Chapter 9

"My success and my misfortunes, the bright and the dark days I have gone through, everything has proved to me that in this world, either physical or moral, good comes out of evil just as well as evil comes out of good."

Giacomo Casanova

They left just before first light. Audrey was reasonably certain that Montague would be incapacitated for a day or two from the treatment he had received, so despite little time to learn anything about their suspect, they chose to head to Simon Scott's home instead to see what they could see.

Audrey had spent a restless night thinking about the kiss with Julius. It was her first experience, and the sensation of Julius pressed against her, the touch of his lips on hers, caused a quivering excitement to race through her each time she had nodded off. She had awoken exhausted.

Why had she halted their embrace? It might be her single opportunity to experience such heady madness. When she returned to Stirling, she did not know if there would be any gentlemen in her future.

"I think we should hail a hackney."

Audrey traced her tongue over her lips, considering if there might be another kiss during their adventure.

"Audrey?"

Would she—should she—call a halt if he attempted to kiss her again?

"Audrey?"

Her eyes flew open, realizing that Julius and she had stopped. He was gazing at her with a quizzical expression.

You ninny! There is a murderer on the loose, and you are woolgathering!

"I apologize. My mind was elsewhere."

A grin spread over his lean face, revealing pearly teeth as his gaze flickered down to her lips. "I have thought of it, too. All night, in fact. I was thinking that there is no danger. Kissing is innocent enough."

Audrey blushed. "We should hurry if we wish to follow Scott this morning."

Julius was wrong.

I am in danger.

She was in danger of losing her heart. Which was why she needed to stop imagining the press of his firm mouth against hers and focus on who had murdered the Baron of Filminster and sent a murderous blackguard after the friend standing in front of her.

Julius could have been killed out on the street, his lifeblood washed away by the rains, and she would never have discovered his irreverent character firsthand. He brought laughter into the world, and that was what she needed to focus on.

Simon Scott lefthis home about ten in the morning. The skies were clear, the day was proving to be sunny and bright, and Julius admitted his spirits were high and he was happy to be spending the day with Audrey.

His wound was healing, and his body felt well on the way to rights, and Julius was determined to enjoy their adventure while it lasted. He had dreamed of the kiss between them several times over the course of the night, waking in a good mood despite the earliness of the hour.

Scott was tall with wide shoulders, a lean form, and a sophisticated style of dress. Much simpler than the fashions Julius favored, but the other heir did not have his specific challenges. Scott had dark brown hair, and a close-cropped beard that framed his angular jaw to perfection.

He made for a coffeehouse nearby, where he sat alone sipping from his mug while he read news sheets. Julius and Audrey watched from a corner table, her coffee untouched on the rough surface of the table upon which she leaned. He was quite satisfied to drink his coffee while he watched Audrey watching Scott. Most of her was covered up, and they both sat with their beavers on despite the breach of etiquette. But this was a quality part of Town, and no one was so crude as to pay them any mind.

She had the most fetching eyes. Silver and iridescent in the sunlit establishment. Julius had no recollection of Dr. Gideon's irises, which meant he did not know which parent had bestowed such jewels on their daughter. Suppressing a smile at the inane thought, Julius recollected that the prior year he had pretended to compose terrible poetry for his own amusement.

It had been quite humorous to recite lines to his friends, enjoying their reactions as they attempted to be complimentary. Julius had been quite aware of just how dreadful his verses were because he had acquired them from a Valentine's Day almanac intended for tradesmen, and other men who worked for a living, to send letters to their love interests.

He missed those days of camaraderie. One by one, his chums had married and become entangled in their new lives, and Julius had been forced to spend his time with inferior acquaintances in their stead. It was a sobering reminder that marriage ruined all the fun, and Julius found his mood dropping as he stared into his coffee, remembering better days. This time with Audrey had been an interesting respite from the ennui of recent months.

"He is leaving," announced Audrey, who rose to her feet.

Julius welcomed the interruption of thoughts that had grown dark. He supposed Audrey had made a good point two days earlier in the first coffeehouse they had visited together. He would need to consider his future perhaps and decide what course he wished to plot. She had pointed out that he could be his own man. The problem was … Julius did not know whom he wanted to be.

He pulled coin from his pocket and placed it down on the table to hurry after Audrey. They set off after Scott, who veered off at the corner to enter St. James's Street. There he weaved through the crowd to enter a gentlemen's club.

