To Catch A Thief (Saved By Desire 2)

by Rebecca King

  “Do you think that will be enough?” Jeb demanded sharply. He knew Barnaby was right, but still didn’t like the fact that he couldn’t protect Sophia personally. “This is Sayers’ gang we are talking about.”

  “We need to cover all of the houses, not just one, I am afraid. If Bamber appears anywhere, we can snatch him before he gets anywhere near the Carney house. Besides, do you really think you will be allowed to stay in the house until the Squire’s ball?”

  Jeb wrinkled his nose up and knew Barnaby was right. Delilah had barely been hospitable the last time Jeb had called by. She would not be agreeable to him staying there indefinitely, even if it was to protect Sophia. With that in mind, Jeb knew he had to concede defeat.

  “If Bamber goes anywhere near that house, he has to be taken out in whatever way is necessary. He is not to get his hands on Sophia,” Jeb warned darkly.

  “He won’t,” Barnaby promised. “Now, about those jewels of the Squire’s. I think someone in the aristocracy must have seen the Squire’s wife wearing them, suspected they had value, and fed the information back to Sayers or Bamber.”

  “Do you think they are stolen to order?” Jeb asked thoughtfully.

  “It could be they are stolen for a reason. Someone needs a particular type of gemstone or something. I believe that we must consider that they will be reformed into different jewellery. Or it could be the gems they want.”

  Jeb nodded. “It is important we capture someone in possession of the jewels once they are stolen. If they disappear into Bamber’s network they are likely never to be seen again.”

  Barnaby agreed. “It may be the reason why we never see any of the items again. It isn’t the goods they want, it is the precious metals and gems they provide once they are broken up.”

  “What about the paintings, though?”

  “Private collectors?” Barnaby shook his head. “I am only guessing but if someone purchases a valuable piece of art that has been stolen they are not likely to want to hang it on their wall for the world to see. The paintings could be sent abroad. Someone in Europe might want them, or they could be sold to private collectors who are prepared to keep them out of sight. Who knows?”

  “Until we can get our hands on Bamber, or Sayers, we are never going to know.”

  “I know. We are looking for a needle in a haystack trying to find any of the stolen items again.” Barnaby yawned widely. “At the moment, I think we would do better to focus our attention on that network of people Myers has working for him. We have details of who he has employed. I will give him a day or two to contemplate his future in prison and will then pay him a visit to get details of where they live. Hopefully, he will be a little more co-operative once the enormity of his situation sinks in, especially if it lightens his sentence a little.”

  Jeb threw him a dark look. “His sentence shouldn’t be lightened at all. I am still not convinced he didn’t kill Mrs Banks or Tabitha himself but is just blaming Bamber because he doubts we can capture him.”

  Barnaby nodded and conceded his friend had a point. “The problem is that we have nothing on Bamber other than Myers’ testimony. Suspecting the man isn’t enough to prove him guilty of anything. We can’t rely on Myers’ word. We need to catch Bamber red-handed either stealing the jewels or in possession of them once they have been taken.”

  “Will the Squire want to leave them where they are and risk them getting stolen, though?”

  Barnaby snorted. “We don’t have to tell the Squire a blessed thing right now. You can get into that ball with Sophia. Keep an eye on that room, and we can watch the outside. Bamber, or his thief, will not get in or out with those jewels.”

  “I won’t allow him to get anywhere near Sophia,” Jeb declared fervently.

  “If we catch Bamber trying to get into the house then we can arrest him for breaking and entering. It is enough for us to be able to cart him off to jail. As soon as we have him we can then try to establish a link between him and the deaths in the village.”

  “Until the Squire’s ball then.”

  Barnaby nodded and drew a fresh piece of parchment toward him. Dipping his quill into the pot, he began to make plans.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Sophia sighed when loud knocking on the door broke the silence within the house. The last thing she needed right now were guests to deal with.

  Delilah had gone into the village for some provisions and Sophia wanted to use this time alone to decide what to do with her life. Should she go back to Buckinghamshire, even though Hooky hadn’t replied yet? Or should she stay in the village a while and wait for Jeb to return?

  “I can’t go on like this,” she whispered.

  She couldn’t sleep very well because as soon as the house went quiet her thoughts turned to Jeb. He was the first thing she thought about in the morning and the last thing she thought about at night. She dreamt of him. In spite of her best efforts to avoid it, he appeared in her thoughts throughout the day when she least expected it. Now, to cap it all, she struggled to find any interest in, well, anything. Nothing held any appeal anymore, certainly not anything in Framley Meadow. Unfortunately, returning home to Buckinghamshire didn’t hold any appeal either because she was then unlikely to find out where Jeb was.

  When the knocking sounded on the door again, she stalked through the house and yanked the front door open. The last person she expected to see on the doorstep was the man who had haunted her since he had vanished from her life.

  “Sophia,” Jeb murmured.

  Words failed him. She looked even more beautiful than he remembered, even with an unwelcoming scowl on her face. All he could do was stare at her, lost in the wonder of her.

  “Jeb,” Sophia gasped. “Come on in. Delilah isn’t home at the moment.”

