“Thank you, Mr.Croft.”Samantha crossed to the bench where she’d left the bag she’d brought with her.“I’m sure you’re a busy man, so we appreciate your taking the time to help us with this.It’s really not as easy as it looks.”
“Learning the right technique is vital, but strength plays a very important role too.If you’re not in too great a hurry, I can show you some exercises you’ll want to repeat at home.”
“That’s very generous of you,” Hazel said.“Thank you.”
For the next ten minutes, Samantha and Hazel watched Mr.Croft perform a series of simple movements intended to build muscle and flexibility in various parts of the body.Samantha was well acquainted with them since most were a part of her daily morning routine.
She had no need for this, truth was, yet there was no denying the satisfaction she found in watching Mr.Croft perform them.His shirt and waistcoat stretched tightly across his back and the rolled-up sleeves straining against the bunching of biceps when he pushed his weight off the floor.
It was hard not to appreciate his physique and overall strength, though the knowing look Hazel gave her was somewhat annoying.
Ignoring her, Samantha thanked Mr.Croft for his demonstration and vowed to make good use of it.
“If you return in a couple of days,” he said, “the room next to this one will have been made available for your training alone.Mr.Reed will also have an instructor at your disposal.Bring any friends and acquaintances who’d like to learn.”
Samantha fought the urge to gape at him.He couldn’t possibly be this nice.It didn’t square with the man he was meant to be.
Unable to figure him out, she thanked him again and went to collect her bag from the bench.
Pretending to search the contents, she waited until he came to fetch his jacket before she clumsily drew the bag sideways, prompting several items to spill from within.Producing a huff of irritation, she bent into a crouch and proceeded to clean up the mess, allowing just enough time for Mr.Croft to notice the book she intended him to see.
“Is thatHerakles?”he asked, a note of astonishment in his voice.
Samantha shoved the book into her bag and stood.“It is.”
He looked mildly flummoxed for a second before he managed to school his features.“I wonder what your opinion of it might be.”
Despite having finished it, she pretended otherwise.“I find it incredibly moving and thought provoking, though I must confess that I dread the ending which I’ve been told will be rather tragic.”
“Yes.”He was staring at her as though she’d materialized from out of thin air.A shake of his head seemed to ground him.And when he spoke next, he did so with perfect control.“I’d like to engage in a boxing match before I depart, but if you’re willing to wait, I’d be honored to take you both out to lunch.Perhaps at Mivart’s?”
Samantha could have beamed with pleasure.She was finally making headway.But since she did not want to look too eager, or give him cause to believe that she’d engineered any of this, she let her shoulders slump as though with regret.
“Thank you, Mr.Croft, but I’m afraid that would cause too great a delay to our schedule.”She didn’t elaborate further, choosing instead to collect her bonnet while Hazel did the same.
“Perhaps some other time then,” Mr.Croft said.
“Perhaps,” she agreed without making any suggestion as to when such an occasion might arise.Instead, she thanked him once more for his assistance, bid him good day, and proceeded to walk away.
If she wasn’t mistaken, his gaze lingered upon her, tracking her every move until she’d vanished from his line of vision.But even then, she couldn’t escape him completely.His powerful presence stayed with her long after her return to Clearview House.
16
Adrian returned home from Reed’s with dozens of thoughts hovering in his mind.He was still somewhat bewildered by his encounter with Miss Carmichael, and he could not help but give her more thought than he intended.He was intrigued by her and the mystery that surrounded her.Loath as he was to admit it, his curiosity was beginning to take hold.
He entered his parlor and was about to pour himself a drink when Murry appeared in the doorway.
“Yes?”Adrian asked.Murry stepped forward, his eyes flicking to the fire that burned in the hearth before returning to Adrian.
“I may have some information about Miss Carmichael,” he said.“Turns out she managed to get the woman who ran the orphanage where she spent the first years of her life replaced.Mrs.Thrush, the widow who currently runs it, even claims that Miss Carmichael helps acquire donations.They received nearly a thousand pounds last year thanks to her efforts.”
“In other words, she’s kind.”
“It would appear so.”Murry paused.“But there’s something else...”
Adrian sipped his drink.“What?”
“One of Goodard’s informants, a Mr.Haines, spotted a woman matching Miss Carmichael’s description yesterday morning.”Goodard, who owned London’s largest employment agency, used the individuals he placed in various positions to track down people of interest.He and the Crofts had a longstanding agreement – an exchange of favors that served both sides well.“Haines was on his way to the Bearded Vulture with a delivery of ale when a woman emerged from the woods, riding at a near gallop.She had to rein in her mount to avoid crashing into Haines’s wagon.”
