His Curious Imp: The Rakes of Mayfair Book 4

by Barron, Melinda

  Fergus ran his fingers along her cheek and this time she didn’t push him away.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. He was the only man I’ve ever had. I have trusted no one else.”

  “But yet you read erotica.”

  Gabby laughed. “Reading erotica has nothing to do with trusting someone.”

  “It shows that you think about sex. About making a connection with someone. I would like that someone to be me.”

  “I’m sure you would, Fergus, but it would never work. Putting aside the fact that I find you extremely attractive I’m a secretary. I live in a boarding house. You are a lord with a London house, and I’m sure more than one country home. You can have your pick of debutants. And I refuse to be a mistress.”

  He sat back. In the moonlight she could see his eyes narrow. He traced his finger along her arm. They stared at each other, and she once again wondered how she would resist him. He was much sexier than Jarred, and she hadn’t managed to resist him, had she?

  After the silence became uncomfortable she said, “Did you hear me?”

  “Who said I was looking for a mistress? If you would get to know me, give me a chance, you might find that we like each other. And I can assure you, Gabriella, that I’m not worried about what others think of me. Far from it.”

  “You just want me to have sex with you.”

  “I would be lying if I said that wasn’t true,” Fergus said. “But I would like to be your friend, too.”

  Gabby wanted to believe him. “You’ll forgive me for being dubious of your intentions. It comes not from you, but from my previous interactions with members of your sex.”

  “We can be cads,” he said.

  He didn’t elaborate on his statement, and Gabby tried not to focus on his gorgeous face, and his eyes that held more than a glint of humor.

  “Don’t write me off so quickly,” he said. “Allow me to work my magic. You won’t regret it.”

  Gabby thought about the last few years alone, about spending time in her room by herself with only books for friends; the books were good friends, but they couldn’t hold conversations.

  “Tell me, Fergus, why do you not have a woman in your life? Or do you?”

  “I do not,” he said.

  “When did you stop seeing your last lady friend?

  He looked a little uncomfortable, and she watched as he brushed something off his trousers.

  “You’re lying to me,” she said. “Your motions show that you’re being deceptive.”

  “You read motions?” he asked with a chuckle.

  “I read people,” she said. “When you’re studying to write about crimes and the like, you learn when people are telling the truth. You brushed something off your trousers, in an effort to gain time while you concocted a good lie to tell me about the woman that is obviously in your life.

  He cleared his throat. “I assure you there is no woman in my life.”

  Gabby was shocked at his words. She had been so sure he was lying to her, yet his last statement seemed truthful. Either she was falling behind on being able to tell truths from lies, or he was, indeed, telling her the truth.

  She narrowed her eyes and caught his gaze. If he looked away first it would show he was lying. But he didn’t. He kept his gaze trained on her and she finally nodded, ever so slowly.

  “All right. I’ll give you a week. If you can seduce me in that time, then we’ll consider making it more permanent. But I should tell you up front that I’m not going to just lie down for you.”

  “I would hope for nothing less, Gabriella.”

  He took her face between his hands and kissed her once more. This time she relaxed more than she had before, leaning into him, savoring the hard feel of his chest against hers as he let go of her face and wrapped his arms around her.

  She prayed he was telling her the truth, because she could become quite used to his touch, and she would find it hard to let him go.

  * * *

  The park bench was uncomfortable, especially after sitting on it for two hours straight. This time she had no baby pram. None was needed because Gabby was alone.

  She knew that Phillips’ reaction to McNutt’s ravings yesterday had been too good to be true. This morning when she’d arrived at the newspaper office, Phillips had informed her that she was now only needed in the mornings. The smug look McNutt had sent Gabby’s way let her know that he’d worked on Phillips all yesterday, and probably this morning before she arrived. By Friday she was sure her job would be eliminated totally.

  But she would worry about that later. The day hadn’t been a total loss. Lord McIntyre had sent her a dozen red roses from his garden that had office tongues wagging. She’d carried them to her room at the boarding house when she’d left the newspaper and she’d never seen her room look so bright.

  The card had simply read, “One week or less. Fergus.” Every time she thought about it she smiled. One week and she would be in his bed. That was what he meant. She wasn’t sure exactly how she felt about it.

  The thought of having sex was enticing, but it also left her feeling more than a little leery. The last time she was in this position it didn’t turn out well for her. Then, she’d had a few funds put back to help her in her move to London. If things went badly this time she had very little money saved.

  The memories made her want to stay as far away from Fergus McIntyre as possible. But that was her mind. Her body thought otherwise.

  She shook her head to dislodge her thoughts. She had other things to do right now. McNutt was still back at the office, and she was determined to get to the bottom of the case that befuddled McNutt so much. If that happened she would be at the top of things, and he would be at the bottom.

  The idea made her smile. She raised her eyes above the book she was ‘reading’ and glanced at the carousel where many people were milling about. Several street urchins were running around the park but she hadn’t seen one pick a pocket yet. And she hadn’t seen the boy from yesterday.

