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At the same time, Mr. Black, Mr. Potts, and Mr. Beaumont did not keep him against his will and had made it known that the terms of his employment at Perdition could be renegotiated, should he find himself tiring of his life. Giles had always taken that to mean that if he ever fell in love with one of his clients, they would set him free.
“Oh!” Sparrow exclaimed as she joined Giles right at the window, looking out to the street through the concealment of the curtains. “He’s right there, glaring at the place.”
Giles hummed. “He’s been there for half an hour.”
Indeed, Theo had taken up a spot leaning against the building opposite Perdition, arms crossed, scowl in place, pretending to mind his own business. The trouble was, he’d already frightened away one or two prospective patrons of the club with his looming presence.
“He rather looks like a great, stuffed bear I once saw at an exhibit near Vauxhall,” Sparrow said, tilting her head to one side.
Giles laughed. “He does, doesn’t he? He’s so large and muscular and perfectly delightful in every way.” He gave an exaggerated shiver to show his interest.
Sparrow smirked and shook her head at him. “I shall never understand why you like the large ones. They are dreadfully unpredictable. And every part of them is big.Everypart of them.”
“Yes, I am well aware,” Giles told her with a wink. “It feels like climbing a mountain, only instead of planting one’s flag once one reaches the summit, one has the pleasure of that flag pole impaling something else.”
Sparrow let out a scoffing laugh and slapped Giles’s arm. “You are lucky to be in a profession for which you are well-suited,” she teased him.
“I am that,” Giles laughed in return.
A moment later, Mr. Black’s call of, “Giles!” from the hallway snagged his attention. “Giles, where are you? Come out and answer for this nonsense at once.”
Giles’s mirth dropped. He sent Sparrow an exaggerated look of dread, then pushed away from the window, heading to the hall.
“Yes, Mr. Black?” he asked once he encountered the man in the hallway. “Is there something I can do for you, sir? Is there a patron in need of entertainment?”
“No,” Mr. Black said, his handsome brow set in a frown. “And there is unlikely to be as long as Perdition’s entrance continues to be guarded by a known Bow Street Runner.”
Giles let out a sigh. He’d feared Theo’s pursuit of him would interfere with the club’s business. “It’s my fault, sir,” he said with what he hoped was a genuinely contrite look. “I had an exchange with Mr. Brunner in the square last week, and ever since then, he thinks that if he stalks me long enough, I’ll reveal certain information to him.”
Mr. Black was not remotely appeased or amused by that explanation. “You know that your continued employment at Perdition, not to mention the care and safety that this establishment provides, is contingent upon keeping absolutely everything that is told to you in confidence a secret.”
“Believe me, I know, Mr. Black,” Giles said. “And I would never breathe so much as a word that was said to me, or so much as whisper the identity of those who have said those things, to anyone.” He shifted into a particularly effeminate pose, hoping the subtle display of weakness would fool Mr. Black into thinking he was innocent and empty-headed.
Of course, Mr. Black wasn’t fooled for a moment. He fixed Giles with a flat stare—though one that was laced with amusement and affection. Mr. Black liked his wily ways.
“Mr. Brunner’s continued presence is a detriment to the club, Giles,” he said in a fair and sympathetic voice. “I require you to take care of the problem he presents, or else I will need to take care of it for you.”
“Understood, sir,” Giles said with a nod. An idea came to him immediately, and he grinned. “I believe I may have an idea to get him away from the club, but it will require me leaving as well.”
Mr. Black arched one eyebrow. “It is not your night off.”
“Perhaps it won’t need to be,” Giles said, shifting to a crafty look. “But if that is how things unfold, consider me keeping the obstacle of Mr. Brunner away from Perdition’s front doorstep as my payment for the night.”
Mr. Black sighed and shook his head with a grin. “Stay safe, Giles,” he said, clapping a hand on Giles’s shoulder, then turning to go.
Giles took the gesture as permission to deal with Theo his own way.
He ducked back into the room he’d just come from, hissing to get Sparrow’s attention.
“Sparrow, I need your help,” he called to her.
Sparrow peeled away from the window, then crossed the room to him. “What did Mr. Black have to say? Is he going to sack you?” she asked seriously.
Giles laughed. “No, far from it. I need your help to get rid of Mr. Brunner.” He quickly added, “But you’ll have to be brave.”
Sparrow blinked at him, stunned and wary. “I’m not entertaining him, if that’s what you’re after.”
“Heavens, no,” Giles said, grinning. “The man is all mine. I just need you to go outside and tell him to be gone. Shoo him away.”
