‘You are very quiet this evening,’ Tess remarked.
He dragged his mind back to his companion. ‘I do beg your pardon.’
‘Your work?’
He nodded.
‘It is a big responsibility.’
Enormous. The Home Office was at its wits’ end and demanding blood. He had to admit, though, that he’d enjoyed talking things over with Tess, getting her input. Growler was all very fine at taking orders, but he’d never indulge in the sort of give and take Jaimie enjoyed with Tess. Their minds were in tune, thought they each came at problems from a different direction. He had also reached a level of comfort with her he had never before known with a woman. He was beginning to rely on her sharp mind almost as much as he relied on his own. In addition, his attraction to her seemed to be growing rather than fading with time and familiarity.
They halted at the edge of the croquet field where several laughing couples were knocking balls through hoops. The men were becoming overbold and the young ladies’ mamas were becoming restive.
After a few moments he drew Tess away, towards the perimeter of the torches. ‘Have you seen the fountains?’ he asked. ‘I am told they are quite something to behold.’
She must have heard the deepening of his voice as he thought about Tess alone in the dark, for she glanced up sharply. A small secret smile crossed her lips. ‘I have not.’
With everyone on the lawn focused on croquet, he took his chance and guided her to a path that led away into the dark. He was after all a man with wooing on his mind and he still wasn’t sure she would accept a proposal if he made one. Not sure she really trusted him. There had been that business of the boy at the hot-air balloon ascension. She had not told him the truth of that matter, he was sure of it.
‘How are your investigations coming along?’ she asked lightly and somewhat breathlessly as they strolled among the shrubbery. Moonbeams lit their steps on the pale flagstones.
He allowed her the courtesy of letting her distract him from the main purpose of their excursion. At least for the moment. ‘Exceedingly well. Indeed, I am expecting the final conclusion this evening.’
‘That is wonderful news.’
‘It will be a relief all round.’
That was an understatement. According to the Home Secretary, the King was frothing at the mouth after yet another incident two nights ago. The impudent rogue had actually stolen items from the householder’s bedroom while he was lying in bed asleep. A snuff box and, of all things, a chamber pot. He was looking forward to questioning this ‘blacksmith’ fellow. Though it was likely to be no more of an intriguing reason than the fellow needed to make use of it and decided to take it with him in case he woke his victim.
The path divided, circling a huge round stone fountain decorated with three elegant Greek women who seemingly poured water into the pool at their feet from the urns they held. Above them a dolphin spouted high into the air. The droplets, as they fell, look liked rare sparkling jewels.
‘How lovely,’ Tess murmured.
He swung her about to face him, moonlight playing over her features. Her lips parted, her eyelids drooped seductively. His body hardened. ‘You are what is lovely,’ he said huskily, the words escaping before the thought was formed.
Her eyes widened a fraction in surprise.
He walked her backwards until she was up against the edge of the pool. ‘I mean it, Tess. You look beautiful. I have been dying to get you alone like this for days.’
She laughed, a little throaty sound that spoke of surprise and pleasure.
Ha, he was getting better at this. Perhaps because he was actually telling the truth. He bent his head and kissed her lips. She kissed him back so openly, so honestly, so boldly, it stole his breath. He broke away. ‘I’ve been wanting to kiss you like that ever since we got here.’
Her breathing quickened. ‘I, too,’ she gasped.
He pressed his thigh between hers. ‘Do you want me, Tess?’ he growled. Wanting the admission. Needing it on some deep feral level. A desire for possession. He stilled and began to draw back in case she felt he was going too far. But one small hand curled around his nape and drew his head down, to press a kiss to his lips.
Who possessed whom?
He groaned as she rocked against his thigh and he felt her hot centre through the fine fabric of their clothes. He wanted to be inside her. Now. Right at this moment. He broke the kiss and let his lips wander the tender softness of her cheek, the delicate curve of her ear, the vulnerable pulse at her throat.
