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Chapter 5
Jarvisenteredhishome,lost in thought. He handed the butler his coat, hat, and a walking stick and moved toward the stairs, not realizing the butler still awkwardly hovered by his side.
Jarvis finally raised his gaze. “Yes?”
“A gentleman is waiting for you in the parlor.”
“A gentleman?” Jarvis raised a brow. “Why did you let him in?”
“I told him you were out, but he insisted on waiting for you.”
Who could it possibly be?“Very well, lead him—whoever he is—to my study. I shall wait for him there. And bring us some coffee, please.”
Jarvis loosened his cravat and sat behind his desk. He opened the drawer to the right and placed a hand on his pistol. With people after him, he really couldn’t be too careful. The door opened, and in walked a tall man in bedraggled clothing. His hair was overgrown, and his beard needed trimming, but Jarvis recognized him instantly.
“Mr. Gunning,” he said as he stood and partly closed the drawer with the pistol. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Jarvis and the thief-taker weren’t on the best terms. Mostly because the thief-taker had tried to kill him—albeit unbeknownst to him—more than once. But Jarvis was a simple man. Whether the thief-taker knew him or not, he did try to kill him. Which meant he was a threat.
Mr. Gunning limped into the room. “My lord,” he said and inclined his head.
“No need for formalities. We fought shoulder to shoulder. You can call me St. John.”
“Very well then, St. John.”
Jarvis indicated the seat on the other side of the desk. “Please, do sit down.”
The butler walked in, bringing two cups of steaming coffee.
“Would you like a drink?” Jarvis asked as the thief-taker seated himself opposite him.
“Thank you.” Gunning took the cup, twirled it in his hand, and placed it on the table. “I did not mean to impose. I realize it isn’t exactly polite to insist on an audience with you when you’re out of the house, but I am not fully healed yet, and I would not want to make this trip twice, so I insisted on waiting.”
“Not a problem.” Jarvis took a sip of coffee. “What is it you wanted to discuss?”
“The Shadows.”
Jarvis raised a brow. “I thought you insisted they did not exist.”
“I did. But ever since the incident with Payne and his wife, I can’t stop thinking about it. My associates tell me that you were with Payne in Newgate when he questioned the thugs who kept him imprisoned. Did they tell you on whose orders they were acting?”
Jarvis tapped his fingers against the edge of the desk. “Did you not speak to Payne, then?”
“I was doused with laudanum at the time. He was kind enough to send his doctor to look after me, and he left for his honeymoon only when he made sure I was out of harm’s way. But the last time I saw him, I was still weak in bed. I didn’t get to question him, no.”
“Right.” Jarvis nodded. “They said he was apprehended by mistake. They were after someone else.”
“Did they say who?” Mr. Gunning eyed him curiously. Jarvis wondered if he knew more than he let on.
Yes, me. “No. They didn’t know who. Only that apparently they got the wrong man. And the gentleman who hired them was very unhappy with the fact.”
“The gentleman?”
“Yes. That’s what they said. But what I do not understand is how any of it is related to the Shadows.”
Gunning still studied Jarvis’s features with concentration. Or perhaps the man was not feeling well and just trying to concentrate on the conversation at hand. Either way, he made Jarvis feel uncomfortable in his own skin. Jarvis forced himself to sit still.
“Perhaps it isn’t,” Gunning finally said. “But what I learned from many years of duty as a thief-taker is that where there’s smoke, there’s fire. If those thugs were after someone else, they are unlikely to give up until they find him. And I shall be looking forward to it.”
