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They smiled at each other.
“Enough for me.” Dante rolled his eyes and stood. “I have work to do.” Coffee cup in hand, he left the room.
Speaking of work reminded Amelia of her promise. “I plan to help you with the books today. I know watching me last night took you away from your work.”
Instead of arguing with her as she thought he would do, he said, “I would appreciate that.”
When she flushed and studied her lap, he said, “Amelia, look at me.”
She glanced up, sure that her face was red as a ripe apple. “What?”
“Please don’t be embarrassed with me. I liked kissing you and I hope you enjoyed it, too.”
She shrugged and drew circles on the table. “It was nice.”
“Just nice?” He studied her, his deep brown eyes boring into hers. “I guess the next time I shall have to do better.”
Amelia gulped the last of her tea and stood. “I will see you in the office.”
Next time?
13
Three weeks later
“We have a problem, brother.” Dante strolled into the office, pulled out the chair in front of Driscoll’s desk and threw himself into it, his long legs stretched out, his feet crossed at the ankles. Although he appeared relaxed, the tension in his brother’s body was palpable.
Driscoll’s muscles tightened. He had a good idea what problem Dante referred to and he wasn’t yet ready to discuss it. It had kept him awake the past two nights.
Feigning ignorance was his choice of reaction. “And what is that?”
Dante studied him for a minute. “I think you already know.”
Driscoll pulled his spectacles off and rubbed his bleary eyes. He’d been going over the receipts for the past three weeks and no matter how many times he added and re-added, the answers were always the same.
“If you’re referring to the drop in house receipts, I am aware of it.”
Dante straightened and leaned forward. “Not the house receipts, Driscoll. Specifically, Amelia’s table receipts. They were quite robust her first ten days, but the past week and a half they’ve slipped considerably. Ev
ery night.”
That very point had been bugging Driscoll for days. “I am aware of that. However, it’s quite possible the novelty of having a woman dealer has worn off and things have settled down.”
“Good try.” Dante grinned, despite his obvious annoyance. “I realize you haven’t been watching her table as closely since you’ve had words with the few men who had been harassing her, but from what I’ve seen her table has been just as popular this past week and a half as it had been her first ten days. The only difference is now she is counting her money and turning it in herself instead of you helping her with it.”
When Driscoll didn’t comment, Dante continued, his voice lowered. “We have to once again consider that Amelia arrived here with nothing more than the clothes on her back, with no apparent home or relatives searching for her.”
Driscoll cleaned his spectacles and put them back on. “I know all of that. But I sincerely believe she is not stealing from us. She has been nothing but pleasant, hard-working, and grateful for the help we’ve provided her.”
Dante jumped up from his seat. “She could also be a former member of a well-trained cast on Drury Lane and a fine actress.”
“Are you suggesting everything we’ve seen of Amelia in the past month has been a lie?” The amount of anger he felt at Dante’s criticism startled him.
Running his fingers through his hair, Dante paced the room. “I don’t know. I have to agree that aside from this missing money, she has not shown any indication of nefarious intentions.”
Driscoll reflected on the problem as his brother continued to pace. If only he could convince Amelia to trust him with her secrets. Holding back as she was only made the drop in her receipts suspect.
He’d gotten very close to her in the past few weeks and was rather enjoying the feeling. They’d spent time together at the end of each shift, and they’d taken a few trips to Bond Street for shopping. He loved the enjoyment on her face when she remarked about how proud she was to be purchasing things with money she’d earned herself.
