The Troublesome Apprentice (The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Book 1)

by Liza O'Connor

He nuzzled her neck and reminded her once they procured the address, she was to get cold feet.

  Cold feet? Her feet were so sizzling hot she could not imagine them ever growing cold again.

  He sat up and pulled Vic onto his lap as he gestured for Mrs. Wimple and her man to join them. The two soon arrived and sat while they introduced themselves as Charles and Mary. Xavier replied “David and Angel.”

  Mary leaned forward and petted Vic’s face. “You are so beautiful and young. I was once beautiful like you.”

  “You still are and always will be in my eyes,” Charles said. Yet, even as he spoke such loving words of devotion to Mary, his eyes devoured Vic. “I’ve not seen you here before.”

  “No, this is our first outing.”

  “A virgin.” Charles smiled and stroked Vic’s leg just above the knee.

  Xavier shifted her farther away from Charles. “It’s all right my love.”

  Mary sighed. “The sweet cherub doesn’t belong here. Why don’t you two come home with us? She’ll be far more comfortable in the privacy of a home.”

  “Would you like that, Angel?” Xavier asked. “Would you rather stay here or go to their home?”

  “It’s a lovely home, and no one will rush you,” Mary assured her. “I know how frightening the first time can be, but we’ll all be there to help you through it.”

  Vic spoke softly in Xavier’s ear, “I don’t think that’s Ollie.”

  He replied by kissing her and nodded at the couple.

  “We can take my carriage,” Charles said.

  “I have my own,” Xavier replied.

  “Your driver can follow along or better yet, send him home, for we won’t wish to rush your angel.”

  “I only travel in my carriage. I apologize, but I am very protective of her. Tell me the address and, assuming it is in a decent neighborhood, we will arrive within the hour.”

  “My God, man, we aren’t planning to steal her!”

  “If I thought you might, we wouldn’t be talking. However, I’m not taking chances with my treasure, it’s as simple as that.”

  Mary interceded. “I don’t blame you, and it makes me think all the better of you. We’ve had a few narrow escapes, which is why we insist on taking our carriage. The address is 2 Brick Lane off of White Chapel. Are you familiar with the area?”

  “My driver will find it.”

  Vic pondered how she could make a believable change of heart, only Charles solved her problem. He took the hand she offered and captured her middle finger in his mouth, moving it in and out until she pulled away. Pressing into Xavier’s side, she spoke not so quietly, “I’ve changed my mind. I’m not ready for this.” To prove the sincerity of her words, tears welled and flowed down her cheeks.

  “It’s all right.” Xavier held her tight against him as he apologized to the couple.

  Charles refused to be set aside so easily. “It’s just a moment’s fright. You cannot give in or you’ll never break her.”

  “I do not require advice on how I treat my woman,” Xavier snapped and led Vic out of the club. A few moments later, they were in their carriage and headed back to normality.

  ***

  Xavier gathered Victor into his arms. “I shouldn’t have talked you into this.”

  “That wasn’t Ollie,” Victor said. “His cuff links had the initials CK on them, but the other man, Mary…I am certain is Edward Wimple.”

  “You are correct. I got a good look at Ollie Simpson today. Which means we are missing pieces of the puzzle and I am very concerned about jumping into waters without knowing what lies beneath the surface.”

  “Do you think it is coincidence Mrs. Wimple is in love with a Charles and that Mr. Wimple is in love with a Charles as well, and that Mr. Wimple knew about Mrs. Wimple’s Charles?”

  He wanted to discuss what had happened to make Victor cry, but he could tell the young man preferred to focus on the puzzle of their case and avoid his internal conflicts. Unfortunately, Xavier could not risk the possible repercussions.

  “We will discuss the case in a moment, but first I need you to understand what we witnessed tonight is not the only way two men can share love. It does not have to be pairing up with others and making a public display. An act of love can be as private and loving as any relationship.”