Audrey stared up at the facade in contemplation. "Should we enter?"

Julius frowned, trying to recall if he was a member. If he was not, it was possible his father would be because he maintained memberships across the city in the interests of the hundreds of connections he cultivated.

"Wait here," he commanded.

Entering the dim interior, Julius removed his overcoat and beaver. To enter the club, he would be required to reveal his identity, so there was no helping it. A member of staff approached him, and Julius announced who his father was.

Lord Snarling must have been a member because he was waved in without further fuss. Julius wandered through the paneled rooms. The fittings were luxurious and tasteful, and the air smelled like leather and brandy. He soon found Scott had taken up a seat near an unlit fireplace and was perusing a book in leisure with the air of one who had nowhere to be.

Julius departed, retrieving his beaver and coat to find Audrey leaning against a lamppost outside.

"What is he doing?"

"Reading a book."

Audrey pulled a face. "What shall we do?"

"Do you wish to enter?"

She shook her head. "I think it will be obvious we are up to something if I fail to take off my hat and coat, not so?"

Julius nodded. "Shall we go browse the market and I will check on him in half an hour?"

Audrey grinned. "That sounds wonderful."

They crossed the street to where a few vendors had set up in a line. Audrey considered colorful scarves, which had the proprietor squinting in confusion. Julius grinned. It was not every day that a gentleman examined feminine fabrics with such interest, he supposed. They next approached a food stall, and he purchased a meat pie for her. They walked up the street as she ate it, Julius glancing back at the club entrance at regular intervals.

"I must say, it is a bit warm to be wearing these overcoats."

He smiled in reply, his gaze flickering to the neglected crumbs on her lower lip as she swallowed the last of the pie. The urge to reach out and use his thumb to brush them off the plump flesh was nearly overwhelming, and the only thing that stopped him was the attention they would attract if a gentleman touched the lips of another man in public. Especially when Audrey appeared to be a boy midway through her—his—teens.

Egad, that was a confusing muddle of thoughts!

The truth was, regardless of what she wore, Julius could just make out the curves that were hidden, as if he were attuned to the femininity of his companion. However, most were not that observant so as to pay her any mind as she walked by in elegant attire, although she was required to keep the coat on to maintain the illusion.

They had crossed the street and turned back up toward the club when Audrey's glance fell on a fruit seller walking past with a basket of strawberries, and her face lit up in interest. Julius grinned, summoning the seller back to purchase the lush berries for her. Soon, he regretted it when he watched her bite into the red flesh and had to clench his fists not to reach up and wipe the dripping juice away. He growled in frustration.

"What?" She frowned up at him, becoming aware that he was staring.

Julius indicated his own lip, handing her a handkerchief from his pocket. She wiped her mouth clean while he fought down the sensation flickering in his groin.

"I shall go check on Scott." Julius stalked away. He had not thought out the temptations of spending an uneventful day with someone as enticing as Audrey by his side.

If we are to marry because of the scandal, carnal relations are not out of the question before Audrey leaves London?

Audrey fearedshe might have stained the snow-white fabric of her starched collar with the strawberries. She attempted to wipe away the juices as well as she could, watching Julius reenter the club. There was tension beneath the surface, and she suspected they were both recalling the kiss from the previous night.

A poor idea considering their current risk being seen in public with unresolved issues regarding Julius's safety. Hers, too. If high society was aware that she was missing, then the killer would be, too. They should be vigilant to their environment to ensure they remained safe.

Still, her thoughts drifted back to the kiss. What she wanted was to ignore the voice in her head that kept shouting that she was ruined. Lady Astley must be having a fit over her continued disappearance, but Audrey had no specific plans for dealing with the scandal beyond leaving London expediently with the earl's help. What she wanted was to continue this adventure. To take each day one step at a time, to eke out every second of the experience, before she had to return home.

Staring down the street, woolgathering like a fool, Audrey noticed a movement near the next corner. She narrowed her eyes, her senses finally on high alert.

Julius came out of the club, heading toward her. She turned and sauntered away, allowing Julius to catch up with her.

"I think we are being followed," she whispered.

Julius hissed. "We shall turn the corner up ahead so you can tell me what you think you saw," he responded in a low voice.

They continued side by side. When they reached the next corner, they turned and pressed up against the wall.

"I saw a man wearing an overcoat that is too heavy for the weather."

"Like the ones we are wearing?" Julius asked, the irony in his voice evident.

"Precisely."

