In addition, she was offering him something no other young lady had ever thought to wave before his nose.
A case. Just when he was in dire need of one.
“Once we’ve talked to the neighbors who saw Dick taken away, I’m hoping you’ll be able to see some way forward from there.”
Her lips stopped moving. He raised his gaze to her eyes. “Indeed.” He hesitated; it was patently obvious that she had every intention of playing an active role in the ensuing investigation. Given he knew her family, he was unquestionably honor-bound to dissuade her from such a reckless endeavor, yet equally unquestionably any suggestion she retreat to the hearth and leave him to chase the villains would meet stiff opposition. He inclined his head. “As it happens I’m free tomorrow. Perhaps I could meet you at the Foundling House in the morning?”
He’d steer her out of the investigation after he had all the facts, after he’d learned everything she knew about this strange business.
She smiled brilliantly, once again disrupting his thoughts.
“Excellent!” Penelope gathered her gloves and muff, and stood. She’d gained what she wanted; it was time to go. Before he could say anything she didn’t want to hear. Best not to get into any argument now. Not yet.
He got to his feet and waved her to the door. She led the way, pulling on her gloves. He had the loveliest hands she’d ever seen on a man, long-fingered, elegant and utterly distracting. She’d remembered them from before, which was why she hadn’t offered to shake his hand.
He walked beside her across his front hall. “Is your carriage outside?”
“Yes.” Halting before the front door, she glanced up at him. “It’s waiting outside the house next door.”
His lips twitched. “I see.” His man was hovering; he waved him back and reached for the doorknob. “I’ll hand you up.”
She nodded. When he opened the door, she walked out onto the narrow front porch. She wasn’t at all sure what she felt as he joined her; large and rather overpoweringly male, he escorted her down the three steps to the pavement, then along to where her brother’s town carriage stood, the coachman patient and resigned on the box.
Adair reached for the carriage door, opened it, and offered his hand. Holding her breath, she gave him her fingers—and tried hard not to register the sensation of her slender digits being enveloped by his much larger ones, tried not to notice the warmth of his firm clasp as he helped her up into the carriage.
And failed.
She didn’t breathe—couldn’t breathe—until he released her hand. She dropped onto the leather seat, managed a smile and a crisp nod. “Thank you, Mr. Adair. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
Through the enveloping gloom he studied her for a moment, then he raised his hand in salute, and stepped back and closed the door.
The coachman jiggled his reins and the carriage jerked forward, then settled to a steady roll. Penelope sat back, and smiled into the darkness. Satisfied, and a trifle smug. She’d recruited Barnaby Adair to her cause, and despite her unprecedented attack of sensibility, had managed the encounter without revealing her affliction.
All in all, it had been a good night.
Barnaby stood in the street, in the wreathing fog, and watched the carriage roll away. Once the rattle of the wheels had faded, he grinned and turned back to his door.
Climbing his front steps, he realized his mood had lifted. His earlier despondency had vanished, replaced with a keen anticipation for what the morrow would bring.
And for that he had Penelope Ashford to thank.
Not only had she brought him a case, one outside his normal arena and therefore likely to challenge him and expand his knowledge, but even more importantly that case was one not even his mother would disapprove of him pursuing.
Thinking of the letter he would pen to his parent first thing the next morning, he entered his house whistling beneath his breath, and let Mostyn bolt the door behind him.
BUY WHERE THE HEART LEADS
FURTHER UPCOMING ENTRIES IN THE CASEBOOK OF BARNABY ADAIR
THE CURIOUS CASE OF LADY LATIMER’S SHOES
A Mid Length Novel – June 16, 2014.
LOVING ROSE: THE REDEMPTION OF MALCOLM SINCLAIR
Volume 3: Full Length Novel – July 29, 2014.
Other Titles from Stephanie Laurens
Cynster Series
Devil’s Bride
A Rake’s Vow
Scandal’s Bride
A Rogue’s Proposal
A Secret Love
All About Love
All About Passion
On A Wild Night
On A Wicked Dawn
The Perfect Lover
The Ideal Bride
The Truth About Love
What Price Love?
