Elizabeth Thornton - [Special Branch 02] by Princess Charming

everything and move to Half Moon Street. I’d lose all my pupils.”
    His lips flattened. “If you’re set on teaching piano lessons, you can teach in my house just as easily as here.”
    “A fine thing that would be when your family is coming to town for Sophie’s come-out. I can just see it. My pupils coming and going and bumping into the fashionable ladies of the ton who are makingtheir morning calls.” She shook her head. “Jason, your grandmother would flay you alive.”
    He chuckled. “Maybe she would, but it doesn’t look as though she’ll be coming to town after all. Sophie is digging in her heels. There’s a young man in Brighton she thinks she’s in love with.”
    “Well, that makes it out of the question. I couldn’t take up residence in a bachelor’s household.” She held up her hand to stop him from speaking. “Listen to me,” she said. “I wasn’t a witness to anything. You said so yourself. And there were dozens of ladies at that party. You can’t offer to take them all in.”
    He didn’t return her smile.
    After a prolonged silence, Jason stirred. “There’s something else I wish to say to you.”
    Inexplicably, her pulse jumped. “What is it?”
    “I owe you an apology for last night. I’m sorry if I frightened you. My only defense is that I went a little crazy when I found you in that house. Can you forgive me?”
    It was a gracious apology and deserved a gracious response. She said, none-too-graciously, “Let’s put that episode behind us, shall we, and forget it ever happened?”
    She made the mistake of looking directly at him. He had the most compelling eyes of any man she knew. His searching stare made her feel as transparent as a plate-glass window, and that worried her.
    When he smiled, her alarm increased. “What?” she asked.
    “Your wine wasn’t tampered with. I asked Sackville. There was nothing in it, Gwyn.”
    “So my wine wasn’t tampered with. What of it?”
    He got up, crossed to her, and patted her cheek. “You figure it out” was all he said, then, grinning hugely, he strolled from the room.
    And she did figure it out. Instantly. Anotherthought crossed her mind, and his offer to have her come and live with him became highly suspect.
    She jumped to her feet and ran to catch up with him. He was already at the front door. “Stay away from me, Jason Radley! That’s all I have to say to you. Just stay away!”
    When he turned suddenly to answer her, by some mischance, she bumped into him and he steadied her with hands clamped on her shoulders. His eyes glinted down at her. “I knew a clever girl like you would figure it out,” he said. “And how can I stay away from you? We’re meeting with the attorney at two o’clock tomorrow, aren’t we? I’ll see you then.”
    He kissed her swiftly, and before she could come to herself, he walked out of the house.
    “And lock and bar the door,” he called over his shoulder.

    Jason’s smile lasted until he turned the corner into Soho Square. Every step he took away from Gwyn increased his uneasiness. She was all alone, unprotected, except for the pistol she set such store by. How could she be so stubborn?
    Well, he could be just as stubborn. If she wouldn’t move to Half Moon Street, he’d find another way of protecting her. But he was absolutely determined that she was not going to live alone until they’d solved the mystery of Johnny Rowland’s murder.
    Maybe Gwyn was right, and he was making too much of small coincidences. All the same, he was taking no chances.
    He knew someone who could help him sort things through in his own mind: Richard Maitland, Chief of Staff of the Special Branch.
    He let out a sigh. Richard had more importantthings to do than investigate the murder of a footman. His field of operations was national security. But the magistrates were worse than useless. If Sackville or one of his guests had been murdered, they would have been falling all over themselves to solve the crime, but a