“Of course, but if we could return to the blackjack?”
“I’d rather discuss the benefits of escorting you to a room that doesn’t have an unconscious man in it.”
She settled for sending him a quirk of a brow, which resulted with him blowing out a rather resigned-sounding breath.
“You’re incorrigible,” he muttered before he dug into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out an object that had a knob attached to a short shaft. “This is a blackjack, or some people refer to it as a blackjack sap. The top is weighted with balls of lead underneath the leather, and when wielded properly, it can deliver a blow that’s capable of knocking a man out.”
“Did you hit him in the head? Because if so, we might need to summon a physician.”
“I hit his neck—or more specifically, a certain artery in his neck. He went down like a stone, but he won’t suffer any lasting harm. The effects usually only last for an hour, give or take.”
“Did you learn how to do that in the Naval Academy?”
“No. An old friend of mine taught me before I entered the Academy. But since there’s no telling exactly how long Frank will remain unconscious, we’ll need to talk about Roland later.”
“He’s the one who taught you how to wield a blackjack?”
“He is, although I probably shouldn’t have mentioned him to you either.”
“I’m not going to tell anyone about this Roland character, but may I assume he’s in the intelligence business?”
Gideon took her by surprise when he suddenly smiled. “He’s a partner at an accounting firm.”
Adelaide frowned. “Seems somewhat odd that a man whotaught you how to use an unusual weapon would enjoy the rather dull business of rectifying monetary accounts.”
“Indeed, but now isn’t the moment to discuss Roland or the nuances of accounting in general. The night is getting away from me, and I need to resolve a mess I never intended on making.”
She considered Frank again. “I can see where Frank would pose a problem for you, especially if youareinvolved in matters you don’t want society to learn about. However, since I’ve obviously found you out, or at least have some rather interesting suspicions about you at this point, I don’t believe it would be too much to ask for you to explain why you used a blackjack on him.”
“Are your knees going to go weak again if I don’t appease your curiosity?”
She curtailed a grin. “My knees are now in fine form, thank you very much. Using them as an excuse would be churlish of me at this point, something my mother disapproves of almost as much as contrariness, although...” She gave her nose a scratch. “It’s curious, now that I think on it, that you’ve humored me as long as you have, considering you’ve knocked a man out in the midst of a dinner party, and yet you’ve wasted time speaking with me instead of throwing me over your shoulder and carting me off to the billiard room.”
“I’m not a gentleman who resorts to caveman tactics.”
“Perhaps not under normal circumstances, but I imagine you’d consider doing exactly that if you were under a dire time constraint, which I suppose you are to a certain extent. However, given that you didn’t usher me directly out of this room suggests you really do have a calamity on your hands—one you have yet to figure out how to resolve.”
“Maybeyoushould consider becoming involved with intelligence gathering because you’re far too intuitive for your own good,” Gideon muttered.
“If I thought an intelligence agency would take on a woman, I’d be first in line. Sadly, we women are gravely underestimated, which means I highly doubt I’ll ever be given such a wonderful opportunity. With that said, though, perhaps I could assist you with your current situation. I’ve been known to figure out plot twists when I’m only two chapters into a spy novel.”
“This isn’t one of your novels.”
“It’s reading like fiction to me, and besides, what have you got to lose by allowing me to help you?”
Gideon returned his attention to Frank. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to put our heads together, but...” He caught her gaze. “Discretion in this matter is a must. No one can know what transpired in this library tonight.”
“Discretion is my middle name.”
“Your middle name is Winifred, after your maternal grandmother.”
“You know my middle name?”
“I made a point of learning a little about you after you went up in flames, but to return to Frank, in all honesty, I had no idea who he was until you told me. Unfortunately, I’ve heard more than a few rumors about him, ones that suggest he’s an up-and-coming crime boss, who, as you mentioned, is known to be a flashy dresser.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised about that,” Adelaide admitted. “I did detect a menacing air about him, which is another reason why I was doing all that lurking. I’ll now need to apprise Mr. Bainswright of Frank’s reputation at my earliest convenience—not that Mr. Bainswright will ban him from the store, since I’m relatively convinced there are more than a few dubious characters roaming the aisles on any given day.”
One of Gideon’s brows shot up. “You know there are questionable customers frequenting this bookshop and yet you continue to patronize it?”
