Page 2 of The Secret of the Dashing Detective
“Yes,” Emma conceded, rising to her feet and brushing dirt off the knees of the morning gown she had ruined long ago but kept for activities such as these. “He is not so horrible, though, now is he? Rather pleasant to look at, I believe you said at one point in time.”
“He will report everything to Giles,” Juliana grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. Her brother had initially hired Matthew Archibald to determine who had killed their father – or to at least make it appear that he was trying to come to some conclusion, for at the time, Giles could have cared less who had taken their father out of this world. When Juliana had been abducted, however, Mr. Archibald had helped the family to recover her. Since then, the detective had been attempting to determine who was behind the scheme while also keeping the family safe.
“It is not as though you do anything disreputable,” Prudence added in.
“No.” Juliana took off her bonnet and set it next to her as she raised her face to the sun, waving away Prudence’s warning regarding her freckles. “But there are some activities I take part in that Giles wouldn’t exactly be… pleased about.”
“Activities that he has forbidden?” Emma asked, looking over at her now, and Juliana heaved a dramatic sigh.
“It doesn’t make any sense whatsoever, Emma. Even you must admit that. Mrs. Stone is a lovely woman and there is no reason to keep me from my work. We are not harming anyone. In fact, we are doing the exact opposite.”
“I think it is more so that he is worried about what might happen to you if you continue to take a stand for what you believe in.”
“You sound like my mother now,” Juliana said, chewing on her thumbnail.
“Oh, Jules, I am sorry,” Emma said, walking over to her now. She lifted a hand to place it on Juliana’s arm but stopped when they both looked down and saw how dirty it was. “You know I love you more than anything.”
“I do,” Juliana said with a nod and a smile, for she knew what Emma said was true.
“Good,” Emma said, relief evident on her face. Their friendship hadn’t been quite as strong and sure since Emma and Giles had married. “Now, do tell us, how is everything with Lord Hemingway?”
“Lord Hemingway?” Juliana asked with some surprise. She hadn’t even considered the man as they sat in the afternoon sun, for she had been intent on how to return to her work despite Giles having forbidden it. “He is…” She tried to think of the right words to describe the man her mother was encouraging her to accept. “He is my father’s cousin’s son.”
“Obviously,” Prudence said with a snort.
“And he is…”
Juliana scratched her nose.
“Boring?” Prudence supplied, and Juliana opened her mouth to refute her, but found it impossible to do so directly.
“He is nice.”
“Nice?” Prudence repeated. “Nice is what you use to describe something that you have nothing bad to say about but nothing particularly good either.”
“I do not know him well,” Juliana said defensively. “He has visited with us before, of course, when he has accompanied his mother, and he did call upon us in order to request a potential courtship, but we have not yet had the opportunity to spend much time together.”
“How interesting it would be with Mr. Archibald following you around,” Emma said, unable to hold back her laughter, to which Juliana could only sigh, wondering what that would look like.
The truth – one that she hadn’t shared even with Emma – was that Prudence was right. Lord Hemingway was rather boring, even if he was everything she had thought she had wanted – a man she could tolerate, who would allow her to live the life she chose. At least, she assumed he would. He didn’t exactly seem to be a man of strong opinions, not with a mother like his. But she also wasn’t entirely sure she was prepared for anything unpredictable. Not any more. She’d had enough surprises already, and her other secret was just how much her abduction had affected her. Boring and predictable? She didn’t have much issue with that at the moment.
“Now,” Emma said, “the question is, how are you going to handle Mr. Archibald?”
* * *
Matthew Archibald drummedhis fingers on the desk in front of him, leaning back as he surveyed the room. His offices were small, located in the front of a tall brick building in the midst of Holborn. It was a respectable enough location that his higher-class clients felt comfortable in meeting him here, while it wasn’t so high up that those who hired him from his own social status were not too intimidated to seek him out.
At the moment, the room in front of him was filled with the men who worked for him, the ones he could trust implicitly. He was currently failing at the most important job he had ever acquired, and he needed all of the help he could get.
The men were at ease, some sitting on the chairs they had gathered from various corners of the room, some on the other desks that were available for use when needed. Still others were leaning against the wall, in relaxed poses. Matthew couldn’t help a small smile for those he had gathered. They were good men, hard-working, reliable.
And he was letting them down.
He cleared his throat to capture their attention, and the ten men in the room immediately quieted down and turned to him.
Matthew inclined his head, signaling one man to come to the front with him. Owen Green had not only been his closest of friends since they were boys, but he had been the one to begin this operation with him all those years ago, and he had remained by his side ever since. On the days Matthew wished he had two of himself, Owen became that second person for him.
“Listen up, men,” he said, as shocked as he had always been at how many now worked for him. Theirs had been a slow build to their current size, but he appreciated the trust of each and every one of them. “You know that we have had some difficulty in watching over the duke and his family. After Lady Juliana’s abduction, we vowed to keep the family safe, and yet someone was able to enter their premises at the country house just outside Watford. We returned to London as it would be easier to watch over them all at Warwick House. It is, of course, large itself, but not nearly as sprawling as Remington House in the country.”
