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

by Liza O'Connor

  “I agree, but it’s nothing compared to Victor’s mind, but no…I promised the boy he’d receive no more compliments from me today.”

  Vic pulled out her pocket watch. “It’s 1:31 a.m. and thus a new day.”

  “Drink your cocoa and stay out of this,” Xavier growled.

  “How long do you expect Charles to stay away?” Stone asked.

  “For as long as it takes you to close the inquiries on Edward Wimple and lose any reason to call on Lady Wimple. He left as a precaution and will remain away until he believes he can safely return. I expect he has someone on your staff who will tell him when Scotland Yard has lost interest. You’ll need to play this very close to the vest.”

  Stone ceased to smile, but nodded in agreement. “I hate it when you state my worst fear as if it were an incontrovertible fact.”

  “Not incontrovertible, but possible. He’s had men watching my office from the first day Mrs. Wimple engaged me to find her husband.”

  “That’s one point I don’t understand. Why did he purposely bring you into his game?”

  “I have no idea,” Xavier admitted and glanced at Vic. “Let’s ask my impertinent pup, he always has an opinion.”

  Vic stopped drinking her cocoa and frowned. “It’s very late.”

  “Stop stalling and give me an answer!”

  “Perhaps he wanted Mary to discover Edward’s address and contact him. Her contact would remind him of his obligations to his wife and prevent him from making any confessions to his mother.” Vic frowned. “What I don’t understand is why he’d go to all that trouble if he always intended to yell at Edward and say such mean things. Maybe he meant to handle it more subtly, but lost his temper.” Vic shrugged and sipped her cocoa.

  Stone laughed. “I see what you mean. His talent is far more than drawing pictures. You’d be a fool to send this one packing, Xavier.”

  “I have no intention of letting him go. I may strangle him eventually, but I won’t fire him.”

  Xavier insisted Stone had to be tired and asked Davy to see him home.

  Vic raised her head from her cocoa, about to ask if she could go as well.

  “Don’t even think it, pup. You need to type up your notes while they are still fresh in your mind.”

  “Mind? What mind? I barely know my name!”

  Once Stone had left through the back door, Xavier lifted her from the chair and carried her upstairs.

  She did not have to ask where he was taking her, and a part of her wanted him to do so, but another part of her did not want to die just yet. She had understood exactly what Edward had meant when he said the person he had become would die if he were to return to his original gender.

  “This isn’t a good idea,” she said as he set her on the bed.

  He paused for a moment and kneeled beside her. “Still clinging to your secret?”

  She nodded.

  “Do you truly believe my knowing would change anything?”

  “It would change everything,” she assured him.

  He sighed heavily and slid his hands up her legs. “Beyond what happens in this bed, how would it alter anything? Do you believe I would treat you differently when we are at work?”

  “I think you would fire me, but even if you didn’t, you would still treat me differently.”

  “Is there any way I can be tested to determine if I would or I would not fail you? Does the fact I believe you fit me perfectly as you are now, not sway you at all?”

  “It gives me great happiness, but it does not alter my resolve to hold onto what we have. I have never been happier in all my life, Xavier. I don’t want to risk it.”

  “All right, we will leave matters as they are. Scoot over to your side of the bed and go to sleep.”

  “Am I not to be given a ride home?”

  “It’s nearly two a.m. By the time Davy returns and takes you home it would be almost three. Thus, you’d only receive a mere two hours of sleep before you had to get up again. However, if you stay here, you can sleep until seven, while Davy won’t have to go out a second time, worsening his cold. Nor will I have a restless sleep, worrying you aren’t going to arrive at five and my morning will be ruined due to your lateness.”

  Vic laughed at him. “You have the most unreasonable logic sometimes.”

  He tossed her the gown and robe she had worn two days before. “I’ll be downstairs waiting for Davy to return. Don’t be afraid to change into your sleeping wear, for nothing will happen until you wish it and—honestly—nothing will happen until you have more faith in me than you do now.”