  Of course, if the boys were part of a ring, as she suspected, they would not work the same area two days in a row. They would take a few days off and come back later in the week to ply their trade.

  “If you keep reading the same page you’ll never finish the book.”

  Fergus’ deep voice came from behind her. He had bent to whisper the words in her ear and his breath was warm against her neck.

  “I must not be much for noticing what is about me if you can just walk up.” Gabby tried to keep her voice level but knew that she failed.

  “You were looking in the other direction. And I can be very sneaky.”

  He sat down next to her and Gabby’s breath caught in her throat. Was it possible that he was more handsome today than he had been yesterday? Humor lit his green eyes. Humor that barely shadowed the desire she saw when he lowered his gaze to her chest and lifted them back up to her face.

  “Why are you not at the newspaper, Gabby? When I went by there no one would give me a straight answer.”

  She told him about her hours being cut and he frowned.

  “McNutt needs to learn to accept his own failures. What are you doing here? Oh wait, let me guess. You intend to identify the ring without McNutt’s help.”

  “Yes, and when I do I’ll take the information to The Times. I have no loyalty to The Sentinel now.”

  “And when we find the persons involved we’ll make sure we have proof of their guilt.”

  Gabby turned her head toward him. “We?”

  “We. A week is precious little time, Gabriella, and I don’t intend to waste a moment.”

  She giggled and then her breath caught in her throat.

  “You’re distracting me.” She closed her book and folded her hands in her lap. “I have work to do. You’re going to have to plan your seduction for later in the day, when I am not otherwise engaged.”

  “That is why I am going to help you,” he said.

  Gabby cleared her throat. “Wh
ile I appreciate your offer, I want to do this on my own.”

  “I don’t want credit; I want to offer aid.”

  “Do you not think I can do this on my own?” she asked.

  “That’s not the point,” he said.

  Gabby put her hand on his knee and said, “We should discuss this later.”

  He didn’t argue, and she pointed toward the carousel. “Did you see that?”

  “I did indeed.”

  A young boy, no more than ten, had lifted the pocket of a gentleman. Then he’d handed his treasures to another boy who headed toward the park entrance at a leisurely pace.

  “Ingenious,” Gabby said. “If the man in question realizes that his money is gone and accuses the young boy in the park no evidence will be found on him. Almost like a courier system.”

  In the next half-hour they made idle chit-chat and watched the thefts occur with two more gentlemen in the same manner.

  “But the boy ran yesterday.”

  “Then he was just a boy picking a pocket,” Fergus said. “This is your ring.”

  “I will go to the gate and watch from there. When the next courier comes out I will follow him.”

  “We will follow him, Gabriella,” Fergus said. He stood and extended his hand. She wanted to argue, but she knew it would do no good, and it might keep her from following her prey.

  She took his hand and they strolled toward the gate.

  “I can do this on my own, you know,” Gabby said as they walked. “I’m sure you have lordly things to do.”

  She could sense the grin on his face. “The only lordly thing I want to do today is see you under me, your eyes blazing with desire as I bury myself deep inside you.”

  His words caused a heated rush to take over Gabby’s chest and face. They stopped and she turned to glare at him. She was staring at him so intently that she almost missed a handoff a few feet from her.

  “There.” Her word was a whisper.

  “I see. Let him get a few steps away.”

  When the boy made to cross the street they fell into step behind him. Gabby found it hard to concentrate on his turns down the street as Fergus had his hand on the small of her back and the contact was making her stomach roil with longing. It had been so long and she did so enjoy a man’s touch. This was more than distracting, and she made a mental note to talk with him about it later. Fergus’ touch was very, very nice. More than nice. Delicious.

  The boy stopped at a building, looked left and right as if to make sure no one was watching him, and then went inside. Moments later he came back out, a spring in his step as he counted coins and then placed them in his pocket.

  “I believe we’ve found their headquarters,” Fergus said. “Perhaps later tonight we can come back and see what’s inside.”

  “I don’t want to wait until tonight,” Gabby said. “If, as I suspect, I lose my job by Friday I will need a source of income. The Times will pay handsomely for this information. I’m going in. Now.”

  She took off before he could object and he raced after her, grabbing her arm and trying to stop her.

  “Gabriella, don’t be foolish. There are obviously people in there and people who are doing illegal things. We need to plan this out, not just rush in.”

  She pulled away, picked up her skirts and ran across the street. She was already up the stairs when Fergus reached for her. She pulled away and reached for the knob. The young boy had gone in without a care, which meant it should be unlocked. Behind her, Fergus was spurting words she had never heard before and she blushed at what she was sure they meant.

  Gabby went inside with Fergus right on her heels.

  “You’re being foolish, Gabriella.” His voice was deep and Gabby knew he was very angry. But she didn’t care. She wanted to do this.

  The front hall was dark, and all the doors off the entryway were closed.

