Wayne scooted along the wall until he found a window. Cautiously, he peered inside. As he had suspected, there wasn’t any light to show him Harold or the men who might be meeting with him tonight. Yet Wayne’s gut told him not to leave. Things were not as they seemed.
He continued moving until he discovered a door. Trying to be as quiet as possible, he opened it. Thankfully, it only squeaked once, yet that noise hadn’t brought anyone running.
Without the sun to help him see inside, Wayne was lost. He waited several minutes for his vision to adjust, but he still couldn’t see anything. He didn’t dare wander inside any farther for fear he would knock against something, and it would crash to the floor loudly. However, as he waited, he heard voices, but they were muffled. He couldn’t listen to what was said, but clearly, they were in the building.
Slowly, he scanned the floor of the warehouse. Finally, something caught his attention. There seemed to be a small amount of light peeking from out of the floorboards from underneath large crates. His hope lifted. Harold must have hada secret room built under the floor. Now everything made sense. Unfortunately, Wayne would have to wait until daybreak to see how to get inside the hidden room. Walking around in the dark was not very wise.
Laughter floated up from below. Wayne recognized those laughs. Indeed, Harold was here, but so werethe boys.
Wayne chuckled in victory as he hurried back to his horse. Arresting Harold would be a glorious day, but an added bonus would be to take down all the men involved in the man’s scheme. Wayne just prayed it would be soon.
He mounted his horse and took off for home. There were still two hours left before he would meet up with Regina, and he wanted to clean himself up before that time. For some reason, he had the urge to show that confounded woman just howgentlemanlyhe could be. He wasn’t the rogue she had labeled him. Sadly, he feared that once they were alone together, his memories from their moments in the coach today and last night might turn him back into the man she thought him to be.
Time seemed to pass too quickly, and soon, he was cleaned up and inside his father’s jewelry store. Out of all the stores his father owned, this one would eventually become Wayne’s. His father promised that Wayne could take control of this store once his Bow Street days were over. Although this was his inheritance, he didn’t want the humdrum life. He enjoyed being a Runner.
As the minutes ticked by, Wayne became restless. He paced the floor, wringing his hands in utter frustration as guilt grew inside him. Why had he asked Regina to meet him in private? Mistake number one! He could have just met her behind the hedges of the Meyers estate after leaving earlier today. The earl had a grand backyard, and Wayne was certain nobody would see them meet there. So, why did he want to meet at his father’s store?
The simple truth was that Wayne’s body and mind still experienced everything that had happened between him and Regina. Earlier today in the coach, while waiting for Harold, Wayne had enjoyed sitting so close to her with his arm around her shoulders. He enjoyed gazing into her amazing eyes and feeling himself sink with every breath.
However, he needed to determine if this effect was from the poison or if the lovely woman made him feel this way. He had never taken opium, but from the things he had heard, not once had people said it had stayed on their mind all day. He realized it had almost been twenty-four hours now.
He stopped pacing long enough to peer out the front window. The drapes had been closed, but he pulled back the material just enough to look outside. Being this late at night, the street was empty, and an occasional carriage passed on the road. The light sprinkle of rain and cooler temperatures also helped keep people at home or at their nightly functions, and he prayed it wouldn’t keep Regina from coming.
Finally, a horse and rider trotted under the streetlamp not far from the shop. The rider wore a fur-lined hooded cloak and gloves. Immediately, he lost his breath.
She was here!
*
Why am Idoing this?
Regina’s heartbeat hammered so fast it violently shook her body. How could she rein in this out-of-control feeling rushing over her? Answers were what she sought, and yet how could she do anything if she acted this way in front ofhim?
And to make it worse, she had changed into a different gown for tonight’s meeting. She had chosen a baby-blue dress with white trimmings and overskirt. The white sleeves hung slightlyon her shoulders, but she wore her elbow-length white gloves so that her arms were completely bare. She finished her accessories by wearing the pearl choker her grandmother had given her when Regina had her coming-out ball a few years ago.
Her maid had styled her hair, pulling back most of it into a loose coil at the back of her neck, but left a thick, curly lock to hang over her shoulder. Regina didn’t know why—she hadn’t even dressed this nicely for the ball last night. Yet she’d gone the extra mile to make certain she appeared elegant tonight.
She should turn her horse around and return home. If she had a lick of sense, she would. After all, she had escaped from being caught in a scandal last night, only to tempt fate once again this evening. Indeed, she had no sense at all.
Perhaps her need for answers was more important. She hated to believe it was the handsome man with the melting kisses that she had come to see.
She guided her horse to the back of the jewelry store. It surprised her to know that Wayne’s father owned this place, only because she knew how well business was, and to think there were three other stores in Britain—perhaps Wayne Worthington wasn’t as poor as she first thought.
She dismounted and tied her horse to the post before hurrying to the back door. With a trembling hand, she knocked. Wayne opened the door seconds later. She quickly walked inside before she changed her mind, even though she doubted that was an option at all, since she continued to go forward with this soon-to-be scandal.
Wayne closed the door and motioned toward the corridor. “There is more light up front if you would rather talk there.”
She nodded and walked toward the light. Although he was correct, the light still wasn’t as bright as she would have liked. However, she was certain he was trying to keep the scandal from happening.
She licked her dry lips and turned toward him, lowering the hood of her cloak. He stepped closer to her and helped her remove the garment. Although there was no fire in the hearth, the coals were still red, which helped keep warmth in the room, which was what her garment needed, since the weather had decided to sprinkle after she was well on her way.
“Why don’t you place my cloak over there?” She pointed toward the hearth.
“Indeed. We must keep your garment warm and dry.” He gave her a smile before leaving her side to stand by the hearth as he adjusted her outer garment on a nearby chair.
She gazed at his attire, realizing he had also prepared for their meeting tonight. He looked dapper in his gray suit jacket, waistcoat, and trousers. The white of his cravat made his skin appear as if the sun had baked it. She loved the way his dark hair waved back on his head, not leaving anything to hide his incredibly handsome face.
He finally faced Regina, and his gaze moved slowly over her. It was a struggle not to lose her breath or sigh heavily with pleasure. She wished she wouldn’t enjoy the way he studied her, and especially the way her body reacted so quickly.