‘I have missed you,’ she said softly, turning her head to give him better access.
He’d missed doing more than just kissing her. Every time he saw her he wanted her and this was the first opportunity they’d had to be private for some days. If it was possible, he hardened inside his breeches just thinking about being alone here with her, in the dark on a warm summer night.
The urge to pleasure her rode him hard.
Quelling the urges of his body, he stepped back, looking around for...seclusion. Somewhere safe from prying eyes.
There were seats all around the edge of path, but anyone walking here would be instantly aware of them. No, he needed... There! Another statue shadowed by shrubbery, barely visible but for a soft gleam of white in the moonlight. Eros, balanced on the ball of one foot, ready to fire his arrow.
He swept her up in his arms, knowing if he didn’t move now, he would be tempted to take her where she stood and to the devil with onlookers. He pushed into the encroaching bushes. The plinth was solid and wide. As close to a bed as he could get at this moment. He set her on her feet.
‘You are very resourceful, my lord,’ she said, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
Damn, but that marble was going to be hard and rough on her delicate flesh. He stripped off his coat and laid it on the marble.
She lifted her skirts to climb up, revealing a delicious glimpse of a lush bottom. Unable to resist, he stroked the silken flesh and dipped a finger into the dark shadow between, finding her hot and wet. Ready for him. One knee on the plinth, one foot on the ground, she stilled. He moved in close behind her, replacing his exploring finger with the head of his aching shaft, rubbing it along her slit, bathing it in her moisture, feeling the shock of her heat on the sensitive tip.
She gasped as he rubbed it against her little hard nub of pleasure. She leant forward, supporting herself on her hands, opening herself to his probing shaft. He inched in.
Damn, but that felt utterly amazing. His balls drew up tight. The tingle of orgasm rippled outwards. He fought it, distracting himself by reaching forward to position his coat to better cushion her knee. He cupped her breast in one hand, taking the weight, teasing the nipple through the material of her gown while steadying her with his other arm around her waist. He surged into her welcoming heat.
She moaned, widening her stance, encouraging him deeper.
Careful to support her weight, he obeyed her wordless demand. She shivered with pleasure. Her body tensed. He thrust harder, deeper, driving into her, his hips a sensual slap against her bare bottom. She reached down, a fingertip stroking the base of his shaft at her entrance. A sensual little exploration that made his mind go blank and his body tremble. He was going to... He hauled in a breath. Forced himself back from the brink, even as her palm cupped his bollocks. ‘Touch yourself,’ he whispered hoarsely, knowing she needed external stimulation he could not provide given that his hands were already full of gorgeous, tempting, delicious Tess.
She hissed in a breath of shock. Shock, but also titillation. Her hand moved away and he felt her quiver as she must have touched that sensitive little bud. Her head dropped forward and he bent over her, kissing her nape, nuzzling against the delicate skin and then... He opened his mouth and closed his teeth on that vulnerable nape.
With a cry, she fell apart.
He follo
wed right after, control utterly eluding him.
He pounded against her three more times, shuddering with the release as his seed poured into her. Somehow he managed not to collapse and held her up despite his own body’s laxness.
Carefully, he lowered himself onto the plinth and pulled her on top of him. They lay there, her head on his chest, his hand supporting her, breathing hard for what felt like hours, but must have been only a few moments.
There was something he had needed to do. Something he had planned to do when he had asked her to join him here in the dark and they’d been overwhelmed by passion. He fumbled for his jacket pocket where it lay beneath him and pulled out a small velvet pouch.
‘Marry me, Tess.’
‘W-what?’ She sat up, leaning against him.
‘Before we go any further, I am asking you to marry me. I believe we will suit very nicely. You won’t need to worry about the bracelet and money any more. I will settle up with Stedman. We can even work on my cases together.’
‘Oh.’ She looked dumbfounded and doubtful. ‘You mean it? You want to marry me? It’s not because you feel you must? Because of this...’ She waved vaguely at their surroundings.