Julius considered their attire. "You make an excellent point."

Edging up to the corner, he removed his hat to peek back to where they had been.

"You may be right."

"What do we do?"

"We will head to Covent Garden and lose him amongst the stalls. I have a tailor nearby where we can switch our overcoats and beavers."

Audrey nodded.

They strode down the block, turning down many streets until stopping to look back from their new vantage point. After several more turns, they did not spot the man again until, finally, Julius pulled them into the doorway of a boarded-up shop on a deserted street.

"There is no one."

"Was I wrong? About being followed?"

Julius rubbed his chin. "It is hard to say. It was odd, but I have not seen him since St. James's Street, so … perhaps it was nothing."

Audrey bit her lip. "I apologize for wasting our day."

He shook his head. "Not at all. It is better to be cautious, but I admit I am growing frustrated with this strategy. I wish either of us had seen more of the riffraff who attacked me. Following these three men about is not producing any results. I would prefer to focus on the attacker, but neither of us saw him well enough to identify him, or I would watch the comings and goings of the servants at the back, rather than saunter after the master of the house."

"I wish I could help, but it was so dark that morning, and he was covered from head to toe. A generic overcoat, hat, and boots are all I saw."

Julius extended a gloved hand, chucking her under the chin to stare deep into her eyes. "You have been a wonderful asset. I may have died without your assistance. We shall figure this out."

Audrey smiled back, riveted by the unique blend of colors in his irises and the heat that flared in their depths when his gaze dropped to her lips. She knew he was thinking about their kiss, but he dropped his hand and stepped back into the street.

Julius was fighting backhis sexual frustration. He needed to get them home, where he could pull her into an embrace. They could hardly maul each other in the street where they might be arrested for deviant acts, considering she was disguised as a man. An arrest which would raise inevitable questions about why she was dressed in men's garments.

So he hurried her to Aunty Gertrude's, pausing frequently to ensure they were not followed. The journey was endless, and the moment he had the door to the mews locked behind them, he turned to face her.

Audrey was staring at him, her silver eyes ablaze. She hesitated for a second before rushing forward into his arms. Their lips met in a hungry crush of desire. Julius growled as she parted her lips, eager to find his tongue with hers. She tasted of the strawberries she had eaten, the ones that had driven him demented with lust.

Her hands worked inside his overcoat to spread over his chest, even as their kiss deepened. She moaned in the back of her throat as he caressed his hands up and down her back, wishing he could tear the coat from her body to lay her down on it.

If they were to marry, surely there was no reason to deny themselves pleasure? She was just too damn ravishing to ignore any longer. Was this how Aidan Abbott had wound up in his scandalous embrace that had forced him to wed? At the time, Julius could scarcely believe that passion for an innocent miss could overtake a bachelor to such a degree that he was compromised by his own lust. The more time Julius spent in Audrey's company, however, the more compelling the notion became.

They could enjoy passion between the sheets, and then, once their adventure was over and they returned home, he would say his vows and help her pack her trunks. Hell, he might even accompany her to Stirling and help her settle into the family estate before he left for London, just to be sure she was taken care of in her new situation.

Except … this time … it was he who pulled away, stepping back and releasing her with reluctance.

"What is this?"

She was panting. "I do not know."

"I am a gentleman of leisure who seeks his enjoyments. And you … you are a gently bred woman."

Audrey nodded, still breathless from their kiss. Too breathless to nibble on that lower lip, but he would wager she wished to do so.

He continued. "We should?—"

"We should collect ourselves and go inside," she finished for him. "I will redress your wound, so you can prepare for your friend to visit later."

Julius's lungs were heaving as hard as hers, and he wanted to pull her back into his embrace, but he did not wish to take advantage of her. Perhaps they could share a wedding night before she departed for Stirling, but he had not informed her of his intentions. Mostly because … he did not know what to say when he made the proposal.

When they were wed, what would he do?

Would he continue living his life as he had in the past, while she lived in the country?

Or would he remain faithful even while they lived apart?

He had never planned to be a husband who was unfaithful to his wife, but that was because he had vowed to never marry.

Marriages were the source of great unhappiness, and Julius would never lock himself in a gaol of misery as his parents had done. The way for his marriage to succeed with Audrey was if they remained apart.

Julius needed to settle his thoughts on what this new future held, and until then, until he knew what he was offering her, he must keep his hands to himself. Audrey had become a close friend, and she deserved better than a hurried bedding.