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“Why do you sound so thrilled at the idea of any of those things happening?” asked Lavinia.

This time it was her friend who shrugged. “A little scandal would liven the street up. All Mrs. Gantry ever wants to gossip about is that Mr. McGregor on Chambers Street sneaks weights onto the scales when he’s measuring out meat.”

“As though the butcher hasn’t been doing that for as long as I’ve been in this shop,” said Lavinia.

“Exactly. No good gossip.”

She cast a glance to the open door that revealed the stairs leading up to the workshop. Unwise though it might be, she wanted to tell someone what had happened yesterday. She was practically bursting with her excitement that after all of these years she and Andrew were as explosive as ever—maybe more so. That was the sort of thing a woman should share with her closest friend.

“After the supper I saw Andrew,” she said.

Anika’s eyes widened. “Captain Colter? Where?”

“His office.” Lavinia paused and took a deep breath. “And his rooms.”

“And I assume you didn’t spend that time discussing innocent childhood memories,” said her friend.

“We did some of that, but after.”

Anika threw her head back with a laugh.

“What’s so funny?” asked Lavinia, heat rising in her cheeks. She hadn’t worried that Anika would call her names or threaten to ruin her, but she hadn’t exactly expected to become a source of amusement either.

“Nothing,” said Anika, slowing to a chuckle. “I was just thinking about what that fool Wark would think if he were to ever find out.”

“He can’t know, Anika. No one can,” said Lavinia in a rush.

Her friend waved her hand in front of her. “You’ve nothing to worry about from me. I couldn’t care less if you let half the Royal Navy make love to you.”

Lavinia squirmed at the phrase “make love,” loaded as it was with meaning. It had been so long since she’d felt the sort of physical intimacy and emotional connection that she had with Andrew. This had been a rational, logical decision made by two unattached adults with a shared past. Nothing like half the Royal Navy.

She shook her head. This had happened because he was Andrew and she’d wanted him. Plain and simple.

“It seems as though neither of us never really let go despite everything that happened,” she said. “Do you think me terribly wicked?”

“I’d think you a fool if you had. The man is more handsome than anyone has a right to be.”

Lavinia laughed. “I don’t know what that means.”

“I think you do,” said her friend with a sparkle in her eye.

“Anika, you’re a happily married woman,” said Lavinia, pretending shock.

“I’m married, not dead, and I have two eyes that work perfectly well. I can see the way that man looks at you. And before you start to worry, I don’t think he has a single idea that you look at him the same way.”

Lavinia blushed. “It’s only natural that a woman who has slept with a man before should want to do it again.”

“Only if it’s enjoyable,” said Anika as the kettle began to whistle. “From the dark circles under your eyes, I’m going to guess that it was.”

“It was,” said Lavinia. More than she’d ever known it would be.

The bells over the shop’s front door jangled. Lavinia was prepared to ignore them, knowing that Fiona would be at her station behind the counter, ready to help her customer. A few seconds later, however, Fiona came tumbling through the kitchen door.

“Mr. Wark is here to see you, Mrs. Parkem,” said Fiona, bobbing a curtsy Lavinia had long ago told her wasn’t necessary.

“What is he doing here?” she groaned. She knew Wark was still her responsibility, and her discoveries the previous evening had made her even more inclined to help Andrew figure out the man’s plans. But she wasn’t yet prepared to deal with her landlord while the bloom of her evening with Andrew was still fresh.

“Shall I tell him to come another time?” Fiona asked, her voice trembling.