Page 38 of The Truth About Lord Stoneville
When Oliver let out a breath, she stared at him quizzically. The tension seemed to have drained out of him, and he looked relieved. It dawned on her that he’d been waiting to see if she meant to abandon ship this morning, as he’d promised she could if she was still unhappy.
The realization brought her up short. Ever since her conversation with his grandmother, she’d felt a fierce urgeto help him thwart the woman. From that moment on, she’d acted as if the matter were settled, when in fact it still wasn’t.
For half a second, she considered the possibility of backing out now. If she stayed, he would help her find Nathan. But he might also attempt to give her more of those incredible kisses. Did she dare risk it?
She had to. Without his help, she had no way to find Nathan. And surely she could resist a few kisses, no matter how amazing. No matter how the thought of them set her blood to pumping and her insides flipping crazily about.
Mercy, what did that say about her character? She had to get this foolish fascination under control.
Breakfast proved to be a tense affair. Oliver’s grandmother peppered her with questions about her family, and she had no idea what to say to help Oliver’s situation. She didn’t like to lie, but she didn’t think it wise to explain that they had a higher status than Oliver had implied.
She was so grateful to finally have it over that she didn’t even protest when Oliver laid his hand in the small of her back as they strolled toward the front of the house. Even if it did send a delicious tremor through her.
When they reached the courtyard, he bent his head close. “Am I to understand that you’ve decided to continue our arrangement?”
“As long you keep your end of the bargain. I still need to find my fiancé, you know.”
“Of course,” he clipped out.
“Why did you tell your grandmother that I’m pickingup gowns in town? She’ll be suspicious when I don’t return with any.”
“After we meet with the Bow Street runner, you and I will go to the secondhand shops. Their clothing won’t be in the first stare of fashion, but it’ll be adequate.”
“I don’t think I can afford—”
“I’m paying for them. It’s my masquerade, so it’s my expense. If you don’t want to keep them, I can always give them to the servants or resell them. If you do want to keep them, you can consider it a bonus for helping me.”
“If I keep them, Nathan will repay you for them as soon as we are married,” she said tightly.
He eyed her closely. “You mean, as soon as you find him. Have you thought about what you’ll do if youdon’tfind him?”
“No.” The nightmare of legal entanglement that would ensue was more than she could bear to consider. She had to find him. There was no other choice.
But the gravity of the situation weighed even more heavily on her an hour later, when a clerk ushered them into the cramped and windowless office of Mr. Jackson Pinter. The clerk said that the Bow Street runner, recommended by one of Oliver’s good friends, would return shortly. Then he left them to wait.
While Oliver settled into a chair, she paced the small room. Sketches of hard-faced men were pinned up on the walls, and an assortment of weapons hung in a glass-fronted cabinet beside them, reminding her that the runner’s job was to hunt down criminals.
Things were desperate indeed if she had to resort to a man familiar with the seediest parts of London. Still, if Nathan were in any trouble, surely this runner fellow could get him out of it.
“Nowthatis a sword,” Freddy said in awe as he went to look at an impressive saber hanging from the hat rack near the door.
“Stay away from it,” she cautioned. “I’m sure it’s sharper than yours.”
As usual, Freddy ignored her. “Just think what I could do with this,” he said as he lifted it off its hook.
“So far I haven’t seen you do anything with a sword, my boy,” Oliver remarked dryly. “Though I shudder to think what your cousin would attempt.”
Maria glared at Oliver, which only made him laugh. Meanwhile, Freddy unsheathed the saber with a flourish.
“Curse it, Freddy, put it back,” Maria ordered.
“What a fine piece of steel.” Freddy swished it through the air. “Even the one Uncle Adam gave me isn’t near so impressive.”
Maria appealed to Oliver. “Dosomething, for pity’s sake. Make him stop.”
“And get myself skewered for the effort? No, thank you. Let the pup have his fun.”
Freddy cast him a belligerent glance. “You wouldn’t call me a pup if I came at you withthis.”
