Chapter Five
In the spaceof an hour, they were back in her father’s study. Mr. Horace Hall, the butler employed by her stepmother, hadn’t been happy to hear that Louisa had hired a new servant who would serve as her footman, driver, and right-hand man. She had, of course, omitted the protector part. That would only come into play if they were caught.
Camilla would undoubtedly learn of this hiring the moment she returned. But hopefully by then, they would have found the book, the Duke of Mortimer would be long gone, and Louisa could explain away her new servant by claiming they had caught a shadowy pursuer and that she was once again safe from harm.
But how could a book simply vanish into thin air?
She rifled through all the books on the desk once more.
“It’s not here.”
Louisa glanced over at the duke. He was scowling at a pile of books stacked on the windowsill. Even from this angle, where she could only glimpse his side profile, there was no denying the man was handsome. Too handsome.
Especiallyin livery.
Had a servant ever looked this delightful and dashing?
Stop it, Louisa. You ought not to be admiring his comeliness!
It would be reckless to take note of anything concerning the man. She was aiding him not out of personal interest, but because it was her duty not to hinder his pursuit of criminals—and out of loyalty to Theodosia, who had entrusted her with the book and sworn the duke could be trusted with its secrets.
She tore her gaze away and swept the room, and her brows furrowed at all her father’s messiness. “I suppose you are right. If the book had been placed here, it would have been atop the rest, but I had to be certain, else the doubt would have plagued me endlessly.”
She stole a glance at him, only to find him staring straight at her, causing her fingers to tingle with an awareness that stole her breath. Goodness! Why did he have to gaze at her as though he could see through to her very soul?
She cleared her throat. “Shall we head to the library?”
He nodded, tapping his finger on one of the books, an accounting ledger of sorts, if she were not mistaken. “It feels rather strange, standing in your father’s study like this, in disguise.”
Dear Lord. “Please don’t use this to act against him.”
His brow furrowed slightly. “Why would I make a move against him?”
“Because you are adversaries.”
“Just because we are adversaries doesn’t mean we have to go out of our way to harm each other, or is that the sort of man you believe me to be?”
No, she didn’t. But a simple fact remained. “I do not know enough about you to believe anything, good or bad. Also, I don’t have any enemies, so I cannot begin to grasp the inner workings of your mind.” Did Camilla count as an enemy? If she did, well, perhaps Louisa might have the faintest inkling, but certainly not on the scale of mortal foe. Not yet.
“I cannot argue against that, Lady Louisa.”
Indeed! She could hardly imagine how he and her father could attempt to undermine each other. Such matters werecertainly not her forte, and she had no desire to delve into the reasons behind this feud. Leave it to the men.
But she was curious about something else. “How did you even learn of this club if they are so secret?”
He propped a hip against the windowsill. “A person can learn many things when they observe and listen.”
Right. “Like a phantom.”
“Exactly like a phantom.”
She leaned back against the desk, both hands curling around its edges. “So you heardsomethingaboutsomethingand became curious?”
“Became suspicious,” he clarified. “Bow Street already had their suspicions about a secret organization and their dealings, but because it involves the gentry, everyone had to tread carefully.”
“And you help Bow Street with their cases? You? A duke?”
“A man must have his hobbies.”