  Victor struggled for his next words, which did not bode well.

  Finally, the boy stared up at him. “Xavier, I know what we did tonight was supposed to be a role we played but, at times, I was not pretending.”

  Xavier’s heart lightened. “Nor I,” he admitted and leaned in for a kiss, but Victor pushed him away.

  “We cannot do this. I will not lie and tell you I do not have feelings for you, because I do, but there are reasons, which I cannot explain to you, which make the relationship you desire impossible.”

  “I see.” A black cloud settled upon his heart. “I suppose you will be leaving my employment as well?”

  “If you wish.” Victor wiped away the tears streaming down his face.

  The boy’s response confounded him. “We are clearly not concerned with what I want, so the question is, what do you want?”

  “I want things to be like they were this morning. I want us to be friends. I want to be the best secretary you’ve ever had. Please, can we not go back to this morning?”

  Xavier stroked his face. “Of course we can.” Victor’s request was a reprieve from eternity in hell.

  ***

  When they arrived in the alley behind the office and made their way into the back of the house, Xavier ordered Davy to warm some milk for hot chocolate and bring it to his room.

  “I’d like some as, well,” Vic admitted.

  Xavier gruffly pushed her onto the dressing chair. “Good to know, since I cannot abide sweet drinks.”

  Vic smiled. Not only was she to get a cup of hot chocolate, but Xavier had returned to his normal bossy, gruff manners. She patiently endured his efforts to scrub the first layer of skin off her face while removing the makeup he had applied. By the time his torture was done, Davy had arrived with two cups of cocoa.

  “Did I tell you to bring me a damnable drink?” Xavier demanded.

  “This is for me, sir,” Davy replied. “I was hoping you might loan me a bit of rum to go in it.”

  “First Victor demands cocoa and now you want rum. I don’t understand why I cannot find decent help that isn’t so troublesome.” He returned with a glass of black liquid and poured a spot into Davy’s chocolate before taking his first sip.

  “Now, take young Victor home so he can get a few hours of sleep. Victor, you have permission to sleep in. I won’t expect you until seven, but do not be late. We have a busy day tomorrow and I do not wish to be out of sorts from the beginning.”

  “May I not finish my chocolate?” Victor protested.

  “Finish it in the kitchen, if you must, but I am tired and wish to go to bed.”

  Victor sighed and followed Davy out of his room. She stopped at the door. “Thank you for turning back the clock, sir.”

  He glared at her. “I was out of my skin as much as you, Victor. This suits me better, as well.”

  His reply both relieved and saddened her. If she were truly a boy, she would have accepted his advances most willingly. Unfortunately, she was not. And while she did not think he would ever reveal her secret to the world, it would certainly end his affection for her, since he was attracted to boys and not girls. In addition, it would more than likely end her job because, while he might not reveal her secret, he would doubtlessly want her to leave so his ego could forget how she’d so easily deceived him.

  She and Davy sat in the kitchen and finished their cocoa.

  “You all right, Victor?” Davy asked. “Did you solve the case?”

  “Not really,” she admitted. “But we learned the case is more complex than it seemed this morning.”

  Davy nodded his head. “They often are.”

  Chapter 13

  As Vic dressed
, she reviewed with satisfaction her first week of work. To her relief, Xavier proved he was a man of his word. He returned to being the difficult, hot-tempered, unreasonable employer who was sparse on compliments and heavy on curses, but willing to allow her responsibilities no other secretary in his hire had ever received.

  By the end of the week, she not only had a key to the door, but to his office and his desk, plus the combination to his safe. She attended most meetings, taking notes, and usually he allowed her to ask questions at the end. He endured her insistence on serving a proper tea, although she did wonder what he said in her absence to the clients, for they treated her with much more civility when she returned with their drink; or perhaps they simply appreciated a proper tea serving.

  Claire came into her room and frowned. “Surely you are not going to work on a Saturday.”

