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And with any luck, putting an end to any thoughts of repeating yesterday.
“So what are your plans, Cassie?”
She paused in front of him. “Back to the solicitors.”
“Even I cannot persuade them to part with confidential information.”
She shook her head and moved closer. “We will go in at night. I know how to get in.”
“More criminal acts, Cassie?” He took her hand and drew her in until they were almost toe-to-toe. “You ask an awful lot.”
“The solicitor must know something about this company or else they could not have fulfilled the bequest to bestow the house upon them. They surely would have a record of them somewhere?”
“I am going to heartily regret offering to help am I not?”
“Not as much as I am going to regret accepting it,” she muttered. Her gaze shot to his and she pressed her lips together. “That is…” She huffed. “Never mind.”
Well, at least he knew she regretted the kiss as much as he did. Now it seemed she scarcely even wanted his company. Good for her. She knew she deserved more than a rake like him.
If only the thought of never kissing her again did not tangle his insides so tight he feared they would never come undone.
Chapter Thirteen
The little gasp that escaped Cassie when she spied Luke at the side of the house could have spilled forth due to how hidden he was in the shadows, but it was more to do with how dark and dangerous he appeared at this time of night, dressed entirely in what she presumed to be black or maybe some dark blue. It was hard to tell so late at night.
Why she should appreciate him looking remotely dangerous she did not know but it seemed to pluck at some strange feminine part of her that appreciated how it emphasized how tall and masculine he was. Hardly a short woman herself, she supposed it was natural to find taller men appealing.
She shook herself. She’d known when they danced this had been the biggest mistake of her life.
Well, second biggest. First had been kissing Luke. To continue being in his company was beyond foolish. When they danced, she kept forgetting what they were discussing. How could she aid Jane if she found herself distracted by the very man intending to protect her?
How could she continue investigating without him, though?
The determined man would never allow her to do it alone and she could not forget the gruff threats the man had spat at her. If he’d been willing to push her down in public in such a way, what could have happened if she had been alone?
Swallowing hard, she strode over, keeping herself tucked against the shadows of the trees that lined the long wall around her father’s house. If anyone spotted her, they would think all sorts of things and she would most certainly be ruined. However, she’d been careful to cover her fair hair with the bonnet she last wore when Uncle Simon passed and her clothing was also grey and black like Luke’s. With any luck, she would not be spotted, but if she was, she might appear no more than a boy.
A strange boy wearing a bonnet, admittedly, but better than looking like the lady she was.
He glanced her up and down. “Trousers?”
She lifted both shoulders. “They are Anton’s but I had to tighten them at the waist.”
His gaze met hers, his expression inscrutable. “Naturally.”
“Last time I did this, I found my skirts a hinderance.”
“Last time,” he repeated. “Of course you did.”
“What is it?”
His teeth flashed in the darkness. “I forget you have such a criminal past, Cassie.”
She released a hot breath at the nickname but said nothing. “We should get going before anyone sees us.”
“To be sure.”
Cassie followed Luke around the corner and up a small sideroad where his carriage awaited. She paused. “I thought we would take a hack.”
