Page 10 of The Last Chance
“Are ladies permitted entrance?”
A muscle in his jaw twitched. “No. Fighting men dislike distractions. If you saw me in the ring, you’d know I’m nothing more than a savage beast.” He waved his hand between them. “Don’t mistake this for anything more than a need for justice. An unsolved murder is bad for business. And I’m rather fond of my neck.”
“Why would I expect more than your assistance?” She admired his honesty. It was a rare quality in a man. “We’re nothing more than competitors. I trust I have your word that you will help solve this problem. For both our sakes.”
He nodded. “As I said, it’s in our interests to bring this matter to a swift conclusion. You have my word I’ll instruct Daventry’s best agents to help bring the culprit to justice.”
Their verbal exchanges usually left her seething.
Tonight, she felt relieved and surprisingly calm.
“I shall have the fire lit and a brandy ready when you return. Hopefully, we won’t have long to wait for Mr Daventry.”
“Don’t open the door to anyone,” he stated, not budging until she gave her solemn vow. “I’ll be as quick as I can.”
Joanna listened to his retreating footsteps, then hurried to the window to peer through the gap in the curtains. This wasn’t the first time she had spied on him from afar.
The man was an utter enigma.
He was dominant and overbearing, rigid in his ideas and beliefs. He took stubbornness to new heights, often lacked empathy, and disliked most people.
Yet he loved his family unconditionally. It was evident in every thoughtful action and deed, even if he never spoke the words aloud. He was truthful and loyal. Working with him would be challenging, but Joanna knew one thing with absolute certainty.
Aaron Chance would never break a vow.
Chapter Three
Miss Lovelace was napping in the candlelit drawing room, curled in the fireside chair, when Aaron returned to The Burnished Jade and let himself in with the key. Although he had changed his clothes quickly, he had spent twenty minutes trying to suppress his burning rage.
The lady’s confession plagued him like a malevolent spirit, a horrid shadow of her past he could not eradicate or erase.
I am damaged goods, Mr Chance. Broken beyond repair.
He wanted to haul Howard’s body to the nearest heath and leave him as food for the crows. Or tie him to the Aldgate Pump with a placard saying debaucher and watch the devil slowly rot away. A maggot infested with maggots.
Aaron glanced at Miss Lovelace but did not disturb her. She had changed into a plain blue dress and fastened her golden hair into a braid draped over her shoulder. She looked peaceful, angelic, all signs of distress vanquished, if only for a moment.
He snatched the glass of brandy off the side table and downed the contents, resisting the urge to hurl the goblet into the fire and curse his rotten luck.
He wanted to pace the floor, throttle someone, drag everylord into a dim alley and demand to know which one of them had killed Howard. If only he could summon the wastrel back from the dead. He’d wrench the murderer’s name from his lips and then destroy him for what he’d done to Miss Lovelace.
“Craven bastard,” he mumbled too loudly.
Miss Lovelace’s eyes fluttered open, and she sat up. “Mr Chance. I didn’t hear you come in. I was resting my eyes.” She observed his black coat, her gaze sweeping across his shoulders before she gestured to the blue damask settee. “Would you care to sit? We may have a long wait before Mr Daventry arrives. I’m told he’s often reluctant to leave his wife’s bed.”
The seat looked comfortable, but Aaron declined.
The room had an undeniable charm, the beautiful woman in relaxed repose making it more inviting. Soft candlelight and the fire’s amber flames created a scene ripe for seduction. The lady had dabbed perfume to her pulse points, the arousing smell of roses playing havoc with his insides.
“I intend to search the rooms for traces of evidence.” He would not surrender to the desires he’d suppressed for months.
“You won’t find anything. I’ve checked all the rooms.”
Her defensive tone put him at ease, so he prodded her a little more. “You were distraught and might have missed an obvious clue.”
The flash of fire in her eyes said he’d hit the mark. “A man was murdered in my home. What else would I be but distraught?”
Now he had the perfect excuse to place some distance between them. “With your delicate sensibilities, I suggest you remain here and wait for Daventry. I want to search Howard’s pockets. I’ll not have the coroner find evidence that might incriminate me.”