  “I expect I frequently will,” Vic admitted. “Xavier has no life outside of the office, so it never occurs to him someone else might. However, today is special. He is taking me to a lodge outside of London where I can learn to be a skilled marksman.”

  “A lodge? Sounds very cozy.” Claire’s brow furrowed.

  “You are purposely twisting my words. Our relationship is completely professional.”

  Claire sighed. “I suppose your appearance as a male would make matters difficult, but I had such confidence he would not only see through your disguise, but love you all the more for it.”

  Vic shook her head. “If he discovered my gender, I would lose a friend and a job I love very much.”

  “So you love him?”

  “I said no such thing,” Vic snapped in annoyance. “And I wish you would stop putting words in my mouth.”

  “But you did say it. You said you would lose a friend that you loved very much. I heard you quite clearly.”

  “It doesn’t matter what I said. Nothing can come of it. Xavier Thorn prefers the company of men, and while outwardly I am a man and therefore he finds me pleasing, he would be most disappointed and angry to discover that, beneath my clothes, I am not what he desires.”

  “So his preference for men is why he has never married? I had always thought it was because he was obsessed with his work and was too thoughtful to marry some woman and leave her alone all the time while he goes about solving cases. Truly, if his time at the office matches yours, then, practically speaking I cannot imagine him seducing anyone into a relationship of any kind. Does he actually have a male lover? Have you met him?”

  “I am quite certain he does not, for I am with him all but the few hours he sleeps.”

  “So what makes you think he prefers men?” Claire tilted her head and grinned. “Unless he has indicated a preference towards you.”

  Vic sighed and sat down on her bay window and gestured Claire to join her. They had been trading secrets on the windowsill since they first came to live with Aunt Maddy so long ago.

  Vic told her about their night as pretend lovers. “Only the pretense became all too real. I had no idea passion could be so overwhelming.”

  “You’ve yet to discover the half of it,” Claire said.

  “What do you mean?” What could her little sister know of any of this?

  Claire ignored her question and returned to the topic of Xavier. “So you believe because Xavier desires you, he therefore must desire only men.”

  “He believes I’m male; what other conclusion is there to draw?”

  “Perhaps he desires you and couldn’t care less what sex you might be. Xavier Thorn strikes me as a man not easily led by society’s sexual mores.”

  Vic couldn’t argue with her observation. “Which is no doubt why he is not ashamed to admit he prefers men. He tried to explain to me the love between two men could be as endearing as affection between a man and woman, which clearly indicates he has some experience in the matter.”

  Claire sighed. “I suppose, but I wish you would not give up on him so quickly. Xavier Thorn might be your only chance for love.”

  Vic reached out and took her hand. “I already do love him, and I spend more time with him than most wives do with their husbands. I have all I need.”

  “But you are missing a most wonderful part of love, and it is so unfair.”

  “Have you changed your mind about not wanting a husband?” Claire had always insisted she wished to live a life like Aunt Maddy’s. If she wanted a traditional life, she could not have chosen a worse time, since no dowry existed to entice a good marriage. And, of course, she and Xavier must do a thorough investigation of any man who declared an interest in her sister.

  “Not at all. I am most certain this is my path. I have no reason to marry. In truth, I am thankful I am poor as a church mouse, for the ladies do not insist upon dragging me out before their sons. Since no sensible gentleman could possibly be interested, I am allowed to remain ‘in mourning’ for as long as I wish—my whole life, I expect.”

  “But you spoke of pleasures as if you wanted them.”

  Claire laughed. “I spoke of pleasures as if I greatly enjoyed them.” She stared at Vic and shook her head. “La, I believe I would make a better investigator than you. You can be most blind to what goes on if you’d rather not see it.”

  “Perhaps I missed the exact moment you went mad, but that had better be all that is going on here.”

  “Vic! You would rather I be mad than in love?” Claire demanded in outrage.

