To Write a Wrong

by Jen Turano

  “Maybe you and Herman could work together on your books,” Sheldon suggested. “You’re both wonderful with research, and it might be that Herman doesn’t even need to hire on a new assistant.”

  “That’s a marvelous suggestion,” Eunice said before she turned a smile on Herman. “And speaking of you and Daphne, may I dare hope that you have more news to disclose to us . . . news of a personal nature?” Her smile widened. “Cooper mentioned that you were planning on speaking to Daphne about a talk you had with Daphne’s father.”

  Daphne’s breath got caught in her throat as Herman rubbed a hand over his face and shot Eunice an exasperated look.

  “For a Pinkerton, Cooper is not nearly as close-mouthed as he should be,” Herman said.

  Eunice winced. “Good heavens, you haven’t spoken with Daphne yet, have you?” She gave an airy wave of her black-gloved hand. “Just forget I mentioned anything. And on that note, shall we repair to the agency to discuss the particulars of this case and write up a report?”

  Herman shook his head. “I think that’ll have to wait, at least for Daphne. I certainly can’t expect her to wait to hear what I talked about with her father, not since you’ve brought the matter into conversation, Eunice.”

  “That was not well done of me.”

  “No, but in your defense, I would have spoken with her already if we hadn’t just had our lives threatened and found ourselves locked in a dungeon.” He turned to Daphne and offered her his arm. “I believe this is where you and I take ourselves off for a long—and need I add—private walk.”

  Taking Herman’s arm, Daphne willed knees that were turning just a touch wobbly to cooperate, because she’d never learn the particulars of what Herman had evidently talked about with her father if she found herself unable to move.

  “There’s a lovely little park just up ahead. Shall we go there?” Herman asked.

  Knowing she wouldn’t be opposed to speaking with him in the seediest part of the city at this point, what with how her imagination was now going full tilt, Daphne managed a smile, earning a smile from Herman in return.

  Together, they headed down the sidewalk, Herman telling her little tidbits about his neighborhood as they walked, almost as if he were trying his hardest to provide her with a distraction so she wouldn’t burst with questions once they reached their destination. Before she knew it, he was sitting down beside her on a park bench, taking hold of her hand.

  For a long moment, he simply looked at her before giving her hand a squeeze. “I have to apologize for Cooper telling Eunice that I spoke with your father. I should have realized he would notice, given he is a Pinkerton.”

  “I’m an inquiry agent and I didn’t overhear a thing between you and my father, nor did I even know you went off to speak with him.”

  “That’s because I chose to request an audience with him after you went to pack your trunks with your mother, Eunice, and Lydia.”

  “Ah, so you wanted to ascertain your conversation with my father was uninterrupted.”

  “Indeed, but I, obviously, forgot about Cooper. However, with that said, what I need to tell you first is that I didn’t speak to your father to get his blessing to marry you.”

  Daphne felt her shoulders droop ever so slightly. “Oh.”

  “That probably didn’t come out as I intended.”

  “I should hope not, but what did you intend?”

  “Certainly not to disappoint you or allow you to assume that I wouldn’t want to ask your father for his blessing to marry you.”

  “Oh,” she said again, having no idea what Herman was trying to say.

  “For a lady who has an impressive vocabulary, ‘Oh’ seems a somewhat unusual word choice.”

  “Perhaps if you were to simply spit out exactly what you talked to my father about instead of telling me what you didn’t talk about, I’d be better equipped to know which words to choose in response.”

  He winced. “For a wordsmith as well, I seem to be making a muddle of this.”

  “I’m not going to argue with that.”

  His lips curved. “I would expect nothing less, but to move this forward before I completely ruin the moment, what I spoke to your father about was this—I wanted his permission to court you, permission he gave me.”

  Daphne’s pulse began galloping through her veins. “You want to . . . court me?”

  He leaned closer. “You’re an extraordinary lady, Daphne. Intelligent, compassionate, and a better writer than I’ll ever be.”

  “I won’t agree with that nonsense. You’re a remarkable writer.”

  “I wasn’t stating an opinion, Daphne, but a fact.”

  “Oh.”

  He smiled. “There you go again, using your impressive vocabulary. But, to continue, you deserve to be courted—deserve to have me squire you about the city in an open carriage and take you out for moonlight strolls, with a chaperone, of course. I imagine either Gabriella or Eunice could be persuaded to step into that role. You also deserve the opportunity to get to know my grandmother, and she deserves the opportunity to get to know the real Daphne. You also need to get to know me, know how I take my coffee, which is black, as I need to get to know you, although I do know you take your coffee with a dollop of milk and a single cube of sugar. We need to spend time learning everything about each other, which is why I asked your father to court you instead of marry you. I would be doing you a disservice to take away what I hope will be a time you’ll remember fondly after we’ve been married fifty years.”

  “You want to be married to me for fifty years?”

  “How did I know you’d pick up on that? But yes, although I won’t ask you to marry me until you’ve had a chance to get to know me better and know if you’ll be able to love me.”

  She suddenly found it very difficult to breathe. “Love you?”

