Unraveling Secrets (The Secret Trilogy) by Lana Williams Page B

Abigail’s brawny footman.
    “Bloody hell.” He glanced around the area once more, but the two he’d followed out of the tavern were nowhere in sight.
    Stephen crossed the street. “Thomas,” he ground out. “I thought we agreed you ’d try harder to control her.”
    “You ’ve a fine sense of humor, my lord. Glad to see those men didn’t beat that out of you,” the footman said as he opened the carriage door.
    “You could ’ve come and helped,” Stephen suggested, rather annoyed that he hadn’t.
    “Didn ’t look like you needed assistance.” Thomas grinned.
    Stephen stepped into the carriage, latching the door behind him. Abigail ’s fragrance filled the small space, a welcome reprieve from the scents of smoke, ale and sweat that surely clung to him from the tavern.
    Why did she insist on letting the filth of this area touch her? No good could come of it.
    “Are you all right?” she asked, her honeyed tone pulling at him along with her scent.
    “Fine,” he gritted out, determined to resist her allure. He’d dreamed of her again last night and those images teased him now.
    “What was that all about?”
    “A minor disagreement.” He eased back in the corner of the seat opposite her, wincing as his shoulder throbbed with pain. “What are you doing here?”
    “I think that would be obvious.”
    He narrowed his eyes. “Perhaps you could enlighten me anyway.”
    “You ’ve advised me that I am not to visit you at your home or your...business establishment. What other recourse is left to me but to follow you to someplace where I can speak with you?”
    “I ’m certain I told you not to come to the East End again either.”
    “I remained in my carriage. It ’s not as if I am wandering the streets.”
    “That hardly keeps you out of harm’s way.” He had to make it clear that she wasn’t safe in this part of the city. Logic had no affect on this woman. If anything happened to her—he didn’t want to finish the thought.
    “So you ’re not going to tell me why you were brawling when we came upon you?” she asked.
    “ Nothing that involves you.” He knew he spoke bluntly but couldn’t help himself. It annoyed him that she’d seen him in what amounted to a street brawl.
    “Do you often get in fights?” She sounded cross at the idea of it.
    He heaved a sigh. “At times, they are unavoidable in my line of work.”
    “Then I suggest you seek a different occupation.”
    As if it were that easy, he thought. “ What was so bloody important that you found me here?”
    The dim glow cast by the carriage lamp created an intimacy he would ’ve preferred to avoid. After the events of the evening, a part deep inside him strained to be closer to her, to absorb her golden light and soothe his darkness. The temptation of her surrounded him until he could hardly breathe. Her face was hidden in shadows but he didn’t have to see her expression to feel her displeasure. Perhaps that would help him keep his distance.
    “My apologies for interrupting your evening of drinking and brawling, but two days have passed since I’ve heard anything from you.”
    “When I have something to tell you, I ’ll contact you. Following me serves no purpose.”
    She huffed in response. “Are you telling me you still don’t know of Simmons’ whereabouts?”
    Stephen ’s frustration pushed him to the edge of his seat. “I’m sure you remember me mentioning other problems that have arisen which occupy my time. Perhaps you could consider for a moment that the world does not revolve around you.”
    She sat forward as well until her face was mere inches from his, not backing down. He tried his best to ignore the fact that her reaction was exactly what he’d hoped for. That she’d push him beyond the bounds of gentlemanly behavior, and he’d be left with no choice but to touch her.
    “My family ’s safety is at stake. I have difficulty believing anything you’re doing in some disreputable pub could be more