The Taste of Innocence
Temptation and Surrender
Cynster Sisters Trilogy
Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue
In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster
The Capture of the Earl of Glencrae
Cynster Sisters Duo
And Then She Fell
The Taming of Ryder Cavanaugh
Cynster Special
The Promise in a Kiss
The Casebook of Barnaby Adair Novels
Where the Heart Leads
The Peculiar Case of Lord Finsbury’s Diamonds
The Masterful Mr. Montague (upcoming)
The Curious Case of Lady Latimer’s Shoes (upcoming)
Loving Rose: The Redemption of Malcolm Sinclair (upcoming)
Bastion Club Series
Captain Jack’s Woman (Prequel)
The Lady Chosen
A Gentleman’s Honor
A Lady of His Own
A Fine Passion
To Distraction
Beyond Seduction
The Edge of Desire
Mastered by Love
Black Cobra Quartet Series
The Untamed Bride
The Elusive Bride
The Brazen Bride
The Reckless Bride
Other Novels
The Lady Risks All
Medieval
Desire’s Prize
Novellas
Melting Ice – from the anthologies Rough Around the Edges and Scandalous Brides
Rose in Bloom – from the anthology Scottish Brides
Scandalous Lord Dere – from the anthology Secrets of a Perfect Night
Lost and Found – from the anthology Hero, Come Back
The Fall of Rogue Gerrard – from the anthology It Happened One Night
The Seduction of Sebastian Trantor – from the anthology It Happened One Season
Short Stories
The Wedding Planner – from the anthology Royal Weddings
A Return Engagement – from the anthology Royal Bridesmaids
UK-Style Regency Romances
Tangled Reins
Four in Hand
Impetuous Innocent
Fair Juno
The Reasons for Marriage
A Lady of Expectations
An Unwilling Conquest
A Comfortable Wife
Table of Contents
THE PECULIAR CASE OF
LORD FINSBURY’S DIAMONDS
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
EPILOGUE
Other Titles from Stephanie Laurens
About the Author
About the Author
#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens began writing romances as an escape from the dry world of professional science. Her hobby quickly became a career when her first novel was accepted for publication, and with entirely becoming alacrity, she gave up writing about facts in favor of writing fiction.
All Laurens’s works to date are historical romances ranging from medieval times to the mid-1800s, and her settings range from Sc
otland to India. The majority of her works are set in the period of the British Regency. Laurens has published 54 works of historical romance, including 30 New York Times bestsellers, and has sold more than 20 million print, audio, and e-books globally. All her works are continuously available in print and e-book formats in English worldwide, and have been translated into many other languages. An international bestseller, among other accolades, Laurens has received the Romance Writers of America® prestigious RITA® Award for Best Romance Novella 2008, for The Fall of Rogue Gerrard.
Laurens’s continuing novels featuring the Cynster family are widely regarded as classics of the historical romance genre. Other series include the Bastion Club Novels, the Black Cobra Quartet, and the Casebook of Barnaby Adair Novels. The Peculiar Case of Lord Finsbury’s Diamonds is her fifty-fourth published work. All of her previous works remain available in print and all e-book formats.
For information on all published novels, and on upcoming releases and updates on novels yet to come, visit Stephanie’s website: www.stephanielaurens.com
To sign up for Stephanie’s Email Newsletter (a private list) for heads-up alerts as new books are released, exclusive sneak peeks into upcoming books, and exclusive sweepstakes contests, follow the prompts at Stephanie’s Email Newsletter Sign-up Page
Stephanie lives with her husband and two cats in the hills outside Melbourne, Australia. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading, and if she isn’t reading, she’ll be tending her garden.
The Peculiar Case of Lord Finsbury's Diamonds: A Casebook of Barnaby Adair Short Novel Page 16
