Page 20 of The Duke and Lady Scandal
“A young woman came to my office today.” Mentioning her allowed him to fully recall the details of the encounter, thoughts of which he’d been pushing away all day. “She was surprising. Memorable.”
“Pretty?” Helen asked, still smiling.
“Very pretty,” he told her honestly. “She had a spark about her.”
“Good heavens, nowyou’resmiling.”
“I’m not.” Ben tried to wipe away all emotion as he did at work.
“So why did this lady call on you? Do members of the public often come up to those offices?”
“They don’t. The whole encounter was out of the ordinary.”
“And memorable.” She lifted the teapot and poured him more when he nodded, then filled her own cup.
“She had something to report that she thought the police should know.”
Helen scrutinized him, waiting for more. “If you won’t tell me what she said, tell me why she made such an impression? Other than being very pretty, of course.”
“Something she blurted as she left.” He looked at his sister, feeling as befuddled as he had in that moment. “Green amber. Have you ever heard of such a thing?”
Helen pondered and then shook her head. “I can’t say I have. I’ve always thought amber was gold or umber in color.”
“She mentioned that too.” He leaned forward in his chair. “She said it’s rare.”
“As she must be to have so preoccupied your prodigious mind,” Helen said thoughtfully with not a little glee in her tone.
Ben ignored the provocation, but Miss Prince was there, vivid and full of life in his mind. He’d rarely met someone who exuded such vibrancy. And he liked that there was no pretense about her, no fussiness about etiquette and propriety. He recalled howshe’d initially refused to sit and told him plainly that she was too agitated to remain still.
Some feared him upon sight. He was aware that his size and dislike for pleasantries could be off-putting. Gruff, as Helen pointed out. But Miss Prince showed no fear.
If only things hadn’t ended so awkwardly, he might have—
“So, when will you see this rare spark of a young woman again?” Helen asked quietly.
“I doubt I will.” Saying as much aloud irked him, though he knew it was logical and for the best.
To his surprise, Helen chuckled a moment later.
“What?”
“Benedict Drake, you’re one of the most trustworthy men I know, and yet I doubt the veracity of that pronouncement.” She sipped her tea while watching him over the rim, trying to read his reaction. “And I think you do too.”
Chapter Five
Princes of London sparkled on the tidy London street where it sat. Not only were its windows clean enough to gleam in the glow of autumn sunlight, but the bits and bobs on the other side shone in gold and silver and the rainbow glint of faceted gems. The shop had a charm about it. Its two front windows bowed out slightly, beckoning passersby to stop and stare at the treasures within, and in the few minutes Drake had been standing across the street, hidden under the awning of a bookshop a few doors down, several had paused to behold the gewgaws beyond the glass.
He didn’t give a damn about antiquities, but he could appreciate the shop’s appeal. And he told himself it had nothing to do with the lovely young woman he’d likely find inside if he ventured in.
But, of course, he wouldn’t enter the shop or seek out Miss Prince. That’s not why he’d come. Her visit to headquartershadprompted this one, but he didn’t need to see her again. In fact, he knew he should avoid her. He’d replayed her visit to the office and that moment when he’d touched her often enough to recognize that the lady was adistraction he needed to get out of his head. Even if curiosity made him wish to solve the mystery of whatever the hellgreen ambermeant.
His goal was to get a look at Hawlston’s Coffeehouse, though he knew the odds of encountering the same men she had with a single visit was unlikely. Which was precisely why he’d decided to employ another set of eyes and ears to spend a few days in the place.
Though, currently, his hired eyes and ears was running late.
Ben stepped through the alleyway between the buildings opposite of Princes and slid his watch out to check the time. As he returned it to his waistcoat pocket, a familiar figure ambled toward him, hat brim pulled low and collar stood up against the biting breeze.
“Your punctuality has suffered since leaving the force, Fitz.”
