Page 23 of The Duke and Lady Scandal
“Coffee sounds just the thing.”
Allie had resisted her usual morning trip to Hawlston’s. The scents wafting from the shop were just as enticing, but the whole matter of the men and the plot and her encounter with one tall, green-eyed detective had unsettled her completely.
She compulsively retraced the men’s conversation in her mind, trying to mine for details. Though there was precious little to unearth. Her two glances at the trio inside the coffeehouse hadn’t provided her with a clear view of any of them. The brief encounter in the alley seemed haziest of all. Her gaze had locked on the gentleman’s dark spectacles and every other detail of his face blurred in her memory.
Such ruminations had kept her up much of the night, and even now, as she unboxed a set of heavy seventeenth-century Florentine candlesticks, all she could think about was whether those three men were next door, hunched over the same table again.
Perhaps they’d enlisted more confederates and composed an entire gang now.
Stop.She was letting her imagination run riot, and doing so rarely got her anywhere. And the truth was that she did not relish the prospect of seeing the ominous tall man again, despite how much she yearned for proof of what she’d heard.
But one tantalizing thought whispered in her mind. What if she could find a real thread to follow?
She could take those details to Inspector Drake, andthatprospect made her face heat and her heartbeat jump. Goodness, she’d been so taken with the unique shade of the detective’s eyes that she’d babbled like a fool, but if she could gather real evidence that there was a plot to steal the Crown Jewels, she’d overcome any personal mortification to help prevent it.
Even playing a small role in thwarting such a plot would earn her a bit of the esteem that seemed to come so naturally to other Princes. And Dom and Eve couldn’t argue with herrushing inon this occasion. Not when their own father was best known for retrieving a royal gem.
Perhaps a quick trip over to Hawlston’s was in order.
She glanced at the covered coffee mug Mrs. Cline allowed her to take away and return with to refill with their smokiest coffee. From the rear of the shop, Mr. Gibson whistled contentedly while he worked.
Before heading back to ask him if he wanted anything, the bell above the shop’s door rang and Jo strode in, bringing the scent of crushed autumn leaves and a gust of cool air with her.
Allie smiled when she noticed the book clutched in her friend’s hand.
“Ah, you’ve come to make up for yesterday’s missed book club meeting?”
The shop had been quiet all morning, and she’d happily take her lunch while talking about novels with Jo.
“That’s what I told Mama, of course,” Jo said as she drew close, keeping her voice low. “But the truth is I must know what happened yesterday with Sir Felix. What did he say?”
Allie came out from behind the counter and led her friend to the two chairs in the corner where they usually convened.
“I didn’t see Sir Felix,” she admitted. “He wasn’t there, or so I was told, but I was directed to a Detective Inspector Benedict Drake.”
Even saying the man’s name put an odd hitch in her voice. Everything about him was sharp in her mind—his cheekbones, the depth of his voice, the width of his shoulders, and those rare green amber eyes.
Jo’s blue eyes widened. “I’ve heard of him.”
“Have you?”
“I’m certain that Lavinia Haverstock has mentioned that name. He’s a protégé of her father’s. She says Sir Felix is attempting to engineer a match between them, but I can’t tell if she favors it.” Jo frowned. “The girl is as inscrutable as her father.”
A protégé? Inspector Drake didn’t seem like a protégé. He exuded confidence and control. She imagined he could run all of Scotland Yard one day if his ambition took him that far.
“So did this Inspector Drake take a report about what you overheard?”
“He did listen and asked questions.” Allie shrugged. “But what could he do? As you pointed out, I can’t identify any of the men.”
Jo stared at the far wall of Princes as if she could see through to the coffeehouse on the other side.
“I was thinking of making a trip over.” Allie arched a brow at her friend. “Would you like to join me?”
Jo tapped her gloved fingers against the book in her lap. “If I do, you mustn’t tell Mama. She’d never allow me to go into such a place unchaperoned.”
Allie chuckled. “Your mother and I are hardly confidantes.” She stood and offered her hand to Jo. “Besides, I can serve as your chaperone.”
Jo laughed too. “Oh, if only Mama would allow you to take Mrs. Benning’s place. Every social event I attended would be much more enjoyable.”