  “No, of course not. I love you, and wish you all the happiness in the world, only you are talking in provocative riddles. I do not understand what you are trying to tell me. Just be forthright and state what you have done?”

  Claire sighed. “What I have done? You act as if I’m a small child who has broken something but refuses to say what it is.”

  “That’s a fair representation of my feelings just now,” Vic admitted.

  “I am not a small child. I may only be twenty, but if you will kindly recall when you were seventeen and headed off to Oxford, you did not think yourself a child and would have been gravely insulted had anyone dared to imply such. Just because I have a smaller frame does not make my maturity any different. We are much alike, Vic. We’ve had the same parents, the same upbringing, and the same desire for emancipation. The only difference is the path we’ve taken to achieve our freedom. You chose to be a man and I chose to remain a woman, but free of the shackles of marriage. Do not dare speak to me in the tone of a superior male, ever again!”

  “You are correct,” Vic replied. “I was an adult at seventeen, and thus must grant you the same right. The only thing I might disagree with in your fine declaration of emancipation was when you claimed we possessed the same intelligence. You are and always have been the smarter one. Yet even when you are justly angry with me, you still have the decency not to throw it in my face.”

  “And you are impossible not to forgive.” Claire crawled to Vic’s side of the window and hugged her.

  “So, are you going to tell me how you’ve come to know so much about pleasure?” Vic asked.

  “Only if I have your word you will make no effort to stop it.”

  When Vic did not reply, Claire rose to leave.

  “Don’t go!” Vic pleaded.

  “If I’m not mistaken, the carriage below is Mr. Thorn’s,” Claire replied with curtness.

  “Claire, why are you angry again?”

  “Because you hesitated in giving me your word, which means you have not yet come to agree we are both equal and I have complete authority over my life. Aunt Maddy did not give you guardianship over me so you could take care of me. She did so to set me free, but you hesitate to let me fly. You deny me the freedom Aunt Maddy gave you and until you release me from bondage nothing can be right between us.”

  “Claire, I’m sorry!”

  “I refuse to accept your apology. I want you to go away with Mr. Thorn and think about this. And if you decide I am to be given total freedom and control of my life, you may seek me out when you return tomorrow and assure me I am your equal in al
l manners.”

  Vic pulled her into an embrace. “I will come to terms with this and you will have your complete freedom.”

  Hearing Xavier bellowing below over the length of time he waited, Vic kissed Claire’s cheek and hurried downstairs.

  ***

  One glance at Victor’s face, Xavier quelled his tantrum and hurried his secretary outside. His yelling had been a defense against the cheeky butler’s questions as to where and how long they would be gone, and precisely what they would be doing.

  The man seemed to know his feelings for the boy weren’t exactly proper. So, naturally, Xavier had made this outing sound like a great waste of time on his part, but necessary because his new employee came without the required skills for the job. However, the cheeky butler had the audacity to question whether the job of secretary required the skill of shooting a gun.

  Victor had come downstairs during his response and while the boy attempted to pretend he had not heard Xavier’s ill spoken words, his current distress proved he had and believed them to be true.

  Once inside the carriage, he waited for his apprentice to broach the topic, but the young man seemed inclined to chew on his lower lip in silence.

  “Stop mauling your face and be out with it,” Xavier demanded.

  Victor sighed. “You once said you did not envy me my job of being a guardian over Claire. Will you tell me why?”

  Xavier relaxed. Evidently, his tirade had not put the boy into his current mood, rather Claire had. “Is your sister giving you trouble?”

  “She is very angry with me.”

  “What did you do? No, allow me to guess. You attempted to flex your powers of guardianship.” By Vic’s grimace he knew he had hit the mark. “I have not spoken but a few minutes with your sister, but I expect she is both highly intelligent and completely capable of managing her own life.”

  “I would be the first to agree with you, but it is devilishly hard to promise you will not interfere before they tell you what they are doing. Especially when your gut tells you it’s going to be something you aren’t going to like at all.”