the brothel, she’d focused her attention on how to escape rather than her fear. At the time, she’d thought it the logical thing to do and had been annoyed with herself when terror had clouded her thoughts and weakened her resolve to escape.
Perhaps she was braver than she thought. She studied Daniel from beneath her lashes. He was more courageous than he realized as well. She hoped she had a chance to help him see a new side of himself just as he had done for her.
“Would you care to drive past Parliament?” Daniel asked. “The building is not to be missed. Of course, if you’re not feeling up to it and would prefer to return to my brother’s house, we can return there directly.”
“I would enjoy seeing Parliament.” She welcomed anything to distract her from the visit with Mr. Johnson. But the thought of spending more time with Daniel held even greater appeal than seeing more of London.
The little she’d seen when she arrived by coach was a blur. She’d been overwhelmed by the bustling city where everyone seemed to know where they were going except her. Viewing the city from the comfort of a carriage with Daniel for company sounded delightful.
“Excellent.” He rapped on the roof and gave the driver instructions.
As they traveled, Daniel pointed out various buildings and places of interest, often sharing a story or a brief history of them. He obviously had pride in the city.
“You are a well of information,” she commented nearly an hour later after they’d made their way past several interesting locations.
“I have to try to change your opinion of what you’ve seen of London thus far. You won’t want to stay otherwise.”
She drew a slow breath, hoping to hide her reaction. Did he realize the power of the teasing glint in his eyes or that smile? Or how much it made her want to stay, if only to be part of his world? She gave herself a mental shake. That was impossible. She needed to be practical when she planned her future.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Nothing.” Beatrice managed a smile. “I’m just so happy you’ve given me this personal tour. Thank you.” Why shouldn’t she enjoy every moment with him that she could?
“It’s my pleasure. Perhaps we can plan another outing in the coming days, depending on your schedule.”
The offer left her breathless. To think he might want to spend time with her warmed her from the inside out. “I’d like that.”
In fact, she could hardly wait.
Chapter Five
“Do you think this a wise notion?” Richard asked as he watched Daniel pace his library.
Daniel scowled. He didn’t like it either. Further involving Beatrice in the investigation didn’t sit well with him. Especially after the worry she’d shown when they’d visited the boarding house the previous day.
He detested the thought of causing her additional concern. Yet his efforts to find the brothel where she’d been held were at a standstill. He and Pierre had collected the addresses of several brothels near where he’d found Beatrice. Mr. Hurdy had made little to no progress based on the limited information he’d been willing to share with Daniel earlier in the day. He hadn’t bothered to speak with Johnson at the boarding house yet.
“I don’t know what else to do but ask for her help. Did she have a setback of some sort?” The idea had him halting to study his brother.
“Nothing of the sort. She seems in good health and has been assisting Caroline with some projects. Caroline is impressed with her organizational skills.”
“I’m pleased to hear that. I realize looking at brothels to see if they appear familiar might seem like a strange request, but it would be of great help to narrow down which ones are worthy of closer inspection.”
“You could visit a few.”
Daniel shook his head at his brother’s poor jest. “There has to be an easier way to investigate them than pretending to be a customer.”
“Agreed. As long as you do your best to keep Miss Linfield hidden. It wouldn’t do for her to be seen in the vicinity of such places.”
“No, of course not.” A sinking sensation filled Daniel. “Has she decided to find a husband?”
“You make that sound like it’s a bad thing.” Richard frowned at him. “Would you rather see her a servant, toiling all day long?”
“Not at all. I was just curious whether she’d made a decision about her future.” He was careful to look out the window rather than meet his brother’s eyes. He preferred