Page 49 of A Raven Reformed

“For what it’s worth, I’ll probably be coming back soon, too.” Michael took a sip of his coffee.

“Now that that’s out of the way, there is another small issue you need to be aware of, Michael. Fogg says you have a gossip problem among your staff.”

“Something other than the rumor that I beat my wife?”

Patrick choked. “You what?”

Michael just shook his head. “Don’t ask.”

Ash leaned back and picked a piece of lint from his trouser leg. “Apparently, they now believe Isaac is your wife’s lover, and are talking about it.”

Michael closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, letting out a long sigh. “Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I will put a stop to it today.”

Ash nodded.

“For the record, he is not my wife’s lover. He is also no longer in that cell. I have sent him upstairs to get cleaned up. Additionally, I have told O’Connell and McKinnon that they can return home.”

To his surprise, Ash simply nodded.

“You two don’t seem startled by any of that.”

“Well,” Ash said. “While you were away, your wife persuaded me to allow her a conversation with the man.”

Michael chuckled. “Of course she did.”

“I chaperoned their exchange and found it to be quite enlightening, so I shared my newfound understanding of the situation with Patrick. I still don’t know all the details, but I assume you’ll fill us in eventually.”

Giles shuffled into the room, his mouth open wide in a yawn. “Welcome home,” he mumbled to Michael on his way to the coffee.

“So Giles,” Ash said, once he was seated. “The Raven’s Den is in need of some more help these days, and we wondered how you might feel about joining our partnership.”

Giles stopped with the cup halfway to his lips. “Are you being serious?”

“Well, it would be a trial run to begin with, but yes.”

His face split in a wide grin. “This might be the best day of my life.”

Michael left them to sort out the details and headed up to his study. There were still two more things he needed to address before facing his wife. He was only there a few minutes before Pearson delivered Isaac. “Thank you, Pearson. Now, I’d like you to assemble the staff in the entry hall, please.”

“All of them, my lord?”

“Yes, every one.”

“Yes, my lord.” His brow was furrowed as he left.

“Come in, Isaac.”

He still looked a bit unsure, fidgeting his fingers nervously.

“Are you warm and fed, at least?”

“Yes, thank you.” He hesitated briefly before adding, “my lord.”

“Have a seat, Isaac.” Michael gestured to the chair across the desk from him. “I’d like to offer you an opportunity,” he said as Isaac settled in. “I believe Belle and I will be spending some time in London soon. Raven Row is not the safest area for a lady, so I’d like her to have around the clock protection whenever I’m not available.”

“Are you offering to hire me as her bodyguard?”

Michael nodded. “Precisely.”

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