  She put her ear to the first door and shook her head. She did the same to the second one but when she stepped in front of the third she waved Fergus over. He nodded and stepped close to her. They both put their ears to the door.

  Gabby could hear voices but she could not make out words.

  “We should come back later,” Gabby said. “Hopefully the house will be empty.”

  “I believe I said that earlier,” Fergus said with a huff.

  Gabby grinned at him. She rather liked the idea of being in control, and having him follow her. She was about to tell him that when the outside door rattled. They both turned toward the sound.

  “Hell and damnation,” Fergus said.

  He took her hand and pulled her toward the first door she’d put her ear next to. The outside door opened just as Fergus pushed open the inside door and pushed her inside. He followed quickly and pushed the door closed, leaving just a crack for them to look through. They watched a young boy enter and pass down the hallway.

  There was a knock, and they watched a young boy enter the room where the voices could be heard.

  “Another payoff,” Fergus whispered. “I bet they have urchins working every park and public building in London.”

  But Gabby didn’t answer. She was too busy staring at the boxes that were packed inside the room.

  “What is all this?” Her voice was soft. She lifted the lid on a box and let out a low gasp. “Artifacts. Egyptian artifacts. I wonder if they’re real. I’ve seen things like this at the British Museum.”

  Fergus took the heavy statue from her hand as she picked up another one.

  “I think they are real,” Fergus said. “Pieces such as these should be in the museum.”

  “We should take one and have it examined,” Gabby said. She moved around the room, lifting lids from boxes and discovering more pieces. “There must be fifty crates here.”

  Fergus lifted a finger to his lips to indicate silence and they both listened as footsteps went past the room and out the front door. She watched as he selected a small statue and slipped it into his pocket. He then pointed his thumb toward the door.

  “Let’s go.”

  But Gabby didn’t intend to leave so soon. Something told her this was a bigger story than the one she was working on. She turned her attention back to the boxes and kept searching.

  “Gabriella,” he said. “Now.”

  “Don’t order me to stop work on my own story,” she said.

  “The longer we stay here, the more chance we have of being discovered,” he said.

  Gabby thought about it for a moment. She knew he was right, but she didn’t want to make it seem as if she were giving in to him.

  Finally, she nodded and they walked to the door, tentatively opening it to check if the hallway was empty before going outside and heading down the street.

  When they reached a main road Fergus hailed a hansom and gave the driver his address. Gabby tried to counter with her own address but Fergus overruled her.

  Something told her what just happened was going to cause a problem, in more ways than one.

  Chapter 3

  The cab rolled along the streets, the sound of the wheels filling the inside, since there was no talking taking place.

  Finally, after a long pause in which Gabby felt very uncomfortable she said, “You seem angry.”

  A late afternoon thunderstorm had started, the sound suddenly filling the cab.

  “I am. That was a foolhardy thing to do, Gabriella. If you want to investigate things there are ways to do it without putting your life in danger. What if one of those men had come out and caught us? Men like that don’t ask questions, Gabby. They simply take care of their problems and we would have been their problem.”

  Gabby laughed. “I’m sorry, Fergus. I just got caught up in the moment. I wanted to see inside so very much. Forgive me. Everything turned out fine and we have a great clue to follow. If this group of thieves is dealing with stolen merchandise too then the story is larger than I thought.”

  “I will forgive you after you’ve been properly punished with a hard spanking.”

/>   “You’ll forgive me?” she asked, snorting in derision. “Should I forgive you for being so high handed? You have no right to take law over me, Fergus.”

  “I have given myself the right, Gabriella.”

  “You pompous bastard,” she said.

  “I assure you, my dear, my parents were married.”

  The cab pulled up in front of the house and Fergus got out and paid the driver.

  “Come inside, Gabriella.”

  He held out his hand and she put her hands under her armpits. “If you think I’m coming inside with you you’ve lost your mind. Your week is over before it barely started. I will not be involved with someone who thinks so much of himself.” She stuck her head out the window. “I will have the driver take me home.”

  Gabby’s eyes widened as he took a small statue out of his pocket. He wiggled it back and forth, grinned at her and then disappeared through the door.

  Gabby knew she had to follow him. It was the only way she would get her hands on that statue.

  She hurried up the stairs, lifting her skirts in an effort to keep from tripping. Once inside she saw him at the top of the stairs.

  “Give me that.”

  “Come with me,” he said. He turned and went down the hallway. Against her better judgment, Gabby followed him. She would not allow him to take her only piece of evidence. She wanted that statue and she wanted it now. When she got to the top, she found him waiting in front of a door in the hallway.

  She stormed down the hallway and stepped inside the room, stopping short when she realized she was in his bedroom.

  “Oh…”

  “Don’t worry, Gabriella I don’t intend to take you to my bed. I wanted someplace where we could talk that was, well, intimate.”

  “You mean you wanted to throw me off my axis,” she said. “You complain about me taking risks, but you steal something from the very men you told me could be dangerous.”