Page 29 of His Improper Lady

Tom and Desiree looked at each other. He could see the same light glowing in her eyes that he was sure was in his own. “We have to find that house.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

TOM LEFT SOON AFTERWARD, clearly eager to talk to his architectural friend, and Desiree turned to her brother. “What do you think about Mr. Quick?”

Brock said carefully, “He seems to me to be...of value to you. As to whether he’s good or honest or anything else, I don’t know. What I can tell is limited. That’s more your area. Do you think he’s trustworthy?”

“I’m not entirely sure.” How much was her judgment colored by her immediate, strong attraction to him? How much of that attraction was purely physical, just a response to those clear blue eyes or the wheat-colored hair that made her fingers itch to touch it? Or that firm, muscled form? She didn’t usually have to separate such things from her instincts about a person. Never before had she felt that instantaneous connection. But Desiree wasn’t about to get into any of that with her brother. “Mr. Quick is annoying, and I resent the way he insists on believing I am dishonest. However, I don’t get the sense that he’s lying. Whether he’s right or not, I think he believes what he says. I think I can trust him...at least after he’s given his word.”

“I think I remember him.”

“You do?”

Brock nodded. “When you first said his name, I thought it sounded familiar. And the last couple of days, thinking about the past so much, I remembered that Falk had a boy who worked for him that was named Quick. The name made an impression on me because it sounded like such an excellent name to have. Someone told me the boy didn’t know his last name, that he’d been given it by Falk because he was so fast and nimble fingered. I was very struck by the idea that someone could know so little about himself that he didn’t even know his own name.”

“Really? I couldn’t remember him.”

“You would have been too young, I imagine. He was older than you, closer to my age, I think. It was hard to tell. Falk’s children always had an old look. This was back when Bruna first began to let you work for Falk.” Brock’s face hardened a little at the memory. Brock had always argued against Bruna letting Falk use her and Wells when the family needed the money. “I don’t remember him being there later on. I guess I assumed he got nabbed by the bobbies.”

“What was he like?” Desiree was always a curious person, but she found herself even more interested in everything to do with Tom Quick.

Brock shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s about all I knew about him. He had blond hair and a cocky grin. And everyone said he was slippery as the devil. I don’t think I ever talked to him. I was never part of that group.”

Desiree nodded. Brock hadn’t worked with them. He wasn’t nimble enough for picking pockets or distracting the marks with acrobatics. His good sense and hard work, his loyalty and protectiveness had no value for Falk.

“It’s sad, isn’t it?” Desiree said. “Not knowing who you are, not having a family. Whatever happened, I always had you and Wells. I might not have had a mother, but at least I knew who she was. To be so adrift...it must have been terribly lonely.”

“I’m sure it was.” Brock paused, then said, “Desiree...a sad life doesn’t make one a good person. A man raised without love is bound to have a hard time loving anyone.”

“I know.” Desiree flashed him a teasing smile. “I’m interested in finding a father, not a husband.”

“Mm.” Brock made a noncommittal sound. “You may not be interested in him, but he’s interested in you.”

Desiree shook her head. “No. Maybe he was at first—although I suspect even that was a pretense to gain my trust. But now he’s certain I’m a thoroughly wicked woman. A thief, a swindler, a liar, an extortionist.”

“What an array.” Brock chuckled.

“Yes, he’s pretty sanctimonious for someone who used to be a hook for Falk.”

“If he’s so certain you’re wicked, why does he want to help you?”

“He doesn’t. I more or less forced him to,” Desiree admitted. “I threatened to ask the Morelands about my father, to show them the ring. Quick is capable of love—he obviously loves that family.”

“He’s been working for them for over fifteen years.” At Desiree’s surprised look, Brock said, “I did some investigating of my own.”

“What did you find out?”

“That he’s considered a good detective, that he’s clever and tough and he is respected by people on both sides of the law, apparently.”

“Well, that’s not much.” Desiree had hoped for more personal details. Like whether he was courting someone.

“It’s enough for me to not object to you being around him. And it’s enough to tell me he’s loyal to his employers. He might very well be grateful to them for giving him a job, considering his background.”

“Do you really think they knew his background? He wouldn’t have told them he was a former pickpocket.”

“No. But perhaps he’s grateful anyway.”

“I wonder why he left Falk’s. And what happened to him after that? I wish I knew more about him.”