He inwardly withdrew. Wrestled his unwilling body into submission.
Expressions flitted across her face. Confusion. Disappointment. Longing.
‘Perhaps I should return you home,’ he said repressively, as if that kiss had been all her fault.
She flinched and coloured and he felt a twinge of guilt. She straightened her spine. ‘You said I could go with you.’
He gave a long-suffering sigh which had nothing to do with her insistence about his promise and everything to do with maintaining his status as an honourable man. ‘We are almost there.’
Glancing out of the window, she grimaced with distaste as the carriage turned into a narrow, filthy street.
Good, perhaps she’d change her mind and let him take her home.
* * *
Tess was doing her level best to sound ordinary when she felt anything but normal. When had she become so wanton? A simple kiss from him and her body burst into flames.
Hah! Simple did not describe his kiss. The scent of him, sandalwood and bergamot, the silken slide of his tongue in her mouth had driven all sensible thoughts from her head, except the need to be close. Closer. As if she could crawl inside his skin with him. And now he sat opposite her, looking coolly unaffected.
Kissing was certainly extraordinarily exciting. Something she had not expected. Her cheeks heated again, the warmth flooding upwards from deep inside her. Oh, heavens, she must stop thinking about it or she would be the one doing the kissing.
And that would not do at all. After all, unless they found Grey still in possession of her bracelet, which if she was honest, she now doubted they would, then she was either going to have to marry Mr Stedman or be banished to live with Phin’s Aunt Marie.
She certainly couldn’t imagine kissing Mr Stedman or doing those other things with him that she’d only done with Jaimie. Perhaps if she hadn’t allowed herself to be tempted into those kisses and touches, she might not have minded so much. She would not have known any different. Now, the very idea of being with any other man like that made her feel ill.
Blast Lord Sandford and his delicious kisses. She should have known better than to trust any man. She should never have gone to him in the first place.
She just had to hope that finding Grey would be the answer to her problems.
She realised Jaimie was watching her, his gaze hooded. No doubt expecting her to give up her quest just because he had kissed her and made her feel all lovely and melty inside.
She leaned over and picked up his list that had fallen to the floor. She frowned. What a strange collection of items it contained. The sort of things that—She looked over at him.
‘What is it?’ he asked.
‘Did it occur to you that all of the items on your list are usually found in the butler’s pantry? And that they are all parts of a set that would likely be difficult to replace?’
He picked it up from where it had fallen on the floor and scanned it. ‘Well, it didn’t, but I do see what you mean. Someone trying to complete their own missing pieces?’
‘Hardly likely. Many of them are monogrammed.’ She absent-mindedly straightened her bonnet. ‘Who steals a half-side of beef? As well as an enormous round of cheese and a twenty-pound sack of potatoes. It is as if they are feeding an army.’
‘Thieves have to eat the same as other people.’
‘But the amounts are extraordinary, do you not think?’
He straightened. ‘Yes. You are right.’
She had half-expected him to pooh-pooh her suggestions. That he had not made her feel a different kind of warmth inside. A growing respect for his intelligence.
‘I would rather you remain in the carriage,’ he announced when the vehicle came to a halt.
The warmth dissipated like smoke.
‘No.’
He stiffened. Clearly he was a man who was used to being obeyed. Not something that augured well for a wife if he ever married. She took a calming breath, reining in a spurt of temper. ‘Don’t you think they will be more amenable to talking to us if we go in as a couple looking for items to use in our home, rather than you going in there questioning them like an officer of the law, all stern and forbidding?’
‘That is the same argument you used when we went to Ingram Manor.’
‘It is a valid argument.’
He grimaced. ‘I don’t have to enter that place...’ he jerked his chin towards the door with its peeling paint, grimy windows and the dangling three balls that had once been gold, but were now a rusty brown ‘...to know what it will be like. It is not suitable for a lady.’
She pulled down the veil. ‘No one will recognise me. I might see items Grey sold that you would not recognise. Gifts from my father. You can’t even accurately describe what he looks like.’ She tried to ignore the folded sketch inside her glove. Someone might recognise him, poor though the drawing was.
His chin took on a stubborn slant. ‘Describe him to me, then.’
Dash it, the man had an answer for everything. ‘I’ll come back on my own if you don’t let me go with you.’
His normally cool gaze flashed fire. ‘I will insist your cousin keep you under lock and key.’
She gasped. ‘You wouldn’t.’
‘Try me.’
‘Please, Jaimie. I promise I will stay close by your side. My reasons are good. You know they are.’
He let go a sigh. ‘Very well. Do not go one half-inch away from my side. Let me do the talking until we see what we are dealing with.’
He reached under the seat and pulled forth a small box from which he removed a pistol. He tucked it into his waistband at the small of his back.
Her jaw dropped. ‘You think that is necessary?’
‘Under normal circumstances, likely not, but I am not taking any chances.’
He knocked on the roof and a moment later the footman opened the carriage door and let down the steps.
‘You servants are well trained.’
‘This is not the first time we have visited this part of town. They know to wait until I give the signal.’
He climbed down and helped her out. Once he had her arm safely tucked beneath his, he strode through the shop door.
