
“As much as I would like to, I’m going to return to…to the lodging house.” He couldn’t call it home anymore because that was here with Amelia. “The day’s events have caught up to me and I’m going to turn in early. Make a fresh start come morning.”
Though obviously disappointed, she nodded. “Understandable—though I think Mrs. Appleton has a large slice of cake with your name on it. I shall have her wrap it in beeswax paper. The more you rest, the better—and soon you will feel more like your normal self.”
“You have done a great deal to restore my spirits and ease my lingering aches and pains. For that I am grateful.”
Once again, she brushed a hand along his forehead. “I am eager to help in any way I can. Always.”
Tenderness swelled within him, and he couldn’t resist leaning forward to kiss her. “Thank you.”
They both rose, and Henry bent to bid Master Leopold goodbye. The cat stretched in response, only to settle into a more comfortable position.
“Clearly, he won’t miss me,” Henry jested.
“He just has a reserved way of showing it.” Amelia lifted onto her toes to kiss him. “But I don’t make the same claim.”
Which was wonderful to hear.
Twenty-Five
Henryfeltatadmore refreshed the next morning, making him grateful he’d retired early, though leaving Amelia the previous night, even with Mrs. Appleton’s fruit cake in hand, had been challenging. He’d had to make do with remembering their evening as he drifted off to sleep, which kept thoughts of his cases at bay for most of the night.
The new morning, however, meant he could no longer ignore those cases. The train ride to Hollowgate Heights was much different than when he’d gone with Amelia; Fletcher’s companionship wasn’t the same, and the shaking carriage hurt Henry’s side and head.
The gruff sergeant didn’t particularly care for trains or riding in them. Apparently he’d had a poor experience as a child, and the few trips he’d taken since then hadn’t improved his opinion. He shifted on the seat so often Henry thought he might break it. The other passengers sent the sergeant wary looks and kept their distance.
Soon enough they arrived at the station and hailed a hansom cab to take them to the sanatorium. They had already reviewed the questions they planned to ask, but more importantly, he wanted an impression of Dr. Thorne. A female doctor wasunusual even in this modern day, and while he had respect for any woman who managed to forge a path in what was the male-dominated field of medicine, he wasn’t certain she in particular deserved the admiration she received. Fasting and enemas didn’t sound like treatments a physician would normally recommend, to the exclusion of everything else.
However, he told himself to keep an open mind and not rush to judgment, though already that was proving difficult.
“Ready?” Henry glanced at Fletcher as they walked toward the entrance.
“As ready as I can be.” The sergeant reached for the door, and was obviously taken aback to find it locked.
“Forgot to mention it would be locked.” Henry shook his head. “Visitors are definitely not welcome here.” Were patients truly allowed the choice to leave?
