the change in her breathing; she’d wanted him. He’d had to leave, though, before he’d taken her right there on the floor, or up against the wall, because he didn’t think he would have been capable of taking his time. Even now his cock was a pipe against his leg; heavy and throbbing. He stopped in the midst of dressing and moved quickly to his bed and lay back, unfastening his trousers and pulling himself out. He gripped hard, fisting himself with an almost viselike hold.
He slid his hand up and then down his shaft and damnation if that didn’t feel good. Not as good as sinking into Tilly’s wet warmth, but for now it would have to suffice. He needed to be careful lest he frighten his bride with the force of his desire for her. Again and again he moved his hand over himself until finally his release poured out all over his stomach.
He hoped, for Tilly’s sake, that she took his word to heart and obeyed his command. He didn’t think he could handle actually putting his hand to her bare bottom.
A half an hour later he found himself once again at the offices of the City of London Police. It was nearly dusk and he wasn’t certain David would still be there. As Sullivan made his way down the corridor, he actually found David on his way out.
“What the devil do you want?” he asked. “I’m on my way home for the evening and I’ve had a hell of a day.”
Sullivan nodded. “I won’t take up too much of your time. I’ve asked around and it seems there might’ve been a couple other people there the day Roderick was shot. Did the report say anything about Lord and Lady Deerfield?”
David frowned. “Not that I recall, but admittedly I didn’t read the file very closely. It was ruled an accidental death.”
“It wasn’t. I know my brother killed him, and I intend to prove it.”
“I’ll take another look at the file when I can.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
David nodded.
“One more thing,” Sullivan said. “I wanted to ask if you knew anything about an organization called the Ladies of Virtue?”
David paused walking and eyed him with a narrowed gaze. “I’ve heard of them.”
“So you know there are well-bred ladies in this town putting themselves in danger to do something the police are neglecting to do?”
In a flash, David had Sullivan pushed up against the wall. Though the sergeant was shorter than Sullivan, he was stockier and well-muscled. His meaty forearm pressed against Sullivan’s throat. “How dare you come here, into my offices, and try to tell me how to do my job. You don’t know the first thing about how things work around here. Not only that, but that accusation coming from you is a little rich.” David shoved against him, then stepped back.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Have you even been back home since you returned from the war? Or do you merely sit in your fancy townhome counting your war medals and coins?”
“No, I haven’t been back. Why?”
“Everything is falling apart. The roads are so bad you can barely traverse them. There can be no advancement of anything because there is no railroad there. All of those things your family is supposed to manage.”
“Thomas,” Sullivan murmured.
“What?”
Sullivan shook his head. “Nothing. I’m planning a trip there soon with my new bride. I’ll check on things while I’m there.” He exhaled slowly. “David, I’m sorry about your brother.”
David held up a hand. “Don’t.” Then the man turned and walked away.
What was Thomas doing if he wasn’t keeping the village maintained? It was time for him to step up to his duties as viscount, his brother be damned.
…
The following evening, Tilly made her way down to the parlor that led into the main dining room. She hadn’t seen Sullivan since their fight the day before. Their wedding day. So he hadn’t come to her bed that night. They hadn’t consummated their union. She didn’t know if it was the fight or if it meant her husband could not even stomach the idea of taking her to his bed.
The parlor was empty, not surprising considering she was early. Nervous, she supposed. Tonight they would have their wedding ball. She wasn’t so certain she was up for pretending to be the lovesick newlywed. She hadn’t even had a full opportunity to explore her new home. It was too early to go into the ballroom, so she decided to investigate the drawing room outside of