A bell rattled above their heads.
Inside, the place was ill lit and there were boxes and bags piled hither and yon as well as stuff crammed on to shelves. So much stuff, from candlesticks to items of clothing. The combined smells of dust, cooked cabbage and mildew hit the back of her throat and made her gag.
The counter from behind which the shop owner peered at them was littered with an assortment of items. Behind him, a glass-fronted cabinet held trinkets and what looked like more valuable objects.
The shopkeeper’s grizzled eyebrows drew down and his pointed nose seemed to twitch as they approached him. ‘How may I help you, madam, sir?’ he asked in a hoarse voice.
While she was trembling inside with fear as the place was so intimidating, Jaimie was the very picture of insouciance and aplomb.
‘We are setting up our home.’ Jaimie gave her a dazzling smile and patted her hand. He so rarely smiled and her stomach did a little somersault at the sight. ‘We were told you carry items that are within our budget.’ He pointed to one of the shelves. ‘That candlestick, for example.’
Tess felt a thrill run down her spine as he embellished the scenario she had suggested.
‘That is right, my dear,’ she said softly.
Huffing and puffing, the shop keeper climbed a stepladder to reach the candlestick, dusting it on his sleeve as he brought it down. ‘Nice piece this. Solid silver. Worth a bit.’
Jaimie looked it over. ‘It’s not solid. No hallmark, and look, you can see here where the silver is worn away. This is brass showing through.’
The man cocked his head on one side. ‘Ah, I can see you are a sharp you
ng fellow.’ He grinned, showing stained and broken teeth. ‘I only want a crown for that there. Worth a lot more it is.’
Jaimie looked at her. ‘What do you think, my dear?’
She bit her lip. ‘It’s a bit expensive. I wonder if they have any salt spoons. We need those more than a candlestick.’
‘Always so practical, my sweet lady.’ He raised a brow.
‘Got hundreds,’ the old man said, pulling out a box. ‘Have a look at these.’
He plonked the box in front of them. ‘Sixpence for one, a shilling for three. Take your pick.’ Tess turned them over, looking for monograms, while Jaimie leaned over the counter to look in the cabinet behind the old man.
The box contained a great many little spoons, but none as described on Jaimie’s list. She smiled. ‘I like this one.’
She held up a plain one.
Jaimie clearly understood that she hadn’t found anything. ‘My darling, it is yours.’
The old man rubbed his mitten hands together, making a dry rasping sound.
‘Anything else for you? Got a nice collection of carving knives. A silver bowl that has only one dent in it.’
He set the items before them. Tess inspected them.
‘What about that bracelet in there?’ Jaimie asked.
Tess froze, every sense on alert as the man turned to see where Jaimie was pointing.
‘Ah, expensive that be, sir.’
Tess finally saw what Jaimie was looking at. It was a pretty item, but nothing like her mother’s. Then she saw what he had really been looking at. ‘I like the one beside it.’ She held her breath. Could it be?
The old man took a key from his pocket, unlocked the cabinet, took out the item and relocked it before bringing the bracelet for them to see.
Tess’s heart thumped loudly in her chest with an excitement she could scarcely contain. But when he spread it out before them, it was a huge disappointment. Yes, there was a bit of filigree work, but it was quite obviously a very poor paste imitation of oriental design and not nearly as intricate as the one she sought.
‘It is nice,’ she said. ‘But it is missing several stones.’
‘Can have them replaced for you. Cost a bit more, of course.’
‘I will think about it.’ She glanced around the shop. She had been so wrong, thinking she could find anything in a place like this. It would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. ‘Show him the portrait, my dear,’ Jaimie said. ‘He may have seen something like it.’
Tess dug it out and handed it over. She winced at the way the old man put his grimy hands on her mother’s picture.
‘It would have been brought in by a man of about twenty, with dark hair and eyes. He has a small scar on his cheek in a crescent shape,’ Tess said.
He finally shook his head. ‘I ain’t never seen nothing of this quality. Nor a man such as you describe.’ He narrowed his eyes. ‘It’s not stolen, is it?’
‘The picture?’ Jaimie asked.
‘The bracelet. I don’t deal in stolen stuff.’
‘I’d be prepared to pay a goodly sum to make my little lady here happy.’
Jaimie had not answered the question. He was making the man think it was stolen.
The man shook his head. ‘Sorry, guv’nor. This item hasn’t come my way.’
‘And there is nothing else here I like.’ She didn’t have to pretend to be disappointed. She was. Terribly.
‘Well, thank you for your time, good sir. We’ll be on our way as soon as we pay for the spoon.’
He presented his coins. The old man wrapped their purchase in a bit of paper.
Back out on the street, Tess inhaled a big breath of fresh air. Fresher than in the shop anyway.
‘Now you know why I wanted you to wait in the carriage,’ Jaimie said tersely. ‘But I have to admit I was glad of your presence. You were right, the shopkeeper was not nearly as suspicious as those fellows usually are when I speak with them.’
The surprise wasn’t so much that she had been helpful, she knew she had. It was his admission of her value. Perhaps he wasn’t as arrogant as she had thought. They visited two more shops and at each they were disappointed. No one had seen either the bracelet or anyone answering to Grey’s description.
