Page 39 of My Kind of Scoundel
He shuffled to the edge of the seat, his knees a fraction from hers. “You said someone or something. Surely you’re not speaking about a ghost. I credit you with more sense than that.”
“I don’t know what to think. Emily is the only person with a key, so why would she not show herself?” She had given Emily a door key weeks ago and had not thought to ask for it back.
Mr Chance gave a mocking snort. “Because she stole your silk and returned to take whatever else she could carry.”
Had she stolen the silk or simply taken it for safekeeping?
“Emily is barely five feet tall and so petite people mistake her for a child. Surely the person who pushed me was much stronger.”
“Then one of your devious clients entered the premises intending to steal back their note.” He shoved his hand through his mop of golden hair. “Daventry was right. Only the dead keep secrets. Perhaps someone means to silence you, Miss Darrow.”
His remark forced her to face a truth she had been avoiding. But what did she know that was so damning? She knew the identity of those sending secrets but nothing incriminating.
“Thankfully, I had the foresight to hire someone to guard your shop,” he said, alluding to his mysterious machinations. “Daventry’s man Gibbs has taken residence. It’s the only way to protect your property.”
Eleanor’s heart softened. He was determined to restore her reputation, determined to keep her in London. Did his motivation stem from guilt?
“Perhaps me being incapacitated was a blessing,” she said. “I would have insisted on returning home and tackling the problem myself.” In the process, she might have paid the ultimate price. “You chose well. Mr Gibbs has the strength of three men. I know Delphine valued his help when searching for the truth about her parents.”
“I had the locks changed yesterday,” he confessed.
“Oh.” She was unused to a man taking care of things. “Another wise decision.”
“And I supervised the cleaning of the shop yesterday. You would hardly know the place was ransacked a few days ago.”
Eleanor swallowed past a lump in her throat. The thought of tidying the rooms had filled her with dread. “You didn’t need to do that.”
“Miss Darrow,” he began firmly, “I’ll not rest until things are as they were before the day of the shooting.”
The pang in her chest proved confounding.
Shouldn’t she be happy he wanted to put things right?
And yet she didn’t want things to be as they were. The empty compliments and endless teasing. The feeling theywere worlds apart, practically strangers who knew nothing about each other at all.
“So much has changed since then.”
One kiss at the theatre had altered the course of fate. They’d grown closer. She was slowly learning to trust him and enjoyed his company. But nothing about this situation was permanent. Guarding her heart should be her only priority.
“I need to know you’re happy,” he clarified.
A moment of inward reflection confirmed what she already knew. Happiness eluded her. She had been living someone else’s life. Fulfilling her parents’ dream.
“I’m not your responsibility, Mr Chance. You’ve offered to help me and need do no more. Your conscience is clear. Once we’ve gained the information we need from Mr Pickering, our partnership will end.”
She hoped the librarian confessed and they had the vandal in custody by nightfall. There’d be no more threats. No more sudden attacks. No more sleepless nights spent wishing for a peaceful life. No more kisses from the only man who had ever made her soul sing. No fears of heartbreak.
She would return to the shop and her silent companion, the ever-present figure of loneliness lingering over her shoulder.
“You sound keen to get rid of me, Miss Darrow.”
“The arrangement was always temporary.”
“When I trust someone enough to call them a friend, is it wrong to hope the relationship might last a lifetime?”
A lady could not be friends with a man like Theodore Chance. He was like a well-honed blade, powerful enough toslice through her defences. While his masculine prowess had her gawping in awe, his chivalrous deed left her an emotional wreck. Any thoughts of urging him to be realistic vanished when he played his ace card.
“I have never had a friend outside of my family circle,” he said. “There has never been a need until now. But I have a feeling you need a friend, too.”
