Until recently, Simon’s life had been neat and tidy, governed by order. His reputation had been impeccable, his future more or less carved in stone. In truth, his entire existence had been incredibly dull and predictable. To say his life had become more interesting of late would be a massive understatement.
Never in a million years would he have pictured himself heading off to a St. Giles tavern to interrogate uncouth men with a woman he’d found in a brothel. The world he’d once known had truly been flipped on its head.
“He’s doing well,” the Duke of Redding informed Simon when he showed up at St. Agatha’s, “should be back home again by tomorrow.”
“Are you aware of what happened to him?”
“Huntley gave me the broad strokes.”
Simon nodded. He liked Redding’s efficient, no-nonsense manner. “Then we are agreed that no crime has occurred here?”
“Indeed,” the duke muttered. “From what I understand, it was an accident.”
Simon shook Redding’s hand. “Thank you for your help.”
“Of course.”
When Simon returned to the carriage where Ida waited, there was no denying the concern in her eyes. “He’ll be fine.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I’m glad.”
He scoffed. “I wouldn’t have minded if he’d be bedridden for a week. The insults he dealt both of us and the fact that he dared approach you as he did when I was absent are unpardonable. My God, if he turns out to be the man we’re looking for, I’ll wish…”
Simon stopped himself. He was angry. Furious, really. Not just with Elliot but with the futility of the goal he was trying to achieve. It had been three weeks and they weren’t any wiser than they’d been at the very beginning. The few clues they’d found led nowhere. And now MacNeil was banging down the door and Guthrie would soon be returning and everything felt as if it was falling apart.
“It’s natural for you to feel resentment toward him,” Ida whispered. “That doesn’t make you a bad person. It just makes you normal.”
“Normal?” He’d never felt normal. Except, he had to allow, when he was with Ida. “I’ve always judged others harshly, but I’m not sure I had the right.” Confused by what he felt and the threat it posed to the man he’d always been, he turned away from the window and faced her. “I’m not sure I deserve you. Ida, I’m not—”
“Stop.” Urgency filled her eyes, so intense it sucked the breath right out of him. “You are the very best of men, Simon Nugent, Earl of Fielding, and I…”
She averted her gaze, appeared to consider her words.
“You what?” he asked when the silence had gone on too long.
She swallowed, looked up, and smiled so warmly it washed away all the ugly emotions inside him. “I am honored to know you, to call you my friend, and to have the pleasure of spending the night in your arms.”
The kiss that followed was soft, gentle, so giving it seemed to say things her words had omitted. And while he’d been slightly surprised by the swift stab of disappointment he’d felt at the mention of friendship, the kiss revealed that she cared for him deeply. It banished whatever concerns he’d had of her choosing to leave him, of not standing up to Guthrie when he returned and fighting for the future they wanted to share. This kiss, so tender it made Simon’s heart ache, proved she would stay by his side forever.
So he kissed her back with all that he was, promising her with sweet caresses that he would always be hers. No other woman would ever compare.
“I think we’ve arrived,” she said.
He felt her smile against his lips and kissed her again, hard and thorough this time, before finally letting her go. “We’ll continue this later.”
A delightful blush colored her cheeks, expanding Simon’s chest and making him feel ten feet tall as he leapt from the carriage. Extending his hand, he helped her alight and then took a moment to consider the crooked structure before them.
“You’re sure this is a good idea?” The tavern looked even worse in the light of day than it had when he’d first seen it at night.
“We won’t know until we’ve tried, will we?”
No arguing with that logic, Simon supposed, so he escorted Ida up the front steps of The Black Swan and led her inside the dim interior where several men were enjoying meals and tankards of ale. To Simon’s surprise, the establishment appeared a lot cleaner than he’d expected. A servant girl was even sweeping the floor in the far corner.
She looked up when they entered and glanced first at Simon, then at Ida. A smile stretched wide across her face. “Miss Strong! You’re back!”
Simon frowned when the comment caused some of the patrons to look their way. He wasn’t interested in attracting unnecessary attention since this could increase the danger for Ida.
“Only for a brief moment,” Ida informed her.