‘It will solve all our problems. I need a wife. You don’t want to go to Yorkshire. And we can do this whenever we want.’
‘I really wasn’t planning on getting married at all.’
He stilled. ‘I see.’
‘You don’t see. Every man in my life has let me down. Father. Grey. I should have been able to rely on them. By marrying, I put myself in yet another man’s hands.’
So that was why she was so independent. He should have guessed. ‘You can rely on me. I swear it.’
She stared at the pouch in his hand. ‘I would like to believe you,’ she said softly. ‘I really would.’
‘Have I done anything that says you cannot?’
She lifted her gaze to his face. ‘No, you have not.’ She swallowed. ‘You are not suggesting this is a love match, are you?’
Shocked, he glanced away. A love match? That was what everyone had called his marriage to Hester. The whole thing had been a disaster. ‘No,’ he said slowly, bringing his gaze back to meet hers. ‘I am not suggesting that. I am saying our marriage would make perfect sense. We are friends, we have passion in common and we will both benefit.’ He flashed a grin. ‘And I am clearly a much better match than Stedman.’
She chuckled. ‘Or Yorkshire.’
It wasn’t the most romantic proposal a girl could receive, but in their circles marriages were mostly practical arrangements and Tess could certainly see the advantages. She smiled at him ‘Yes. I will accept your proposal.’
‘You will?’ He stood, grasped her around the waist and spun her around in a circle. ‘That is stupendous.’ He set her on her feet and kissed her, then placed the ring from the pouch on her finger. ‘It was my mother’s,’ he said softly.
She glanced down at it gleaming in the moonlight. ‘Thank you. It is beautiful.’
He kissed her again until they were both breathless.
Oh, he was going to like being married, now that he’d finally come to terms with the idea of taking the plunge yet again. Tess was perfect—and once they were wed thank heavens they would have regular access to a bed. Though as places went, moonlight and Eros would be hard to beat. Perhaps he’d have a similar statue installed at Sandford...
Tess broke away. ‘Do you think anyone has missed us?’
Back to reality. ‘If not, they soon will.’
They helped each other to straighten their clothes, and arm in arm they wandered back past the fountain and out on to the lawn.
Growler loomed out of the shadows right in front of them.
Tess gave a squeak of surprise. Jaimie bit back a curse. Growler never sought him out in public.
‘Dammit, man, how long have you been there?’
The man hung his head. ‘A while, Guv. Saw you go in. Thought I’d better wait here for you,’ Growler said. ‘I need a word.’
Foreboding like nothing Jaimie had ever experienced before ripped through him. Something had gone wrong tonight. They must have lost their quarry. Damn it. For a brief moment, he toyed with the idea of telling Growler it could wait. What? When had he ever been so irresponsible? Since he’d met Tess. He sighed. It seemed she had turned everything on its head. He gave her brief smile. ‘I hope you will excuse me, Tess. I’ll take you back to your cousin and then see what Growler wants.’
The quick nod of Growler’s head indicated he agreed that the matter wasn’t so urgent as to need him right that second, but he quickened his pace regardless.
‘If it is urgent, I can find my own way back,’ Tess offered.
His bride-to-be was nothing if not perceptive. He slowed his steps. ‘It is nothing that can’t wait for me to do my gentlemanly duty.’
‘You care about doing your duty, don’t you, Jaimie?’
‘It was something my father drummed into me and Michael whenever we misbehaved.’
‘A good lesson for boys, I think.’ She sounded a little sad. Thinking of that brother of hers again. Who had clearly not done his duty by her. ‘Grey didn’t come to us until he was seven. Father said he’d learned a lot of bad habits in his previous situation.’
There it was again, her knowing what he was thinking, as if she was completely attuned to him and he to her. Marrying her wasn’t going to be a duty at all, it was going to be a pleasure on a great many fronts.