  His eyes turned warm. “Indeed. Because, you see, I knew from the moment I caught my first sight of you that you were a lady that I could fall in love with—knew there was a possibility of love from that first glimpse of you standing in the hallway of the agency, wielding a pressed-paper sword.”

  She smiled. “Oh, I like that bit about the possibility of love from a first glimpse.”

  “Will you still like it as much if I tell you I stole it from Cooper?”

  “Of course, especially if you’ll allow me to use it in my latest book.” Her smile widened. “That line is exactly what I need to help me write the book I intend to write.”

  “You’re more than welcome to steal that line from me, but if we could steer the conversation back to the courting business?”

  She blinked. “Good heavens, forgive me, Herman. I’ve allowed myself to become completely distracted.” Heat settled on her cheeks. “I would like for you to court me, and . . .” She drew in a deep breath, but then found the next words escaping her lips even though she’d never imagined herself having the courage to say such a thing to a gentleman. “I believe I experienced that possibility of falling in love with you—not at first sight, mind you, because you scared me half to death—but after you told me you returned Wolf and Hound because they’d tried to eat me. That was one of the sweetest gestures anyone has ever made for me.”

  “If that was one of the sweetest gestures you’ve ever received, you should prepare yourself for what will come while we’re courting—and for many years to come.”

  “Oh . . .” was all Daphne had at her disposal to say again, but before she could get her mind into working order, Herman leaned even closer, his breath tickling her face most deliciously.

  “You’re certain you’re agreeable to my courting you?”

  “If you’re certain you want to court me.”

  “I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life.” He leaned closer still and claimed her lips with his own, leaving her without a shadow of a doubt that kissing Herman was going to be something she was going to enjoy for many, many years to come.

  Epilogue

  TWO MONTHS
LATER

  “Honestly, Daphne, I don’t believe you need to throw the medicine ball quite so forcefully. You almost knocked me over.”

  Daphne swiped a muddy hand over a forehead that was perspiring and grinned at Lydia, who was splattered with mud and looking rather disgruntled as she tried to find her balance after actually catching the ball Daphne had just tossed her way. “The point of this particular physical exertion activity is to help you build strength in your arms, as well as teach you how to maintain your balance if something is thrown at you.”

  “I realize that,” Lydia shot back. “But I’ve only been participating in these exertion lessons for a week. You’ve been doing them for months. And while I realize that you’re only trying to make certain I’ll build up enough strength to where I can defend myself if some gentleman, heaven forbid, ever tries to take unwanted liberties, you’re being a touch zealous about the matter. If you’ve forgotten, I’ve only recently returned from Paris, where Mother and I spent our time meandering around the city and enjoying far too many pastries.”

  “Which I would think would motivate you to really put your heart into the activities this morning. You have an appointment with Phillip Villard tomorrow. I’m sure you don’t want him to have to stuff you into the gowns he already has made for you.”

  It was difficult to resist a laugh when Lydia blinked once before immediately throwing the ball to Ann, who grinned and threw it back to Lydia, earning a scowl from Lydia in return. A fierce throwing battle soon commenced, giving Daphne an opportunity to step away to speak with Cooper, who was watching Ann from a few feet away.

  In the two months since Herman had begun courting her, much had happened.

  Mildred was back to being friends with Dr. Gibbons, who’d been trying his hand at matchmaking, if Daphne wasn’t mistaken. The good doctor was making a habit of showing up with one gentleman or another to escort Mildred to tea or shopping. Mildred seemed to adore the attention, even though Herman groaned every time a new gentleman entered the scene and began squiring Mildred about. Mildred, however, wasn’t settling her affections on any particular gentleman, claiming she was having far too much fun to want to settle down with anyone for the foreseeable future, something Daphne knew Herman found to be a relief.

  Andrew Ware and Finetta were now married, Daphne having attended that event with Herman, wearing one of Phillip’s gorgeous creations. She’d balked at wearing an enormous bustle, though, convincing Phillip that a smaller bustle would assure she didn’t suffer any unforeseen accidents, which would most assuredly not show off his creation in the best of light.

  Phillip and Elsy were still enjoying each other’s company, but no formal announcement had been made just yet. Daphne had a sneaking suspicion an announcement would be made soon, though, given the way the two made a habit of gazing soulfully into each other’s eyes anytime Phillip accompanied Elsy as she drove the inquiry agency carriage out and about in the city—although they did refrain from the soulful gazing while Elsy was driving since she was still a little questionable with the reins.

  Cooper and Ann had everyone guessing when they’d officially begin courting. Cooper kept saying it was only a matter of time, whereas Ann kept saying their lack of official status was a direct result of the two of them being so busy. Cooper had recently gotten promoted to senior Pinkerton agent, whereas the society matrons to whom Ann was a paid companion were now returning from Paris, which had Ann busier than ever. She refused to give up the companion positions because of the information she gleaned by attending so many society events, even though she’d started taking a more active role within the agency, especially out in the field.

  As for Daphne and Herman, they spent time every day together, Herman making good on his promise to court her to the best of his abilities—and what abilities those had turned out to be.

