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“They were after me!” Jarvis exclaimed.
Olivia blinked and came closer to Jarvis. She perched herself on the desk, worriedly looking at Jarvis, who was rummaging through the drawers.
“Since then, I have thwarted one attack after the other, dismissing them as a turn of fate, or as being part of the Shadows. And I wouldn’t have thought much of it going forward, but then they attacked you!”
“What does any of that have to do with you breaking into Bradshaw’s study?”
“Because the only person who knew my whereabouts during some of these attacks is Bradshaw. Because he is one of the few people who know that I care for you. Because—”
“Because nobody would want me unless they were after you,” Olivia finished evenly, but her chest tightened.
“No, that is not what I mean at all.” Jarvis’s voice gentled.
Olivia raised her eyes to his. “Don’t you?”
Jarvis ripped his mask off and sat on his knees before Olivia. He took her hands in his and peered into her eyes.
“I love you,” he said, running his thumb over the back of her hands. “And I can’t imagine how anyone else does not. And I certainly understand why Bradshaw is enchanted by you.”
“Then why suspect him?”
“Because I cannot ignore the facts. Someone told Hades that I was away from the ballroom when that woman was killed. And unless Bradshaw did it out of spite or jealousy, then he must have another reason.”
Olivia shook her head. “Or someone else told him.”
“Possibly.” Jarvis nodded. “But I have no other leads at the moment. And I need to be certain it is not Bradshaw before you reject his suit. If he is responsible for my attacks, imagine what he will do once you reject him.”
He was so confident, the devil! “What if I am not going to reject him?”
Jarvis took a deep breath. “Then I’ll have to kill him.” He let go of her hands and started looking through ledgers on Bradshaw’s desk. “There must be some evidence here,” he muttered.
Olivia’s mouth dropped open. “You should not be joking about killing a person.”
Jarvis gave an exasperated look her way. “I am not about to let you slip away and marry someone else. I want to marry you, Olive. But before I do, I need to find the culprit who is after me. I want you to be safe. So if you love me, you will help me uncover the truth of whether Bradshaw is the man after me.”
“I did not say I love you,” Olivia grumbled.
“You can say it later. For now, show it.” Jarvis leaned in and kissed her on her lips before resuming rummaging through the drawers.
Olivia directed her gaze heavenward while on the inside, she felt joy.
He loved her. And perhaps she was gullible, but she’d followed Jarvis since she was able to walk. She wasn’t about to stop now.
“I enjoyed our previous interlude in the study a lot more,” she said.
Jarvis raised his head and grinned. “I did too. And perhaps after—” he stopped, his brows furrowed. He lowered his eyes and fiddled with the drawer. “There’s something here. A hidden compartment.”
Olivia pushed herself off the desk and ambled toward him. Jarvis pulled out a set of instruments from his baldric. Olivia watched Jarvis work with his instruments, dressed as a spy and it made her tingly. She almost forgot why they were in Bradshaw’s study.
Jarvis forced the compartment open and Olivia peeked inside. There lay a ledger and a bulk of letters.
Jarvis looked through them, scowling.
“What is it?” Olivia asked.
“I am not certain. But these seem like letters from his partners about some venture…” Jarvis flipped through the ledger, then stopped on one page, mouthing the names of streets. “Wait, I know these places. These are all the places the bandits had used for the child brothel.”
“Child—what?”
“I am sorry, Olive. I shouldn’t have said that out loud.” Jarvis quickly stuffed the ledger and the letters under his coat. “Better if I take a closer look at these at home.”
“Is that what you were looking for?”
“I am not certain yet.” Jarvis brushed a lock of hair from Olivia’s face. “But I think it is time for us—”
The door to the study opened suddenly. Olivia jumped and turned. She didn’t see the person who entered; the first thing she saw was a barrel of a pistol aimed her way.
