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“If anyone recognizes me and sees me with...whatever this is,” he gestured up and down her, “my presence shall most certainly be noticed. Far better to be tucked away in my own carriage.” He reached for her hand when she did not move toward the vehicle. “My driver is extremely discreet, do not fear.”
“I have no doubts about it.” Knowing Luke, his driver had witnessed all sorts of dalliances.
Luke ordered the driver to stop a few roads away from the solicitors’ office, ensuring no one saw his vehicle. He ordered Stevenson to drive around a while but stay away from the offices.
“You should be a spy,” she said. “You have thought this through.”
He fixed her with a look as they made their way to the building. “Of course I am taking this seriously, Cassie, this is your safety and reputation at risk.”
She failed to respond. She hadn’t thought too hard about what she risked when she had embarked on this. Her sisters had investigated delicate matters many a time after all. But she could not let them—or Jane—down. No matter the risk to herself.
The building remained dark as did most of the buildings around it. The majority were used for offices or businesses of some kind and luckily, would have no one in them at this time of night. The streets were blessedly quiet too.
Luke gestured to the office. “How did you get in last time? A window?”
“No.” She tugged her picks from her pocket and unfurled them. “Keep watch.”
“Lock picks?” he whispered. “When the devil did you learn to pick locks?”
“Shh, I need to concentrate.”
“I really do wonder where my life went wrong sometimes.”
“The moment you decided you wanted to be a rake, perhaps?” She bit down on her lip when the words came out more bitter than she’d intended. She’d known Luke for far too long to care now about the reputation he had garnered for himself.
“I think I can pinpoint it to when I became friends with Anton.”
“He’s no rake.”
“No but had I realized I would be accompanying his sister whilst she picked the lock of a respectable business, I might have thought twice.”
“Nonsense. Anton says you scarcely thought twice about anything when you were at Oxford.” She scrunched up her nose.
“True,” he admitted.
She felt the give of the tumblers and the door opened inwards abruptly. She toppled with it, the picks falling from her grasp, and she landed upon her palms.
“Cassie?” He gripped her arm and eased her to her feet.
“Blast, I knew I should not have done this tonight when I could not find my black hair ribbon.”
He eyed the open door. “I’m impressed.” He ushered her in and shut the door behind them. “Let us get this done quickly.”
***
THE DESIRE TO grab Cassie’s shoulders, shake her a little and demand, “Who on earth are you?” ate through Luke.
Picking locks? Breaking into buildings? Running around the docks? He always knew Cassie could be trouble but not this sort of trouble.
And, of course, it made him desire her all the more. How typical.
Cassie grabbed a lantern on the table by the door, lit it then held it aloft.
Luke peered at her. “Will we not be seen?”
“The watchman does not walk past here for another hour and how else do you suggest we find the records?” She nodded toward the dark room to one side of the building where he assumed they were to go hunting for some evidence of this shipping company.
Of course she knew that.