* * *
When they entered the carriage the third time, he pulled out his pocket watch. ‘What time are you expected home?’
‘Before five.’
‘It is nearly five now. I will take you back.’
‘We have only one place left on our list.’
‘We will have to visit it tomorrow.’
He was right, she should not be out too late. Phin would only start questioning her. ‘I’m not sure I can sneak out again.’
A small smile curved his lips. ‘You really should not be sneaking anywhere.’ He put up a hand to halt her objection. ‘I will take you driving tomorrow. Leave your veil with me and we’ll change carriages once we are out of sight of your house.’
Finally he was recognising the importance of her search and including her in its execution. Seeing her as a partner in the hunt. The urge to kiss him hovered on her lips. She settled for a smile. ‘That will be wonderful.’
When his gaze settled on her mouth, a gaze that she felt like a touch on her skin, she thought he might also be overcome by the idea of kissing her again, but instead he turned his head to look out of the window.
Perhaps he didn’t find their kisses as entrancing as she did.
* * *
‘A note for you, Lady Tess,’ the butler said.
Wilhelmina put out a hand with an arch look. ‘Let me see.’
Containing her ire, Tess put her needlework aside. It didn’t take long for her cousin to scan the paper and then hold it out for Tess to take, forcing her to rise. ‘From Sandford. He regrets your outing must be postponed until tomorrow.’
Tess wasn’t in the least surprised, but she was still disappointed as she glanced at the note written in a bold scrawling hand. Short and to the point. No regrets.
‘I was expecting it,’ she said calmly. ‘Given the weather.’ The dratted man must think she was made of icing sugar. Men couldn’t see what was in front of their noses.
‘He’s hardly lover-like,’ her cousin said with a titter.
Tess froze. ‘Why would he be lover-like?’
Wilhelmina’s plucked brows climbed her forehead. ‘Is he not a suitor for your hand? One would expect something a little more endearing.’
Oh, that. Tess flushed red. She hated the lie. And flushed even darker at the recollection of the kiss that had almost got out of control in the carriage on the previous day. That had been far too lover-like.
‘My goodness, Tess. You are blushing.’
Tess went to the window and looked out. The sky was leaden and the rain light but steady. ‘I really should return my book to Hatchard’s and I need to stretch my legs.’
Her cousin sighed. ‘Always so restless. I hope Sandford will not be put off by your odd ways. Phin would be very disappointed. Perhaps while you are out you can pick up the bracelet, should it be ready.’
‘Mr Rundell said he would send a note round.’
They’d had this conversation at least three times in the last two days. Tess suspected that Phin had decided to lay claim to the bracelet for the estate. No doubt he wanted it as a gift for his wife. It was just the sort of thing he would do, even after Tess had explained to him that it was her mother’s personal property. He’d simply asked her to prove it, knowing she couldn’t.
Wilhelmina sighed. ‘Well, I hope he will not charge overmuch. It has cost Phin a fortune for your come out.’
Not quite the truth. Her gowns she had made herself and she had worn them all more than once. But there had been expenses Phin had covered. Expenses that ought to have been provided for in Fath
er’s will. She should have guessed they would try to make her feel guilty and give up her mother’s bracelet in recompense. After all, she really should not have been their responsibility.
The pain of her father’s lack of care hit her anew, but she forced herself to say nothing. ‘Do you have anything you would like me to collect while I am at the bookshop?’
‘Not that I can think of at the moment.’
‘Then I will see you at afternoon tea.’
On her way up to her room, Tess let the butler know she would need Mims to go with her to Hatchard’s.
A few minutes later Mims came puffing into the room. Tess had already put on her hat and spencer. ‘You are going and want me to go with you?’ Mims looked distressed, but bravely determined.
‘We’ll take a hackney when we are out of sight of the house.’
‘And where are we going?’
‘To visit Lord Sandford.’
Mims frowned. ‘Your father may have let you run riot at Ingram, but this is London and that is not the behaviour of a proper brought-up young lady.’
‘I am not a proper brought-up young lady. I am an Ingram. Brought up to solve my own problems. Believe me, you would like the alternative much less.’ She could have decided to take Mims with her to visit the rest of the pawnshops. No. She would not. It wasn’t safe. She might be reckless in the pursuit of an objective upon occasion, but she was not a fool.
‘I don’t think your father would be pleased,’ Mims said.
‘It is Father’s fault we are in this mess.’
Mims frowned. ‘Your pa might have been reckless with his coin at times, but he wasn’t one to shirk his duty. Look how he took in Master Hammond.’
Tess grimaced. ‘Gambling away the family fortune is hardly living up to one’s responsibilities.
The old lady sighed. ‘I suppose not.’
Tess swept downstairs, took the offered umbrella from the footman at the front door and made him get one for Mims. Outside, the air seemed to have an acrid tang. Rain and coal smoke. She walked at a gentle pace with Mims hobbling a foot or so behind. As soon as they turned the corner, she flagged down the first carriage for hire to come along.
Rescued by the Earl's Vows Page 12
