His confidence was contagious.
He had a way of lifting her spirits.
A means of making everything right.
“What would I do without you?” she teased, but there was a resounding truth to her remark. She was in love with him. It was hard to imagine life alone. She’d miss the warmth of his smile, the mischief in his eyes, his kind words, his tender touch.
“I’m merely fixing the problems I helped to create.”
“Is that why you’re so kind to me, out of guilt?”
He brought her to a halt outside the shop, his eyes meeting hers. “Did I look guilty when I kissed every inch of your naked body? Did guilt have me losing my mind when I pushed deep inside you? Is it guilt that leaves me desperate to make love to you again?”
The feverish look in his eyes said he spoke in earnest.
“That is lust,” she said, wishing he loved her, too.
“And yet the word barely defines what happened between us in bed. It doesn’t explain why we remained in each other’s arms for hours.”
She swallowed hard. “I’m certainly no expert, but perhaps that’s what happens when friends make love.”
His gaze dipped to her mouth. “Perhaps.”
“Miss Darrow! Miss Darrow!”
Theo grumbled at the interruption. “Devil take it. What now?”
Eleanor turned to see Miss Franklin hurrying across the road, clutching her plain bonnet to her head while waving to get Eleanor’s attention. The poor woman was breathless, her cheeks berry red.
“Thank heavens I’ve caught you.” Miss Franklin, a young woman of twenty with a pleasant countenance, clasped her chest and took a deep breath. “Have you heard what happened at Mr Walker’s premises last night? My brother has spent most of the day helping him clear broken glass. An intruder smashed all his medicines and tinctures. Who would do such a thing?”
Eleanor waited for Miss Franklin to pause so she might introduce Theo, but the woman barely stopped for breath.
“What’s most peculiar is that the criminal took nothing. Not even Mr Walker’s silver mantel clock he inherited from his grandmother. The lady hailed from York but left her Roman coins to Mr Walker’s sister. She sold them and left him heartbroken. But no matter. I ask you, how can we protect ourselves from these miscreants who walk the streets at night?”
Eleanor opened her mouth and closed it again.
“My brother hasn’t slept properly in months. He’s up all hours of the night, peering out of the window. It’s beginning to take its toll. Only yesterday, he wrote the wrong date on a customer’s receipt.”
Theo put his hand to his mouth and coughed to disguise a chuckle. Never in the history of oratory had a person crammed so many words into a minute.
“It’s undoubtedly the same person who caused the damage in your shop. How do you propose we catch him? The devil gets a thrill from ruining lives and reputations.”
“That’s why I hired a guard to watch the shop in my absence,” Eleanor said, grateful for a chance to speak. “And my friend, Mr Chance, is leading an enquiry into the matter. We’re sure to find answers soon.”
Miss Franklin looked at Theo as if she’d not noticed he was there. Her brown eyes widened, and she dabbed her fingers to her brow.
“Mr Chance, good … good afternoon.” Miss Franklin took time to appreciate Theo’s broad shoulders. “You’re exactly what we need. A capable man to take charge of the matter. You should both dine with us this evening. My brother is quite protective of Miss Darrow. He will be pleased to know someone is considering her welfare. Yes, I’m sure it will be a splendid evening all round.”
Dine with the Franklins?
Eleanor would rather listen to a lecture on the history of lint.
“Sadly, we have a previous engagement.” She tried to look a little downcast. “Perhaps some other time. Once we’ve caught this blackguard and can all rest a little easier in our beds.”
“Yes, I suppose it’s hard to strike up an appetite when we might be attacked at any moment.” Miss Franklin fluttered her lashes. “Perhaps a stroll in the park might suit us better. We might—”
The lady stopped abruptly when she noticed Mr Franklin approaching. Her smile died, and she grumbled under her breath.
Mr Franklin had Eleanor in his sights. He greeted her with the warmth of a man who had more than friendship in mind. “Miss Darrow. I trust you’ve heard the dreadful news about Mr Walker’s apothecary.”
“Yes, though I find it strange nothing was stolen.”
Theo agreed. “If the culprit arrived by barge or merchant ship, as you previously claimed, surely he would have stolen the mantel clock.”
Mr Franklin brushed a hand through his wavy brown hair. “Then it must have been the vagabond who broke into Miss Darrow’s shop. The whole business is confounding.”
“Have you spoken to the warden at Bridewell?” Theo gestured to the entrance of the correction facility a hundred yards along the street. “Perhaps an inmate escaped and went on the rampage.”
Eleanor might have thought so, too, had the villain not lifted the floorboards and stolen her diary. Had he not threatened to kill her if she failed to deliver his notes—his blank notes.
“I spoke to the warden after the raid in the cobbler’s yard,” Mr Franklin said. “He assured me all prisoners were accounted for. Besides, the incidents occurred over a period of weeks. I doubt the villain escaped on three separate occasions.”
Miss Franklin hadn’t uttered a word since her brother’s arrival. Perhaps that’s why she gabbled in his absence.
“Well, I am glad you have returned to the shop, Miss Darrow.” Miss Franklin sounded relieved rather than glad. “We cannot let these dreadful beggars scare us from our homes. Will you be accepting clients soon?”
After hearing Emily’s shocking revelation, Eleanor’s head was as heavy as lead. Everything she had believed was a lie. Her mother’s death was not a tragedy. Her father was not a grieving widower. Ivy’s dream was to amass lovers, not become a famed modiste.