  Pain and resentment rang in his words. She had insulted him yet again, and she could understand his feelings. She wanted to believe if he discovered her secret it wouldn’t change their working relationship, but her gut said otherwise. He’d try to protect her from danger instead of allowing her to do her job. There’d be no more bellows, torments or chides for being impertinent. Her opinion would no longer matter, for what could a woman possibly know?

  As she contemplated these gloomy thoughts, she undressed down to her muslin undershirt. She considered leaving it on, but she always struggled to sleep when feeling crushed and flattened. Pulling it off, she glanced at the door, wishing she had locked it. Only when her gown was on and she hid safely beneath the covers did her heart stop racing in fear of her secret being discovered.

  A part of her wished he had walked in on her. She didn’t want any secrets between them. Her insistence he would fail her without allowing him the chance to prove her wrong had hurt him to the core. Yet, if they became lovers, eventually a baby would arrive and bring an end to Victor Hamilton, leaving her with a life she’d hate.

  Yes, she understood Edward Wimple’s fears and desires very well. Since Stone said he doubted he’d use Edward’s testimony, Edward still might be able to continue life as a woman. Unfortunately for Vic, no one could give her such immunity if her belly swelled with a child.

  It seemed an eternity before Xavier arrived. The faint odor of alcohol mingled with his wonderful scent. She waited to see if he would cross to her side of the bed and gently tug her into his arms. If he did, she wouldn’t protest.

  Instead, he sighed so deeply with sadness that shame filled her heart. Trying to ease his pain without relinquishing her resolution, she rolled over so they stared eye to eye. His eyes held no teasing or arrogance, only humbled disappointment. She could not bear to see him so. She slid her hand across the bed, until it lay halfway and waited, hoping he would do the same, but he didn’t.

  “This secret that lies between us…” She shuffled closer to the middle so he would not seem so far away. “If known, will change my life.”

  Her comment riled him sufficiently that he rolled away from her. She moved nearer, wishing he’d face her. “Your acceptance of my secret is not what frightens me. I cannot provide you a test. This is not about you failing me. It’s about the fundamental nature of my secret.”

  He made no response to her declaration. She pressed against his broad back and slid her arm around his chest. Finally, his body relaxed.

  “I trust you, Xavier, and I want to spend every day working for you, but we cannot cross this line. If we do, my life will be destroyed and I fear this death as much as…” She stopped, realizing she was saying too much.

  He pulled her hand to his lips. “Go to sleep, Vic. It is useless to console a spoiled child when he does not get to have his cake and eat it, too. If what we have is all you feel safe offering, so be it. However, your presence has created some complications for me, which I will be forced to address and it is possible you will misinterpret my actions.”

  “What complications?” she asked, having trouble correlating his tender affection to the severity of his words.

  “I’ve no way to delicately say this, so forgive my bluntness as I speak to you man to man.”

  “Of course,” she replied.

  “You have awakened my sexual desires, which have been dormant for most of my life. I fin
d myself without a means to relieve my needs. Since my own ministrations are not working and I know far too much about the spread of diseases to use street whores, I suppose I will need to obtain a mistress. Unfortunately, finding and taking on such a lady is a time consuming and costly affair, so I will need to spend a great deal of effort on the matter.”

  Vic tried to pull away, but he held tight. “Believe me, Vic, as much as you do not like this idea, I like if far less. Worse yet, it may not even work, for mistresses are accustomed to being loved and adored. I rather doubt I will be able to pretend either with any conviction for very long.”

  Vic smiled and kissed him between his shoulder blades. “Now that you explain the situation, it does sound utterly doomed, for how can you possibly love and adore a woman who takes you from your work.”

  He released a heavy sigh. “I suppose I shall have to find a more reputable whore.”

  “And suffer the fear of catching a disease? I doubt you will enjoy that either.”

