short indulgence. It has been heard on the streets and at the best parties that the Shakespeare quotes delight readers. Worry not. Wager if you please. The quotes will continue and you can hope that one day you will read your favorite line.
—Lord Truefitt, Society’s Daily Column
Bright sunshine fell on Chandler’s face as he walked with Millicent back to the carriage. He was in a quandary. Should he speak to Doulton about hiring someone to make private inquiries about Millicent’s family, her past, or should he leave it be because they had no future together? He was certain that she wouldn’t tell him about herself. There was no use in asking again. And he was certain he didn’t like the hold Lord Truefitt had over her.
He’d never intended to get so caught up by her. He couldn’t recall ever having spent so much time thinking about one lady before Millicent. He hadn’t known he was capable of it because he’d never felt serious about any of the young ladies he’d called on. Millicent made him feel different. She challenged him and he liked that.
But there was so much more. He wanted her. Not for sport or fun as it had been with all the ladies in his past. He felt differently about Millicent. It was a growing feeling that he hadn’t been able to deny, dismiss, or understand.
Every time he thought about her, he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her. Every time he saw her, he wanted to lie with her and feel the shape of her body pressed close to his. He wondered how she would feel beneath his hands, with her mouth warmly responding to his kisses and caresses.
“You’re quiet again,” Millicent said.
Chandler sobered quickly.
He glanced over at her. Wispy strands of golden-brown hair had struggled free of her bonnet and framed her face attractively. She was much too young and too beautiful to wear her hair so severely tight. He liked the way her parasol perched above her straight shoulder and framed her with rows of feminine ruffles and ribbons. Chandler realized he liked walking with her on his arm.
He pulled her closer to his side and said, “No need to worry. Nothing is wrong. I was thinking again.”
“I noticed. You seem to be doing a lot of that this afternoon. What took your thoughts off what we were talking about and gained your fancy this time?”
“Hiring a Runner to find out who among the ton might be in embarrassing financial trouble at the moment.” He glanced over at her again and gave her a warning smile. “Not that I believe for a moment that Andrew is one of them, but I can see where having that information right now would be useful.”
Her deep amber eyes sparkled up at him from the cover of long, dark lashes. She smiled warmly at him. “I’m sure there are other things we can do to help the authorities find the thief if we just put some time into thinking about it. Sometimes I think we are the only two people in London who are convinced the thief is a man and not a ghost.”
He shook his head in wary amusement. “It’s getting downright ridiculous what some people are saying about Lord Pinkwater’s ghost.”
“Some members of Society are actually trying to make a game out of it.”
“I know.”
“And I’ve heard that at least two of the gentlemen’s clubs are considering taking bets on whose house will be the next one robbed.”
“As unbelievable as it sounds, it’s true.”
“I just had a thought. Have you given any consideration to the idea that the thief might be a woman?”
Chandler smiled down at her and slightly raised an eyebrow. “A woman? You jest.”
“Absolutely not, sir, I seem to remember only a few days ago you were more than willing to believe that I might be the thief.”
“No, no, Miss Blair. I thought you might be an accomplice working with the thief. I’ve since been enlightened about your real duties and why you take notes.”
Millicent rolled her parasol in her hand and said, “We should consider all possibilities. I was just thinking if you and the authorities are going to be looking at gentlemen who might be needing money, maybe you should also look at unattached ladies, too.”
“That is another idea to contemplate,” he admitted.
“The thief must be tall enough to have reached the items that were stolen without benefit of furniture to climb on. That would have taken too much time.