  If he wasn’t bringing her flowers or chocolates, he was driving her around the city, stopping at one café after another, where they’d drink cups of coffee, eat delicious meals, and discuss whatever writing they’d gotten done that day.

  When they weren’t writing or traveling about the city, they enjoyed wandering through libraries and bookshops, Daphne loving nothing more than when Herman would crack open a book and read to her out loud. She would never grow tired of hearing his voice or of the way he brought a story to life.

  “Were you just lecturing your sister about her performance with the medicine ball?” Cooper asked, drawing her from her thoughts. “Because, if I need remind you, you used to be the biggest complainer out of all the ladies at the agency.”

  “True, but that’s before I realized you were on to something and that it truly will benefit us all if we’re more physically fit.”

  “Too right it will, although I’m sorry you came to that realization because of what happened between you and Thomas.”

  “Thomas and his reprehensible behavior were certainly not anything I’d care to relive again. Nevertheless, I was recently speaking with Reverend Patrick Danford, and—”

  “Why were you speaking with him?” Cooper interrupted. “I haven’t missed something about an upcoming wedding, have I?”

  It was impossible to resist a snort. “What with how nosy you are, I doubt you would miss something like that.”

  “What’s Herman waiting for? He clearly adores you.”

  Daphne’s cheeks grew warm. “He does seem to dote on me, and Eunice, being her usual blunt self, did ask him just last week what he was waiting for.”

  “And?”

  “He told her that he couldn’t very well distract me with personal matters when I was under such a daunting deadline, and that such matters would need to wait until after I wrote the end on my latest book.”

  “And?”

  “I promptly returned to my attic after hearing that and wrote almost nonstop, except for when I went out for my afternoon jaunts with Herman. I finished my book last night and have now given that book to Herman to read. I’m hoping he’ll get through it in the next week or so. I’d like to hear his thoughts about it before I turn it over to my editor.”

  Cooper rolled his eyes. “You gave him that book so he’d know you were finished with it, and hence, would also know you can now be distracted with personal matters.”

  “Well, quite, but don’t tell him that. Remember, you’re my friend, and friends keep confidences.”

  “Herman’s my friend now too.”

  Daphne blinked. “Does that mean you’re keeping his confidences?”

  “Well, no, because Herman doesn’t seem to enjoy sharing confidences with me often, but that could be because he’s under a daunting deadline himself. But speaking of Herman, he’s walking out of the house.” Cooper craned his neck. “Oh, never mind. He stopped to speak with Sheldon, who seems to be spending an inordinate amount of time lately here when we’re holding our exertion lessons.”

  “He’s a little smitten with Lydia. I’m beginning to think she might be a bit smitten with him as well, because even though she’s keen to learn how to defend herself, she’s never been keen to get up at the break of dawn. She’s not balked at doing that since Sheldon started showing up.”

  “Romance does seem to be in the air. But since Herman is currently occupied, your romance with him can wait until after you finish the last exercise, which I’m sure you know is the rope station.”

  Daphne groaned. “I really don’t want Herman to be around when I embarrass myself yet again by plummeting to the ground. Yes, I’m getting better, but I’ve yet to make it to the top.”

  “Daphne,” Herman suddenly called, striding away from Sheldon, who immediately went to assist Lydia with the medicine ball she’d dropped.

  Herman stopped by her side, her heart doing a bit of a lurch when she noticed he was carrying her manuscript. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and smiled. “I finished your book.”

  She blinked. “I only gave it to you yesterday.”

  “Which should be telling.”

  She
turned to Cooper. “I’m really going to have to beg off the last activity. I simply can’t wait another second to hear what he thought. I certainly can’t take the time needed to climb that rope.”

  Cooper shot a look to Lydia, then returned his attention to Daphne. “It’s hardly setting a good example for your baby sister if you abandon an activity everyone knows you don’t enjoy. I mean, Lydia may decide to mimic your example and decide that since she doesn’t enjoy getting up early, she should abandon these lessons that could very well keep her safe.”

  “Are you honestly using my baby sister as a source of guilt?”

  “Is it working?”

  “Of course it’s working,” Daphne grumbled before she spun on her heel and stalked toward the rope, pretending she didn’t hear Cooper’s laughter trailing after her.

  “The sooner you get up the rope, the sooner you’ll get to hear what Herman thought about your book,” he called.

  As an incentive, that was actually quite brilliant and had Daphne taking the rope in her hands. A second later, she was climbing, keeping her thoughts on the task at hand, but becoming distracted when she began to think about how the agency was in the process of offering exertion lessons to any woman who wanted to take them, and how these lessons would also teach women how to escape from unexpected attacks that came at the hands of gentlemen who weren’t true gentlemen but cowards like Thomas.

  It still galled her that Thomas hadn’t suffered any real repercussions from trying to force himself on her. He had, however, been sent off to take a grand tour of Europe in the company of a relative who, rumor had it, was a curmudgeon who was also in debt to Thomas’s father and had agreed to keep Thomas in line, no matter what.

  It wasn’t much as far as punishments went, but at least he was out of the country, not that she was worried he’d ever get near her again. Herman would made certain of that.