  “I am not here to speak with your aunt,” he replied as he stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him.

  Before either of them spoke, Jeb stepped forward and hauled her into his arms. The kiss settled on her lips and rendered her unable to do anything other than cling helplessly to him. She tipped her head back to accommodate him and clung to his broad shoulders. Temptation got the better of her, and she returned his sensual embrace with all of the love she felt for him. She was positive now that it was love she felt for him. This wasn’t infatuation. Nothing she had ever felt for anyone before had been this consuming.

  “God, Sophia. I have missed you,” he growled.

  His lips slid down her neck and nuzzled into the hollow at the base.

  “I have been worried about you,” she chided. “I didn’t think you were coming back.”

  The hurt in her voice made him lift his head and look down at her. “How could I not come back? You are here. I had to follow someone.”

  Sophia wasn’t listening, though. Her eyes devoured his lips. Before he could explain, she tugged his head down to hers and placed a kiss on his lips that made him groan with raw need.

  Passion roared to life as lips plundered, hands searched, and bodies yearned for fulfilment. Neither of them could resist the desperation in their embrace, and they sought reassurance and comfort in the ferocious desire they felt for each other.

  Jeb had never felt anything like this kind of attraction toward any woman before. Each time he tried to ease back, one touch or look was all it took to render him unable to resist temptation. He was drawn back to the sweet lips she offered time and again. To the point that he knew that if he didn’t stop soon, he wouldn’t be stopping at all. Not until her possession was complete, and matters had gone beyond either of their control.

  Unfortunately, while the idea of having Sophia as his wife was a wonderfully tempting prospect, he must keep the focus of his attention on thwarting Bamber and his associates. It was impossible to forget his colleagues who were keeping a careful watch outside.

  “Sophia, we need to stop,” he gasped, his body aching with readiness. “I want you. More than anything, but there is something I need to talk to you about, preferably b
efore Delilah comes home.”

  There as something indefinable in his voice. Some hint of caution that worried her and dampened the flames of desire. Whatever it was it broke through the sensual haze that had stolen Sophia’s senses. She paused and looked up at him.

  Jeb groaned at the just how gloriously sensual she looked with her lips moistened and her tangled hair about her shoulders in tousled abandon.

  “I want you,” he whispered, resting his head against hers for a moment.

  “I want you,” she replied honestly.

  “We can’t take this any further right now. Don’t put temptation there, my darling Sophia. I am not that strong a man that I am able to resist such sweetness.” Jeb forced himself to keep her at arm’s length. Ignoring the slight hurt in her eyes, he nodded toward the sitting room. “Let’s go and sit down before we take things further than we ought. There is something you need to know.”

  Still trembling with the force of the need that was rampaging through her, Sophia nodded jerkily and sat on the chaise before her knees buckled beneath her.

  Aware that time was short, Jeb explained in everything that had happened with his recent investigation for the Star Elite. He made no attempt to hide the truth from her because to have awareness of the dangers around her would stop her taking risks with her life. Jeb needed her to be wary. He wanted her not to trust anyone but him. He hated to bring Terence Sayers, or Bamber, into Sophia’s life, but he needed her to understand what it was he did for the War Office.

  “It sounds incredibly dangerous,” she murmured.

  She was dazed; amazed, horrified, awed, and fearful all at the same time. Not for herself, however, but for him because from what he had just told her he placed his life in danger every time he stepped outside of the house. It was horrifying.

  “It means my work often takes me away at short notice, I am afraid.” There was a hint of apology in his voice. “It is where I went. I had to follow the man you saw in the village.”

  “You found him?” She gasped in shock.

  Jeb nodded. “Yes, I found him, and I followed him. He went all the way to London.”

  Rather than go into detail right now, Jeb kissed the back of Sophia’s hands. “How has Delilah been? I take it she hasn’t been too harsh on you?”

  “I don’t think our association will ever be called a relationship to be honest with you. I just believe that we tolerate each other now. I think that is the best it will ever get now,” Sophia replied honestly.

  Jeb sensed there was something she wasn’t telling him. “What is it?”

  Sophia sighed and looked at him. He had been honest with her. She needed to be honest with him. Besides, she needed someone to confide in and could see no better person to talk to than the man who had come to mean so much to her.

  “Sometimes, I notice her watching me, but it isn’t a nice watching. It is a little odd. While she has stopped dropping hints that I am to leave, she isn’t welcoming either. Our association isn’t acrimonious, just too polite and civil, if you know what I mean?”

  “I do, Sophia,” Jeb assured her. “While I am sorry that matters have deteriorated that far, I have to confess that my experience of people like your aunt has proven that they rarely change their ways. I have no doubt that as soon as Delilah has this house to herself again, she will return to stealing again unless someone takes steps to stop her.”

  “Hooky has to deal with her,” Sophia sighed. She looked at him a little ruefully. “I have to confess that I was just considering the wisdom of going home. There is really no reason for me to remain in Framley Meadow now.”

  “I think there is,” Jeb countered.

  “You have your work for the Star Elite,” she replied pointedly.

