Amanda Quick - The River Knows

“You think I restored the family finances by taking up a career as a jewel thief?”

“You will admit it is a viable hypothesis.”

“Based on the fact that I asked you to dance on a handful of occasions this past week? No, Mrs. Bryce, I will not allow that it is a reasonable assumption. Your evidence is far too weak.”

“Oh, there is a bit more to it than the dances, sir,” she said coolly.

He did not move. “How much more?”

“I saw you slip away from Lady Hammond’s ballroom the other night. I assumed you had an assignation in the garden, but you went up the back stairs instead.”

“Good Lord, you followed me?”

“Only as far as the foot of the stairs,” she assured him. “I felt that, under the circumstances, I had a right to know what you were about.”

“Circumstances? Damn it to hell, woman, all I did was dance with you a few times.”

“Yes, and I knew there had to be a reason for that,” she said. “As you, yourself, pointed out, there is a limited number of explanations for why a person would sneak up a flight of servants’ stairs during a social affair. Until tonight I had assumed you were in the habit of meeting your lover in that manner, but this evening I began to suspect that you were more likely a thief.”

“You take my breath away, Mrs. Bryce.”

She doubted that was a compliment. So much for trying to prod him into telling her the truth. He obviously was not going to confess to being a burglar. Fair enough. She certainly wasn’t about to confide her secrets to him, either, even if he did have an alarming effect on her pulse.

“Given your profession, Mr. Stalbridge, you are hardly in a position to question my activities, let alone criticize.”

“Mrs. Bryce, this conversation is far and away the most riveting one I have had in years. I will, however, be blunt. I do not know what you intended tonight, but I must tell you that you took a grave risk going into Elwin Hastings’s bedroom. You obviously have no conception of the enormity of the danger involved.”

The grim certainty in his words gave her pause.

“Surely I was in no serious jeopardy of anything other than having to face a few moments of mild embarrassment,” she said.

“If you believe that, then I must tell you that you do not know as much about Hastings as you seem to think you do.”

“I will allow that you may know considerably more about him.” She paused and then gave him an encouraging smile. “Perhaps you would be good enough to enlighten me?”

His expression hardened. “Pay attention, Mrs. Bryce. If Hastings had cause to suspect that you might be a threat to him, you would be in great jeopardy.”

She stopped smiling. “Surely you are not implying that he might go so far as to murder me simply because he learned that I accidentally opened his bedroom door.”

“Yes, Mrs. Bryce, that is exactly what I am implying.”

She drew a sharp breath. “Really, sir, that is preposterous. He is certainly not a nice man, but he is a gentleman. I doubt very much that he would stoop so low as to murder a lady who had done him no grave harm.”

Anthony sat forward abruptly, making her gasp in surprise. He captured her wrists in his hands and leaned in close.

“Heed me well, Mrs. Bryce. If I am correct in my conclusions about Elwin Hastings, he has already committed murder twice.”

Horror reverberated through her. “Good heavens, sir. Are you certain?”

“I have no proof yet, but, yes, I am certain.”

“I suppose I must take your word for it,” she said slowly. “You no doubt have better connections in the criminal classes than I do, and therefore you are better informed about such matters.”

“Do I detect a note of envy?”

“Well, I must admit, I would find detailed information about the criminal underworld extremely useful from time to time.”

“Just what line are you in, Mrs. Bryce?” he asked very gently.

Another chill trickled down her spine. She was fiercely aware of the strength in his fingers. He wasn’t hurting her, but she was most definitely a captive. It took a great deal of effort to keep her voice calm and even.

“Never fear, sir, I am not your competition,” she assured him. “I have no interest in Hastings’s jewels.”

“Then what the devil did you hope to find in his room?”

She hesitated a moment longer and then made her decision. He already knew that she had been in the room, and he had not betrayed her to the guard. It was clear that he was no friend of Elwin Hastings, and, although he appeared to be a gentleman, he was a self-confessed professional thief, a species not known for its scruples. It was not as though she had a great many options here. Anthony was an unusual gentleman; not at all like other men. He just might consider helping her, if only because he might find the challenge intriguing.

“I was hoping to find proof that Hastings has a financial interest in a certain brothel,” she said. “A place called Phoenix House.”

She held her breath.

Anthony regarded her, evidently bereft of speech, for a very long moment. He released her wrists, but he continued to lean forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. He linked his fingers loosely together between his knees and regarded her as though she were a peculiar specimen in a strange zoo.

“You seek evidence that Hastings invested money in a brothel?” he asked, as though wanting to be quite clear on the subject.

She gripped her muff very tightly. “Yes.”

“Do you mind if I ask why?”

“Yes, I do mind. It is none of your affair, sir.”

He nodded. “No, I suppose it isn’t. What made you think that this proof might be in Hastings’s bedroom?”

“I managed to slip into his library earlier and go through his desk drawers. They were not even locked. I found nothing useful. The bedroom was the only other place I could think of to search.”

“You went through his desk looking for documents related to his financial affairs.” Anthony seemed beyond astonishment now. He merely shook his head. “Of all the idiotic, reckless, foolhardy—”

“I did not ask your opinion, sir,” she said, stiffening. “In any event, it was not that foolhardy. No one was about. The servants are all busy this evening.”

“It is a miracle you were not caught by one of the guards.”

“Yes, well, I was not aware of them at the time,” she admitted ruefully.

“A serious oversight.”

“Indeed,” she admitted. She straightened her shoulders. “As I was saying, the bedroom was the only other place I could think of to search.”

“I assume that you did not find the proof that you were seeking?”

“No, unfortunately.” She sighed. “I went through all of the drawers in the wardrobe, and I searched beneath the bed. There is a small writing desk near the window. The drawer was unlocked, but there was nothing inside. I could not think of any place else to look. There was no sign of a safe.”

“That is because it is hidden in the floor.”

She widened her eyes. “You know that for a fact?”

“Yes. It is an Apollo Patented Safe, by the way, the most secure strongbox available on the market.”

“I am most impressed, sir. You must, indeed, be very good at your work. You obviously do a great deal of research on your, uh, subjects. I did not even think to look for the safe in the floor.”

“It is just as well. If you had remained in that room a moment longer, the guard would probably have discovered you inside.”

“Even if I had found the safe, it wouldn’t have done me any good. I regret to say that, although I can manage simple locks with a hairpin, I have had no experience opening safes.”

“I am amazed to hear that there are some limits to your resources, Mrs. Bryce.”