Caleb placed a hand over his heart. “You wound me, Miss Delacourt,” he mocked. “How can I earn your approval?”
Miss Delacourt reached down and snatched the paper out of his hand. “I don’t know why Kendrick ever thought we could work together. You are impossible.”
“I have never had a complaint before, especially from a young woman,” Caleb joked as he leaned back in his seat.
“Perhaps they were just being polite,” Miss Delacourt retorted.
A burly man approached their table and his bloodshot eyes were fixated on Miss Delacourt. “Is this man bothering you?” he asked, his words slurring.
“Yes,” Miss Delacourt promptly responded, “but it is nothing that I can’t handle.”
“We don’t take kindly to men mistreating womenfolk here,” the burly man said, waggling his finger at Caleb.
Miss Delacourt flashed her protector a smile. “You are kind, sir, but you do not need to worry about me. I am fine.”
The man eyed her for a long moment before bobbing his head. “All right. You’ve convinced me, but we will be watching him.”
As the man returned to his own table, Miss Delacourt gave Caleb a knowing look. “You think you would be nicer to me, considering I saved your life once already.”
“I believe I have already thanked you for that,” Caleb said.
“Yes, but you could stand to thank me more,” Miss Delacourt responded.
Caleb glanced at the broken, grimy window along the sidewall. “Kendrick wants us to work together. Should we not at least make an attempt to do so?”
“I don’t need a partner.”
“Neither do I, but here we are,” Caleb said, putting his hands up. “We both haven’t made much progress on the assignment working alone. What would happen if we combined forces?”
Miss Delacourt held up the paper. “I did find this clue.”
“Until we get the French code to decipher it, you have nothing, and you know it.”
Emotions flickered on her expression as she seemed to assess him. “Fine. You may call upon me tomorrow to discuss the case,” Miss Delacourt said.
“I may call upon you?” Caleb tipped his head. “Thank you for the invitation. I feel honored that you would bestow such an honor upon me.”
Miss Delacourt crossed her arms over her chest. “It isn’t as if I could call upon you,” she said.
“I would rather go someplace that doesn’t have prying ears,” Caleb remarked. “What if we met in Hyde Park on the bench near the south entrance?”
“I am amenable to that.”
“Good, let’s say we meet at noon,” Caleb said.
Miss Delacourt abruptly rose. “I will see you tomorrow.”
Rising, Caleb asked, “Would you like me to see you home?”
“No,” came her curt reply.
Caleb gave her a pointed look. “I am not your enemy, Miss Delacourt,” he said.
“I know.”
“Do you?” Caleb asked. “Because you keep me at arm’s length, and you clearly do not trust me.”
“Trust is to be earned,” Miss Delacourt asserted. “Regardless, I doubt that you trust me either.”