‘Tess, can we perhaps not announce our betrothal until after I have closed this current case? I want to shout it from the rooftops, I really do, but the King is most adamant that this take priority over everything else. I don’t want him to think I’ve been neglecting my duty to go courting.’
‘Of course it can wait. After all, who is more important than a king?’ She slipped the ring off her finger and into her reticule.
He patted her hand. This was why he liked her so much. She was sensible. Most of the time. ‘Thank you for your understanding. I am hopeful it will be finished tonight, but sometimes things go wrong.’
Lord Rowan and his wife were on the dance floor when they arrived at the terrace. Stemming his impatience, Jaimie found Tess a seat at one of the little tables scattered around the room and called a waiter over to get her a drink.
‘Go,’ she said with a smile. ‘You know you want to.’
She couldn’t come to any harm sitting here, with her cousins nearby. And if some other young buck asked her to dance, well, she deserved to dance, if she wished. Though he’d much prefer she danced only with him.
* * *
The next morning, Tess awoke feeling happier than she had for a very long time. When Mims arrived, she looked pale and drawn. How very strange. She’d seemed perfectly all right when she’d brought the breakfast tray up only a half an hour before. ‘Are you all right?’
‘Yes, my lady.’
She didn’t sound all right. Tess frowned. ‘Is that the newspaper you have there? Has Phin seen it already?’
Phin didn’t like anyone touching his newspaper before he was finished with it.
‘Yes, my lady. No, my lady.’
Confused, Tess stared at her. ‘Well if he hasn’t read it you had best take it back downstairs.’
Mims looked at her like a lost sheepdog. ‘It’s Master Hammond.’
Tess straightened. She put her cup aside. ‘Let me see.’
Mims handed the paper over. ‘He were arrested last night. Carted off to Newgate. Oh, my word. What are we to do?’
Tess scanned the article. ‘This doesn’t say anything about Grey. This is the man Lord Sandford has been seeking. The one robbing all the people in Mayfair. Apparently he’s known as The Smith.’
The maid pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes, then blew her nose. ‘Master Hammond is The Smith
.’
Tess let the paper fall from nerveless fingers. ‘What?’
Mims nodded, her mob cap flopping madly. ‘Yes, my lady.’
A dreadful suspicion entered her mind. Along with anger. ‘You knew about this before today, didn’t you?’
Mims backed away.
‘You knew about this and said nothing to me, knowing I was looking for Master Hammond all this time? Knowing how worried about him I was?’
‘He swore me to secrecy, my lady.’
‘Why on earth would he do that?’
‘Because of Mister Phin...Lord Rowan, I mean. You know how he is about Master Hammond.’
‘Surely Grey wouldn’t think I would betray him to Phin?’ She looked down at the paper again. Every bit of happiness she’d felt upon waking that morning had fled. ‘Are you telling me my brother is a common criminal?’ Not only that, but it was he whom Lord Sandford had arrested. Her heart took a long swooping dive.
‘He isn’t a criminal.’ The maid’s fierce voice took Tess by surprise.
‘He most certainly is. He’s been going into houses and stealing people’s property.’
‘Those people stole from their servants. All he did was get back what was owed. No more, no less.’
Tess closed her eyes. That sounded so like Grey. The Grey she had known as a child. But he was a man now. ‘He can’t go around pretending he is some sort of Robin Hood. And besides, even if those employers were unfair to their servants, they hardly owed them a candlestick or a snuff box.’ She glanced down at the article. ‘None of the property has been recovered either. It is robbery, plain and simple.’ And punishable by death or transportation.
She felt nauseous.
Mims wrung her hands. ‘Oh, my lady, you have to help him. Not a penny has he taken for himself. It all went to those who deserved it. Perhaps if you could just see Master Hammond, make him promise to stop, perhaps his lordship could see his way clear to giving him another chance. Master Hammond would keep his word. You know that, my lady.’
She knew it about the Grey she had known as a child. But what about the man he had become? ‘I am not sure I have that much influence over his lordship.’
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