  “This isn’t about enjoyment, Vic. This is about release. There are ways a whore can give relief without a high risk of contagion. For example, she could simply touch me with her hands. That might work; although it does not when I try it.”

  “Why not?”

  “It is a failing in me, I suppose. I focus on the facts, and the facts are that I know precisely who is stroking my member, and thus cannot allow myself to fantasize it is a lover who caresses me and, without the ability to pretend, I can find no relief.”

  “And you only need someone to stroke you?”

  “Theoretically, but I fear I require a bit more. The affection must come from someone I find attractive, and therein lies my problem.”

  “Could I not do this for you?”

  “I would not ask you to cross your line, Vic. I have accepted defeat in the matter.”

  “As long as it is me touching you, and not the reverse, I see no danger,” Vic assured him. When he still did not agree, Vic pulled her hand from his grasp and slid it down his stomach until she came upon something very hot and hard, yet silky to the touch. Even her slightest investigation caused him to gasp and his body tense.

  “Does it hurt when I touch you?” she asked.

  “Not unless pleasure can be so sweet, it hurts.”

  With such encouragement, she continued her exploration. Once satisfied with its anatomy, she asked Xavier to show her how to ease his discomfort. With his precise instructions, and despite what appeared to be great resistance on his part, she brought him relief and he fell into a contented sleep soon after.

  His happy contentment gave her peace of mind as well and she closed her eyes, holding onto him.

  Chapter 23

  Xavier was very pleased to wake and discover his progress was not merely sweet dreams. He slowly eased himself onto his back to see if Vic were asleep or awake.

  She still slept and, by her sweet smile, he hoped her thoughts were of him. What a mystery she remained, and so stubborn! All the same, he considered last night a significant step forward. The further he could get her to blur the line she had drawn, the better chance she would erase it all together.

  Her claim that the fundamental nature of her secret would cause the change resulting in her destruction puzzled him immensely. The fundamental nature was her gender, but as long as she continued to dress and act as a boy during the day, he didn’t see a problem. Surely, after all his proclamations yesterday about wishing to hire Claire, if only she would dress as a boy, Vic could no longer doubt he would accept her as well. It had bothered him greatly she held so little faith in his integrity.

  He turned towards her, kissing her temple to wake her. Her eyelids fluttered and opened.

  “We are both perilously close to being late for work,” he warned.

  She retracted her hand and tried to scurry back to her side of the bed.

  Xavier caught her, determined not to lose the progress they had made last night. “I need to say something first,” he declared. “Something between us, not as master and secretary…”

  “Employer,” she corrected.

  “Not as employer and secretary, but as friends. You came to my aid last night and I greatly appreciate it. However if, upon reconsideration, you do not wish to continue such assistance, I will understand and arrange another solution. It would remain my preference for your assistance because, as you no doubt realize, this is a very personal matter, and I am loathe to seek out strangers…”

  The pity he saw in her eyes caused him to lose his temper. “Keep your unwanted pity, I’ll find some whore beneath the docks who won’t give a damn about me.”

  “It wasn’t pity you saw, only despair that I brought this whole embarrassing situation upon you,” she explained.

  “That is a very good point. You are the cause of all my troubles!” He rose from bed and dressed. “However, you are also the finest secretary and have shown great promise as an investigator, so I am forced to take the good with the bad. I suppose there is a price for everything,” he declared and turned around to face her as he buttoned his shirt.

  He liked the way her eyes devoured him. Leaning down, he chucked her chin. “In this case, I’ve made a good bargain.” He lifted his eyebrows with feigned disapproval. “However, if you are not at your desk at exactly eight, your day will be utter hell.”

  With his warning still ringing in the air, he went to the kitchen to make his coffee and put water on for Vic’s tea.

  ***

  Vic sighed with relief. He had not interpreted her groping of his manhood as a sign she had decided to become his lover. He perceived her ministrations as an act of kindness, rightfully applied, given she had caused the awakening of his desires.

