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“I want to see him,” Connor murmured gently. It humbled him to say the words, but he meant every syllable. “I want to see my son.”
Tahlia nodded. “We need to stay safe; both of us, Connor. Joseph needs us to provide him with a happy home.”
He wholeheartedly agreed with her.
“In light of this, my colleagues must be told about Joseph, Tahlia. They won’t ask me to take on tasks that put my life in danger once they know.”
Tahlia nodded. If that was what Connor wanted then she couldn’t object.
“You are free to inform whomever you choose.” She hesitated and frowned at his shirt.
“What is it?” he prompted, willing her to confide in him.
“Joseph must stay with me. He is my son. Don’t-,” she struggled to find the words.
Connor knew then what worried her, and reassured her with a very thorough kiss.
“My son stays in the house he calls home. I am going to see him, not the other way around,” he assured her.
“If you are sure you will be allowed some time away from the investigation,” she replied hesitantly.
“I think my boss will understand,” Connor assured her.
Tahlia looked sceptical. “This is the War Office, though. Are you sure they will understand?”
“They are still people,” he said.
If Barnaby did object, Connor would quit right there and then. Nobody was going to stop him going to Rutland with Tahlia now. Not even the Star Elite.
“How did you come to know about the Star Elite anyway?” she asked curiously.
“I used to be in the army.” He coughed and shifted uncomfortably, as though this was the last confession he wanted to make. “However, while I was fighting I was injured and sent back to England to recuperate. While I was recovering at my barracks, I was seconded to a special task force at the War Office to work undercover. At first, we protected England’s borders from smugglers and the like. Now that the war is over we have turned our attention to more domestic matters like the spate of jewel thefts.”
“I read about the theft the other day from that house not far from here,” Tahlia whispered.
“It is what the Star Elite are working on at the moment. Unfortunately, our work often requires many weeks undercover, mostly in disguise. Given that we investigate some of the very worst criminal masterminds the country has ever seen, it is incredibly dangerous work. We are currently investigating Terrence Sayers. He is an East End gangster who started out in life as a pick-pocket, but worked his way up through the ranks. He has accumulated his own gang of pick-pockets, but has become incredibly ruthless. As he has grown older he has branched out into practically every kind of crime possible. If there is a crime to be committed, you can bet that Terrence Sayers has either done it himself, or has links to someone who did. He has built himself quite an empire from the dregs of society, and they dabble in everything from drugs, prostitution, and protection rackets, to pick-pocketing, thieving and blackmail. We think he is responsible for the recent burglaries.”
“Why, though?” Tahlia murmured.
“I am not suggesting that Sayers is the burglar,” Connor hastened to add. “We think that it is someone he is connected to. They may be stealing for Sayers. You need to understand that Sayers’ group work on a class system. If you have a rather questionable skill that Sayers can make use of you are higher up his network of people than a mere pick-pocket. If you don’t have a skill then you are most probably one of his victims.”
“Good Lord,” Tahlia whispered. “What would this have with the Gem Society?”
“I have to tell you, Tahlia that I have never heard of such a group. I cannot see the man we met being chairman of any group of aristocrats, can you?”
Tahlia snorted. “Not with manners as poor as his. He was too wary and watchful.”
“So I need to go and find out what he is up to.”
“Just stay safe,” she pleaded.
Connor was deeply touched, and thrilled that she cared about him to worry so much and drew her closer for another kiss.
“I am sorry I have not been there for either of you thus far. It is a situation I plan to remedy from now on,” he murmured when he had pushed his control as far as it could go.
“You don’t have to,” she replied.
She wanted to ask him what his plans were, but it seemed presumptuous given he had been back in her life for less than a day.
