Lord help them both.
Darcywasfurious.
Not just irritated. Not merely inconvenienced.
Livid—shaking and speechless and seeing a reddish haze around all his eyes took in.
The night air was thick with damp and coal smoke, the sounds of late-evening revelers drifting from the squares. The streets gleamed beneath the gas lamps, reflecting the flicker of carriage lanterns and the slosh of horse hooves through the filth of the road.
And here he was—standing in the middle of it with an infuriatingly stubborn heiress, no plan, and the single most absurd command he had ever received. His jaw ached from clenching it too tightly.
The Prince had given him nothing.
No details. No leads. No clue how he was supposed to find whatever was missing from this case.
And now—now—he was saddled with a witness who was not only entirely useless, but also an absolute menace to his already limited patience in every possible way.
The lady had not stopped talking. She had twisted, argued, and stared daggers into his very soul as thoughhewere the one responsible for her predicament.
He was not! By her own admission, she had strayed from her companions and been in the wrong place at the wrong time. This wasnothis doing!
He had spent the last ten years carving out a life of solitude and competence. He had learned to be quick-witted, sharp, decisive—he had navigated London’s most dangerous circles and survived.
And yet—
And yet…
Somehow, this woman had rendered him incapable of remembering which way was north.
She was pacing beside him now, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as though she were freezing, even in the heavy cloak she wore. Her breath came fast, her eyes wild with barely restrained outrage.
And blast it all—he could not think a single coherent thought with her standing there looking as though she might set something on fire at any moment.
Hehadto get them off the street. Darcy’s hands curled into fists, his mind working rapidly.
He could not take her to Albany.
He could not take her toanyreputable household where she might be recognized.
Which left… nothing.
No, not nothing.
A terrible idea.
An idea that would make his skin crawl, his pride wither, and his temper snap. But it would have to do.
Darcy exhaled sharply, lifting his hand to hail a carriage. One rattled toward them almost instantly, the driver leaning forward with an eager expression.
“Where to, sir?”
Darcy hesitated. Just for a single, fatal second.
Because the moment the words left his lips, he knew he would regret them.
“…Take us to cheap lodgings. In Southwark.”
The driver grinned, tipping his hat. “Aye, sir.”
