“Except you were distracted because of me,” she said.
“I’m just worried, is all,” he admitted. “The sooner we figure this out, the better, then we can go back to… well, you can live your life as you’d please.”
“I don’t know what that will look like yet,” she said. “I’m still trying to find my place.”
“I’m happy to help you, in whatever way possible,” he promised.
“And I appreciate that,” she said. “But what are we supposed to do now? We’ve warned my father, and that is all we can do.”
“I think there’s more than that,” he said, shaking his head, refusing to believe this was completely out of their hands. “I think we need to find our own evidence to bring down Blackwood.”
“How?”
“We use whatever contacts we have,” he said. “I’ll ask Jonny to help tomorrow.”
“How does he know all about Blackwood?”
“Jonny…” he began, not wanting to give away Jonny’s secrets. Tommy had no desire to hide anything from Minnie, but that was for Jonny to share. Besides, he didn’t even know the full story. “Jonny has connections to a part of Manchester that most of us never see.”
“Interesting,” was all she said, not pushing any further. There was a pause before her head popped over the side of the bed, her long blond hair spilling over the side of her face, and it took every bit of his willpower to hold himself back from pushing it away so that he could see her eyes. “Tommy, you cannot sleep on the floor tonight. I saw how you were favoring your left side when we disembarked from the train, and as much as you’re trying to hide it, I know the floor is hurting your back.”
“It’s good for my back!” heprotested, wondering how she had seen through his attempts to hide the pain.
“I’m more observant than you realize,” she said with a frown. “I’ll sleep there instead.” She swung her legs over the side of the bed, slender ankles and perfectly formed feet appearing next to his head. “Up you go.”
“I am not letting you sleep down here,” he said, folding his hands behind his head and closing his eyes, telling her that she would receive nothing but an argument from him.
“Tommy, don’t be so stubborn.”
“I will not let my wife sleep on the floor.”
“Fine,” she said, tucking her legs back underneath her and into the bed. “Then you will come and sleep beside me.”
“Minnie—”
“Tommy, we are two adults who aremarried. I think we can sleep in the same bed.”
She might think so, but little did she know the thoughts that ran through his head at the very idea. But it was tempting. Both the bed and the woman within it.
“Very well,” he finally agreed, his resolve weakening. “But know that I would never pressure you into anything.”
“Tommy,Iasked you to sleep in here!”
“Of course,” he said, slipping into the bed beside her and lifting the blankets up to his chin. She lay facing the ceiling, and he decided he was best to do the same as he began to overthink the situation, wondering if turning toward her would make her think he was expecting something from her, or if turning away would make her think that he was ignoring her.
Something soft bumped his arm and he leaned over, picking up the object.
“What’s this?”
Minnie gasped and ripped it out of his hands before he even realized she had moved.
“You’re remarkably quick,” he said in wonder beforelooking at her with a teasing glance. “Just what was so important to hide from me?”
“Nothing.”
He reached over her. “Let me see.”
“No!” she cried, but there was laughter in her voice.
