would be able to see her as anything like a child again.
Lisa wasn’t naïve enough to think that would be enough to move him to claim her though. She was going to take a page out of that story about Lady Silvia and Lord James and use other men to drive Robert wild with jealousy. If that didn’t work . . . well, she would give up on him then. But she would try this first. Which probably meant she was an idiot. She should really give up on the man, if for pride’s sake only. After all he’d been pretty insulting with that comment about being loose and he wasn’t exactly being nice to her at the moment. However, it was the first time he’d ever been anything close to rude to her and she had known him her whole life. She was willing to put it down to his present confusion. At least she hoped it was.
“R ight, so I’ll get some men on this right away. Have them question everyone they can find at the docks here in London and then move further out to the coastal towns. We’ll figure out where she sailed from and where the ship was headed to and then go after her.”
“Good, good,” Robert muttered, nodding at Mr. Smithe, the Bow Street runner he’d arranged to meet with today. He was supposed to be the best in the business and his price reflected that, but Robert felt it was worth it if it meant sorting this mess out and letting him get back to his own townhouse and his nice peaceful life. A life where Lisa Madison wasn’t prancing around in low-cut gowns while flirting with every man who walked through the damned door of Radnor.
His eyes shifted to the office door as a burst of laughter came muffled from the hall. Another suitor arriving, he supposed with irritation. Five had already gotten here before Mr. Smithe arrived for his appointment. But they just kept coming . . . and none of them appeared to want to leave despite the arrival of the next.
“Keep me posted,” Robert growled, forcing his attention back to Smithe. “And try to track Mrs. Morgan down as quickly as you can.”
“Of course.” Mr. Smithe nodded his graying brown head and then tilted his head and asked, “Do you need a couple of men stationed here to help keep an eye on the gel until we sort this out?”
Robert sighed at the suggestion. It was what he would have liked, but with Christiana with child . . . “No,” he said finally. “That’s taken care of. Just find Morgan and sort out who the suitor is.”
“Right.” Smithe nodded and stood. “It’s a bad business this. Keep an eye on the gel.”
“I plan to,” Robert assured him, moving around Richard’s desk to walk the man to the door. “She will not be left on her own until this business is sorted.”
“Good. I’ll set things in motion then,” Smithe said as they walked out into the hall.
Robert merely nodded, his gaze seeking the parlor door where Lisa and her callers were all having tea. It had gone quiet after that earlier burst of laughter, and he wondered with a frown what they were doing in there, but he turned his attention back to Smithe, murmuring a few more instructions as he led him to the door and saw him out.
He closed the door behind the man a moment later with a little sigh and took a minute to rub his face wearily. He didn’t really want to go back into the parlor. Watching the other men compliment and court Lisa while she beamed smiles and fawned over them all was just . . . well, it was annoying as hell. Nauseating even. However, he was here to keep an eye on her and keep her safe, so he had no choice.
Straightening his shoulders, Robert forced a pleasant expression to his face and headed for the parlor. The expression froze, however, when he pushed the door open and found the room empty. For one moment, he simply stood there, and then he turned from the door with a bellow for Handers.
The butler appeared at once, pushing out of the kitchen door and heading up the hall toward him at the highest speed a good butler ever dared use, a
Lisa wasn’t naïve enough to think that would be enough to move him to claim her though. She was going to take a page out of that story about Lady Silvia and Lord James and use other men to drive Robert wild with jealousy. If that didn’t work . . . well, she would give up on him then. But she would try this first. Which probably meant she was an idiot. She should really give up on the man, if for pride’s sake only. After all he’d been pretty insulting with that comment about being loose and he wasn’t exactly being nice to her at the moment. However, it was the first time he’d ever been anything close to rude to her and she had known him her whole life. She was willing to put it down to his present confusion. At least she hoped it was.
“R ight, so I’ll get some men on this right away. Have them question everyone they can find at the docks here in London and then move further out to the coastal towns. We’ll figure out where she sailed from and where the ship was headed to and then go after her.”
“Good, good,” Robert muttered, nodding at Mr. Smithe, the Bow Street runner he’d arranged to meet with today. He was supposed to be the best in the business and his price reflected that, but Robert felt it was worth it if it meant sorting this mess out and letting him get back to his own townhouse and his nice peaceful life. A life where Lisa Madison wasn’t prancing around in low-cut gowns while flirting with every man who walked through the damned door of Radnor.
His eyes shifted to the office door as a burst of laughter came muffled from the hall. Another suitor arriving, he supposed with irritation. Five had already gotten here before Mr. Smithe arrived for his appointment. But they just kept coming . . . and none of them appeared to want to leave despite the arrival of the next.
“Keep me posted,” Robert growled, forcing his attention back to Smithe. “And try to track Mrs. Morgan down as quickly as you can.”
“Of course.” Mr. Smithe nodded his graying brown head and then tilted his head and asked, “Do you need a couple of men stationed here to help keep an eye on the gel until we sort this out?”
Robert sighed at the suggestion. It was what he would have liked, but with Christiana with child . . . “No,” he said finally. “That’s taken care of. Just find Morgan and sort out who the suitor is.”
“Right.” Smithe nodded and stood. “It’s a bad business this. Keep an eye on the gel.”
“I plan to,” Robert assured him, moving around Richard’s desk to walk the man to the door. “She will not be left on her own until this business is sorted.”
“Good. I’ll set things in motion then,” Smithe said as they walked out into the hall.
Robert merely nodded, his gaze seeking the parlor door where Lisa and her callers were all having tea. It had gone quiet after that earlier burst of laughter, and he wondered with a frown what they were doing in there, but he turned his attention back to Smithe, murmuring a few more instructions as he led him to the door and saw him out.
He closed the door behind the man a moment later with a little sigh and took a minute to rub his face wearily. He didn’t really want to go back into the parlor. Watching the other men compliment and court Lisa while she beamed smiles and fawned over them all was just . . . well, it was annoying as hell. Nauseating even. However, he was here to keep an eye on her and keep her safe, so he had no choice.
Straightening his shoulders, Robert forced a pleasant expression to his face and headed for the parlor. The expression froze, however, when he pushed the door open and found the room empty. For one moment, he simply stood there, and then he turned from the door with a bellow for Handers.
The butler appeared at once, pushing out of the kitchen door and heading up the hall toward him at the highest speed a good butler ever dared use, a
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