Havilland dipped his head toward hers.Edwina tried turning away, but a hand caught her jaw and held her firmly in place.Strong fingers pinched her nose, and then Havilland’s mouth was on hers.
She pressed her lips together, keeping them tightly sealed, until tears pricked her eyes and she had no choice.She gulped down a breath and inhaled the smoke that Havilland held in his mouth.
The euphoria that followed swept all her worries away.
2
May 2, 1819
Sebastian Cooper, Duke of Wrengate, struggled against the instinct that urged him to turn on his heel and leave the study in which he stood.Instead, he squashed his pride and faced the man whose aid he required.Two days ago, he’d have rather slit his own throat than ask a favor of Adrian Croft.
Now, he might be prepared to fall at his feet in entreaty.
His heart shuddered at the reminder of why he had come.Terror had guided his path toward Number 5 Portman Square, the dread of losing another sibling awakening such despair that his brain had only produced one singular thought: get help.
What the hell had he been thinking, bringing Edwina to Town where danger lurked around every corner?She should have remained at Faintree Hall with Claire.If he’d only—
“Wrengate?”
Sebastian flinched, his gaze snapping to Croft’s.A grave expression crinkled the man’s brow and darkened his eyes.“Sorry.I, um…”
“How about we start with a drink?”
Croft was already handing him a glass he must have prepared while Sebastian’s mind had wandered off.He accepted the offering and took a sip, allowed the brandy to soothe his battered soul.“Thank you.”
“Have a seat.”Croft extended his arm to one of the nearby chairs.Without waiting to see if Sebastian intended to do as suggested or not, he went to claim his own seat on the opposite side of his desk.
Sebastian drew a ragged breath and lowered himself to the proffered spot.
“You know,” Croft mused, his gaze as sharp as a viper’s fangs, “of all the people in the country, I would have sworn I’d be the last man whose help you’d seek.”
The comment made anger flare.“Believe me when I tell you that I’d not have done so if I trusted Bow Street to do their job.By contrast, you have proven successful, and since my own efforts to find Edwina these past two days have failed, I am turning to you out of desperation.”
Silence encompassed the room.Sebastian’s heart struggled to beat.He prepared to beg.
But then…
“Fair enough.”Croft tilted his head and seemed to consider.“I’ll need every detail you can provide regarding your sister’s movements on the day she went missing.Comments she made to you or anyone else with whom she interacted may be useful as well.”
“She—”
“But first,” Croft said, cutting Sebastian off, “there’s the matter of our agreement.”
“My sister is missing,” Sebastian gritted, a fresh surge of rage pushing toward the top of his skull.“We can discuss our agreement later.”
“No.”Croft leaned back in his chair, affecting a comfortable position as though he had not a care in the world.“You will make good on your promise first.”
“You bastard.”Sebastian tightened his grip on his glass and envisioned hurling it at Croft’s head.“Depending on what has occurred, every second we linger could mean the difference between life and death for her.As you should bloody well know, from experience.”
Something lethal flashed in Croft’s gaze, informing Sebastian that he did not appreciate the reference he’d made to Miss Evelyne Croft.
A heavy pause accentuated the silence, but then, rather than tell Sebastian to get the hell out of his house, Croft quietly said, “If I were you, I’d stop wasting time and tell me about your dealings with Wycliff.”
The Saint Giles crime-lord Sebastian killed last year.
He ground his teeth together while glaring at Croft.He shouldn’t have come here.He’d known demands would be made, and that he’d have to pay for the help he received, one way or the other.But handling the matter alone wasn’t an option either.Not when Croft was known for getting results that eluded everyone else.
“Fine.”Sebastian knocked back the rest of his drink and slammed his empty glass onto Croft’s desk.“Wycliff was meant to acquire some rare ingredients I could pass on to Doctor Ashburry.”
