“Not a wink.”
Harlowe grinned. “Don’t tell me. You stood guard over the house all night?” He clucked his tongue. “And after I specifically remember instructing you to return home.”
The man grunted and lifted his hand, signaling for a cuppa.
“Saw somethin’ interestin’ skulkin’ about Cavendish last night.”
“Anyone I know?”
“Believe so, milord. Goes by the name of Dorset. He stood on the street for a long while staring up at the house.”
“He didn’t go up to the door?”
“Nah. Couple of other blokes drove by. Picked him up and drove him away.”
As irritating as that tidbit of information was, Harlowe couldn’t very well fault Dorset’s actions, since Harlowe had let himself in, with his own key, uninvited. He let out a pursed breath and focused on another pressing matter. “There’s an old building on Addle Hill. Scout around and see if you can determine any odd comings and goings. My guess is that the structure will look uninhabited.”
“Will do, Guv. By the bye, I took the liberty of sending a gardener to Cavendish. Big fella. Goes by the name of Baird.”
Harlowe grinned. “Can’t wait for the reaction to him.”
Harlowe took the seat across. “There was an incident with the child last night. She woke screaming from a nightmare. Mentioned Jervis.”
“Not a good sign ’cept for the fact knowin’ he’s still about. Man’s a menace.”
They kept their voices low. A mug of strongly brewed coffee was clunked down in front of Harlowe without a spilled drop.
The bell over the door jangled and the atmosphere shifted and an air of toxic exigency permeated. The chatter fell to a hum then a rippling silence. Wrinkled or no, Harlowe didn’t move, his clothes were a cut above most of the patrons’ present. “Who is it?” he whispered.
“The man hisself.”
Jervis.Harlowe took up his coffee and sipped, watching from lowered lids. The place smelled before, but now, it positively reeked. Slowly, the silence reversed, going back to its almost normal chatter.
Harlowe leaned in. “When he leaves, you think you can follow him without being seen?”
Rory’s expression could only be interpreted as insulted.
“All right. Apologies. But do your best to keep from getting killed,” Harlowe said. “How the devil am I supposed to keep her safe?” He spoke more to himself than to Rory.
Rory stood, plunked his hat on his head. “Don’t you toffs just put the one ye want in a compromisin’ situation, and then just marry the gel?”
A red haze clouded Harlowe’s vision and cleared almost instantly.Ruin her? The idea held merit. She would hate him.
But better to hate than be dead.
Twenty-Five
I
’m thrilled you’re here,” Lorelei said. She set a lemon tart and a couple of biscuits on a plate and handed it to Maeve. “I miss having you here.”
“I miss you as well,” Maeve told her. “I’m not interrupting anything?”
“Not at all. Brandon didn’t come home last evening. Thorne has deserted me for his club this morning, and Ginny and Brock are in the country.”
Maeve busied herself with doctoring her tea, praying Lorelei didn’t notice the ravage heat in her face.
If Lorelei did notice, she was polite enough to ignore it. She sat back with her own cup. “Tell me. How do you find Cavendish Square?”
