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The look she gave him was one of disdain. “You are not the first to make uncomfortable inquiries concerning the students’ origins. Twice, the crown has sent a man to inspect the premises, once just after the school was built and again about a year ago. The last time, he questioned several students. One was only five years old. She revealed nothing beyond a dislike of the man’s breath. Everyone here knows the importance of secrecy.”
Though her words eased his mind a little, it wasn’t enough to relax him entirely. So much was at stake. The gentle press of soft lips against his shoulder brought him out of his reverie.
“Think not of such things now,” she murmured. “We have but a short time before we must part, lest we cause a scandal.”
He couldn’t help smiling. “You worry about such a thing when someone is threatening your life?”
“I worry about what the girls will think,” she retorted, though the sting was lessened by her rueful smile. “I lecture them on the value of chastity, and yet here am I…”
“Do you regret having given in to our desires?”
Her cheeks flushed, and she buried her face against him. “No. I don’t. And despite the fact that you arrived here under the false impression that an appalling wrong was being committed, I’m glad you came.”
So am I. A surge of renewed desire again stirred him to hardness as she stretched up to press her still-swollen lips against his. The invitation in her eyes was a welcome surprise. With another kiss, he accepted.
The lamps had burned low by the time they were sated, and dawn was only a few hours away. Though he hated to leave, Will knew he couldn’t stay. Her eyes followed him as he rose and quietly dressed.
Nothing was said. No good-byes, no promises. None were needed. They were bound by an unbreakable tether.
He waited until he heard the snick of the lock behind him before padding away and down the stairs, shoes in hand. With luck, he’d make it to his room without encountering anyone or waking Mr. Bartleby.
Given the regularity of the resonant snores issuing from the fellow, however, Will felt it safe to assume he was a heavy sleeper. Timing his footsteps to the explosions, he tiptoed across the foyer and let himself into his makeshift room without incident. With a rueful smile at having to sneak around as if Mrs. Sloane was his mother, he lowered himself into bed and pulled the blankets up to ward off the chill.
The sound of people stirring outside his door brought Will back to the waking world a few hours later, but he felt no grudge. Indeed, his face could do naught but smile. He felt like a new man. Already, his mind was moving in new directions. After all this was over, he’d speak with Sir Gonson about opening a small branch office for the Boys here in Piccadilly. There’d already been talks about spreading their new, specialized method of law enforcement to other parts of London while keeping a centralized command. He’d volunteer to lead the charge here and, once settled in where he could work quietly without drawing attention to himself, begin courting Jacqueline properly, openly.
No one will question it as long as we wait until she’s proven innocent. No one will wonder about her past. No one need ever know. He told himself it was for her sake, not his. But the truth was it would make things so much easier for them both if there was nothing to spur people’s curiosity.
It was a good plan. But first, he must find the one who stalked her and see an end to the threat.
Chapter Seventeen
When Jacqueline opened her eyes, it wasn’t to stare at a dark ceiling while trying to slow a racing heart or banish a nightmare. Though the fire had burned to naught but embers and all but one of the lamps had run out of fuel, there was plenty of light in the room. It streamed in through her window, bright and steady.
Her gaze sought out the clock on the mantel. It was a quarter past seven. Blankets and sheets flew up as she bolted from the bed and began rushing about, searching for clothes.
Henriette—where is Henriette? How could she have let me sleep so late? Looking down at her naked self, Jacqueline decided she was happy her maid hadn’t awakened her. Spying her wrapper on the floor beside the bed, she picked it up and threw it on before pulling the cord that ran between her room and Henriette’s.
By the time she came, Jacqueline had already washed her face and was combing the last of the tangles out of her hair. The bed was in an awful state of disarray. She blushed to look at it, but couldn’t keep from smiling.
In spite of everything, he wanted her. He’d asked her to marry him. She’d never bear him children, but she’d be a wife in every other sense of the word. Mrs. Danbury. She grinned in spite of herself. “That will do,” she said when Henriette had finished arranging her hair. If she hurried, she could still grab a quick breakfast.
A glance at the mirror gave her pause as she reached for her shawl. Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes alight and sparkling. The last time she’d looked this happy was before Papa had died. She forced her features into a sober expression. It wouldn’t do to go about looking like a calf-eyed fool.
She kept her head bowed until she reached the staff table. Of course, the first face she saw when she looked up was Will’s. His blue gaze held her for a few heartbeats before he bid her good morning and returned his attention to his plate.
Sitting down, she accepted the tea and the bowl of porridge placed before her with a nod of thanks to Agnes.
Agnes! Reaching out, she laid a hand on the woman’s forearm, stopping her before she could make for the kitchen. “I need to speak with you privately this morning,” she murmured. “Meet me in Mrs. Sloane’s suite as soon as the first class begins.”
A look of worry crossed Agnes’s face. “Have I done wrong?”
“No, no. I just need to speak with you concerning a…personal matter.”
The cook’s gaze at once flicked to where Will sat.
Jacqueline felt her cheeks grow hot, but quelled the urge to refute the woman’s unspoken assumption. It occurred to her then that it might not be a bad idea to announce their intent to marry. In the wake of such news, the locksmith’s arrival would surely go unnoticed. She’d suggest it to Will before they met with the others. Dismissing Agnes, she focused on trying to eat.
When the bell signaled the end of the repast, she followed the others out. Her skin tingled as Will hung back and waited until she drew up beside him.