  While she cared about him a great deal, she wasn’t prepared to ask him for a place in his life. He did have his work which, from the sound of it, was extremely dangerous and took up a lot of his life. It was his life. Was there any space left for a relationship? Was a relationship even possible, even if he wanted one? He had certainly never made any long-term suggestions that he might change his ways, or consider a change in his life’s pathway. It felt wrong to just assume he would sacrifice anything to be with her. With that in mind she had to decide what she wanted to do for herself.

  Jeb nodded. “My work with the Star Elite is what I do, Sophia. It is not who I am. I thought it was once, but it isn’t. I really want, and need, a home life. While my work sometimes includes having to follow someone at a moment’s notice, like the man you saw in the village the other week, and I can be gone for days at a time, it is a part of my work. I am still a man, and I still deserve a life.”

  Sophia completely understood, but didn’t see why that would mean she had to remain in Framley Meadow.

  “I cannot just stay in Delilah’s house and wait for you to come back. From the sound of it, you could be gone for weeks or months at a time. There is no possibility she would allow me to remain here indefinitely.”

  “I know, I appreciate that,” Jeb replied with a sigh of frustration. “However, I think you and I both know that what we have is something special. It isn’t something we should take for granted. I believe that we need to have a formal period of courtship, but I have to warn you now that there would have to be something significantly wrong with you for me to not want to see us married at the end of it.”

  “Me?” She gasped in mock outrage. “What would make you think there would be something wrong with me to put you off the thought of marriage? You could be the one with bad habits. How do you know I wouldn’t be the one who refuses to marry you?”

  Jeb grinned. “I won’t allow you to refuse me when I ask you to be my wife. I am a member of the Star Elite; an elite group of fighting men. I will get them to sit on you until you agree.”

  “Oh?” Inwardly she was thrilled at his suggestion of marriage, and couldn’t do anything to prevent her delighted smile from breaking out. “Where are they now?”

  Jeb laughed, relieved she had no objection to the idea of being married to him, even knowing the type of work he did and what it required him to do on occasion.

  “They are using my father’s house as a base and are helping me investigate the deaths. You will meet them in due course. Please don’t tell Delilah any of this because of what she has been involved in. She cannot be trusted, Sophia.” He hated to see her sunny smile dim but had to be honest with her. “She mustn’t know about us.”

  “I won’t say anything,” she replied. She would do whatever he wanted her to do, especially where Delilah was concerned. If she was honest, she didn’t trust her aunt either.

  “Will you go to London when the investigation into the deaths is over?” She hated the thought of him going anywhere, but suspected he must.

  “We are not just investigating the deaths,” Jeb replied. He told her about the thefts, Bamber and Myers, and the Squire’s jewels.

  “Oh, good Lord. Will this ever end?” she gasped in horror.

  “It will, I promise. It is coming to a conclusion. It is just all woven together rather messily, I am afraid. We will unravel it and get to the truth, but then will have to follow certain people. I think I am going to stay here for the time being because we have Myers in jail, and hopefully will have Bamber too soon.”

  Sophia still wasn’t convinced but nodded. “As long as you are safe.”

  “I will be. I promise.” He couldn’t resist temptation, and leaned forward to kiss her deeply. “I have spoken to father about moving back to Briggleberry, so I can use that as my personal base. I want it as my home.” He picked her hand up and kissed the back of it. “I have to confess that I don’t like living in London. It is the place I work; not the place I want to live in. Coming back to Briggleberry has allowed me to decide on a few things.” His eyes met hers. “Like the future and what I want to do with it.”

  “You want to live at Briggleberry?” she whispered. Her fingers shook so much she was confident he could feel them.

/>   “I need to set down roots somewhere. My father has been on at me for years to return home to help with the estates. However, I have been working for the Star Elite for so long that I cannot conceive of just spending my days running my father’s estate. It is not challenging enough. I think that is why I went into the army. At least there I could be myself. While I cannot contemplate leaving the Star Elite, I can make adjustments to my work to make a home life possible. It means changing my work slightly, but other men who have decided to settle down have made their marriages happy ones. There is no reason why I shouldn’t do the same.”

  She swallowed past the lump in her throat as she mulled over his words.

  “Is that what you have decided to do; settle down?” she asked carefully.

  “Yes, but with a few conditions.”

  She nodded. “Your work.”

  “No. Not entirely.” Jeb replied thoughtfully. Before he could say anything else, the rattle of the front door announced the return of Delilah. “We will talk about this some more soon.”

  Before Delilah appeared in the doorway, he sealed his promise with a very thorough kiss but was seated with a sufficiently decorous distance between them by the time Sophia’s aunt did make an appearance.

  “Oh, it is you,” she said rudely when she saw him seated hand in hand with her niece.

  Jeb stood. “I was just about to leave.” He mentally cursed the intrusion. There was so much more he wanted to say to Sophia that he rather suspected he could talk to her for the next two days straight and still not have enough time to tell her everything. Still, he couldn’t say anything now that Delilah was there.

  Minutes later, he stood beside the front door and took one last look at Sophia.

  “I am sorry for her rudeness. Just ignore her. It is like I told you earlier.” Her eyes silently pleaded with him to remember what she had said about the change she had seen in Delilah.