“I don’t suppose you’d like to tell us what the inconvenient matter pertains to?”She tilted her head and blinked a few times while sending him a sweet smile, which made him feel like she was mocking him.He gnashed his teeth and told himself this wasn’t her fault even as she said, “Or perhaps Jackson already knows and I am the only one kept in the dark?”
“You’re not,” Jackson said before addressing Peter.“Whatever has happened, you cannot arrive looking as though you’re about to murder the person you’re meeting.Least of all if that person happens to be Mr.Croft.”
“He deliberately disregarded my request,” Peter seethed, his attention on the buildings they passed on their way to Portman Square.
“And you’re understandably upset about this, but I fear your anger will only have a negative effect on you.Based on my own observations of the man, Croft is immune to that sort of thing.”
Peter took another deep breath and expelled it.Jackson was right.He had to find the wherewithal to leash his emotions.It was the only way to get through this without saying or doing something foolish.
The carriage stopped in front of Croft House and Peter prepared to alight.“Wait for me here.”
“We should come with you,” Miss Hastings said before he opened the door.“He won’t expect the three of us to show up together.A united front might throw him slightly off balance.And given your mood, we may also help in preventing you from acting rashly.”
Offended by her implication, Peter sent her a glare.“I never act rashly, Miss Hastings.”
“Your tone suggests you may be about to,” Jackson warned.
Peter closed his eyes briefly and fought for control.“Fine.But you’re both to let me lead the discussion.Agreed?”
“Of course,” Jackson said.
Miss Hastings nodded and Peter opened the door.
Less than five minutes later, the three of them sat in the Croft House parlor, Peter and Jackson on one sofa, Mr.and Mrs.Croft on the other, and Miss Hastings in one of two armchairs that made up the rest of the seating arrangement.A tea tray had been requested with Peter making a point of asking for coffee to be brought up as well.The stronger the better, he’d told the maid.
Again, he took a deep breath, held it, and allowed the exhale to ease the tension stiffening his muscles.A cheroot would be welcome right now.He fought the urge to reach for his silver case since he’d no wish to ask the Crofts for permission to smoke.
“I thought I made myself explicitly clear yesterday evening,” Peter began.He leaned forward in his seat, forearms braced upon his thighs, hands clasped together as he looked directly at Mr.Croft.“You were to stay out of my way while my Runners and I investigate.Yet you chose to break into a hospital and snoop around during the middle of the night.Why?”
In his effort to keep his voice level, he sounded strained to his own ears.
“Because I worried about your decision to wait until morning with your search.”
“Or maybe,” Peter suggested, “you believed you could do a better job than I.”
“It was both those things,” Mrs.Croft informed him, earning a sharp look from her husband, in response to which she shrugged one shoulder.“If we’re being honest with him, we might as well go all the way.”
Peter clenched his jaw.Of course Mrs.Croft would choose to question his capabilities in front of his colleagues.Her open dislike of him should have better prepared him for such a maneuver.The fact that he’d played straight into her hands only irritated him all the more.
“You don’t have the best success record,” Mr.Croft added, his tone mocking.
“And while I’ll admit you do,” Peter said, his pulse beginning to race as a wave of heat swept up the back of his neck, “you’re a known criminal, whom I might add, I recently helped walk free.The least you can do now is allow me the courtesy of letting me investigate my case unhindered without creating additional problems for me to deal with.”
“I didn’t expect my search of St.George’s to be problematic,” Mr.Croft said.
“In other words, you didn’t expect to be seen.”Peter sensed where this conversation was heading and instantly dreaded the implications.
“And we weren’t, but…”
“Yes?”The letter Peter received from Croft had mentioned his unsanctioned outing.It had also made it clear that Croft needed to speak with Peter about it at once.Naturally, Peter assumed Croft needed his help explaining away his reason for sneaking about the hospital after hours.
“He’s not going to like this,” Mrs.Croft said, sending a chill down Peter’s spine.
“What?”Peter asked, since they might as well get to the meat of the matter.
Croft opened his mouth as though preparing to answer.But then the maid returned with the tea things and Peter’s coffee, leaving the air tense with Croft’s unspoken answer until she departed.
“There was an altercation,” Croft said after taking a sip of his tea.