  She frowned and bit her lower lip with worry. It had not been an act of kindness. It had been an act of love, and he would no doubt use her love to his advantage if he knew the truth. She hurried and dressed in yesterday’s clothes.

  Just as the wall clock chimed eight, she sat down at her desk. She picked up her writing pad and a hot cup of tea resting on the corner of her desk. She took them with her and knocked on Xavier’s office door. When he called out permission to enter, she did so.

  “May I type my notes?”

  He slammed his pipe down with outrage. “And what am I to do, while you commandeer my desk? How dare you presume your time is more important than mine?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “If you would relinquish the typewriter, I would not have to disturb you at all.”

  Xavier eyes rounded at the suggestion. “I allowed you to abscond with my stamps, but you will not take my Remington. I would miss it dearly if it stayed out there all day.”

  She smiled, suspecting he’d miss her constant occupation of his office, rather than the machine. He stood and made room for her to steal his chair.

  “Thank you for the tea,” she said as she placed the cup on the edge of his desk.

  “Had you not arrived on time, I was going to tip it upside down.”

  She laughed at the idea.

  “You think I wouldn’t?”

  “I can imagine you throwing it across the room, but calmly turning it over…no, I do not think you would.”

  He sighed. “Do not presume you have me all figured out, just yet. I am a bit more complex than that.”

  She shook her head and grinned. “You are as complex a person as any I’ve ever met.”

  “Are you complaining about the person who was so kind as to prepare your favorite morning beverage?”

  Laughing softly, she rolled the sheet of paper into the typewriter. “I would never complain about Davy.”

  “Are you so certain it was Davy who made it? Could I not be capable of this simple kindness?”

  “Not today. This is quite hot and properly steeped, which means its preparation began before you left the bedroom.”

  He snorted. “Well, your deductive reasoning has led you astray. Let it be a lesson to you. Had you bothered to interview witnesses, you would discover t
he obvious answer is wrong in this situation.” He bellowed for Davy, who arrived with a smile, despite his cold.

  “Sit down Davy, Victor wishes to conduct an interview,” Xavier demanded.

  “I am presently typing my notes,” Vic growled.

  “Ah well…the boy is presently occupied, so have a seat and wait. If you are lucky, he will only make you wait a marginally rude amount of time. I certainly hope he doesn’t leave you with the feeling his time is incomparably more valuable than yours. What were you doing, by the way?”

  “I was feeding and watering Marybell,” Davy replied. “Perhaps I might step out and remove the bucket of oats or she’ll eat more than is good for her.”

  “No, this is a very short interview…once it begins,” Xavier assured him. “We can only hope Marybell doesn’t die in the meantime.”

  “It’s not dying, I’m worried about; it’s gas. When she eats too much, she gets bloated, you see, which means the air behind her is not so fresh.”

  “Oh for God’s sakes!” Vic exclaimed and turned to Davy. “Davy did you make me tea this morning.”

  “No…but—”

  Xavier smiled triumphantly. “Thank you for the interview, Davy. You may go save us all from a gaseous horse.”

  Davy shook his head and escaped the room.

  Vic struggled not to ruin her glare by smiling.

  Xavier preened and strutted before her like a peacock. “This is not the first time you’ve jumped to the wrong conclusion,” he chided. “You did so last night as well.”

  “At your insistence, I did a considerable amount of jumping last night. To which jump do you refer?” she asked as she continued typing.

  “When you were prancing about for Stone’s admiration. Charles Kingsley did not lose his head when he reminded Edward that any revelations to the mother would impact Mary as well.”

  “I know. Charles Kingsley is an evil man with immense self-control. He would not lose his head. He sent Mary the letter, purportedly from Lady Catherine, threatening to cut her funds unless she heard from Edward, no doubt, wishing Mary to contact her husband and remind him of his obligations. Instead, she hires you to find her husband, and to all appearance you do nothing for your fee. Eventually, Charles gave up on you doing your job and castigated Edward to prevent him from confessing anything to his mother.”