Shady Lady by Elizabeth Thornton Page B

shame him, yes, and bring him to justice if the magistrate won’t act.”
    Waldo said sharply, “You’ll do nothing without my consent. I have a considerable stake in ensuring your good behavior, Jo. Don’t forget it!”
    “Money!” she declared. “Is that all you can think about?”
    “No. But I don’t want to stir up trouble needlessly, not at this point. Think, Jo. If the authorities discover where Eric is hiding, they’ll take him away and return him to the school. We’ll deal with Harding later, after Eric is well out of his reach.”
    He was right, of course, but it was against her nature to do nothing. She didn’t want any boy to suffer as Eric had.
    Mrs. Daventry tactfully steered the conversation in another direction. “You haven’t told me what happened at Bow Street. How did you come to be involved, Mr. Bowman?”
    “Jo sent for me,” he said, and had the pleasure of watching the color bloom in Jo’s cheeks.
    She said, faltering a little, “I thought . . . it seemed . . . well, I knew Mr. Bowman had influence, and when the magistrate turned nasty—”
    “After you threatened him,” Waldo cut in.
    “—I remembered Mr. Bowman—”
    “Please,” Waldo interrupted yet again. “After all we’ve been through together, surely it wouldn’t choke you to call me by my Christian name?”
    It almost did, but she went on anyway. “I remembered
Waldo
told me that if ever I needed a friend, I should call on him.”
    “So here I am,” added Waldo cheerfully.
    Jo said, “I was amazed at the change in the magistrate after I mentioned Mr. Bowman’s name.” She slanted Waldo a sideways look. “All doors opened for me and I was free to go.”
    “Not exactly free. As I keep reminding you, there are conditions attached.”
    Mrs. Daventry was looking from one to the other, her expression oddly innocent. At that point, Eric’s plaintive voice brought the focus of attention back to him. “May I have more chocolate?”
    Not long after, the doctor arrived and confirmed Waldo’s suspicions. The boy’s ribs were bruised, though none appeared to be broken. Dr. Mercer showed Jo how to bind Eric’s painfully thin rib cage, prescribed quiet and rest, then left.
    When Eric was settled again, Waldo asked Jo to see him out. He wanted a word with her in private, out of earshot of Eric and Mrs. Daventry. He wanted to warn her not to get her hopes up, that if Eric had a guardian there was only so much he could do. Above all, he wanted to impress upon her the importance of keeping out of trouble. Magistrates and Runners were not to be trifled with, let alone held off at gunpoint.
    In the hallway, he picked up a candle and led the way into what appeared to be a small breakfast room. He set the candle on the mantelpiece. She gazed up at him expectantly, waiting for him to begin. Her cheeks were without color; her eyes were dark.
    “I’ve changed my mind,” he said. “This can wait. Get a good night’s rest, then we’ll talk.”
    She squinted up at him. “You won’t betray us to the magistrate, will you? I mean, you won’t tell the authorities that we’re here?”
    The words were hardly out of her mouth when she wished them back. His expression had not changed, but she could feel his anger, sense it in his controlled response.
    “I’m going to excuse that remark because I know how tired you must be. But I should like to know what reason you have to mistrust me.”
    “I don’t mistrust you. I wasn’t thinking. Can’t we just leave it at that?”
    “Do you still suspect me of breaking into your office?”
    “No!” There was no hesitation in her response. She added quickly, “A man like you would use other means to get the information he wanted!”
    His voice was like silk. “A man like me?”
    He was pressing her, and that made her more frank than wise. “You’re a . . . what I mean is, you have a way with women. Oh, you know what I mean!”
    “That I’m a rake, in fact?”
    “Well . . .