Chapter Eleven

T he Right Honorable Miss Bernice Namath

The wine and food cut through the tension I had carried with me ever since Ash had waylaid me outside the publishing house. I was glad of his presence for the incident with the girls. Watching the gentle way he interacted with them warmed my heart.

Ash pushed his bowl away and patted the napkin over his appealing mouth. He’d been keeping them entertained with exploits that were suitable for children. Violet had hung on his every word. “That was delicious.”

“I am glad you enjoyed it.” I tried not to stare at him too long. It was hard to credit that a man was in the house and a very attractive one at that. The clock on the wall chimed the hour. Common sense said I should be tired after the full day I had, yet I was oddly awake. My little sisters, however, were not. “Girls, thank Inspector Ash...ton for sharing such delightful stories with us and then you need to wash up before you find your bed.”

“We just washed up for dinner,” Janice protested on a yawn.

I shared an amused glance with Ash, my heart picking up more than it should. This afternoon, Moran had the same effect on me. I broke the contact and focused on my sisters. “You need to wash more than once a day,” I replied. The argument was a familiar one with her.

Ash stood as the girls shuffled from the table, each thanking him in turn. He wished them all good night.

“I will be there to tuck you in.” It was my nighttime ritual to read them a story to put them to sleep. I began to push my chair back when he stepped behind me.

“Let me assist.” Ash pulled my chair out for me, ever the attentive gentleman. He might appear intimidating, but he had an easy away about him that drew me in.

“Thank you.” I stood on wobbly legs, being sure to step back to avoid further contact. The sound of Violet directing the girls from the other room offered me a bit of assurance. I wasn’t exactly alone with him. The thought sent goosebumps along my arms, an odd sense of expectation coming over me.

“I should be leaving.” Ash turned and walked to where his hat and coat were hung on a peg on the wall. The blue coat enhanced the width of his broad shoulders and fair coloring. He pulled the coat down, and the peg fell to the floor. “I am sorry about that,” he said.

“You needn’t apologize. It has been loose for a while.” The entire flat needed one repair or another. Eloise and I did what we could to fix things. I held out my hand for the peg and he laid it in my palm, his hand warm against mine. The room had gradually chilled over the course of dinner. My awareness of him held the cold at bay. “I will fix it.”

“If you have a hammer and nails, I can repair it for you.” He angled his head, his gaze sweeping the flat before it returned to me.

“That is very kind of you but unnecessary. I am used to doing most things myself since, well, sense my fa—er, Frank’s death.”

“Frank? I thought you said his name was William.”

“It is William.” My pulse leaped at yet another misstep in a long list of ever-growing lies. Losing my father and nearly going to the poor house had forced me to become more independent than I used to be. “I call him Frank since his father was William senior.”

“I see. What was Frank’s profession?” he asked.

“He was a clerk in an accounting office.” Since I was in trade, it made sense that my deceased husband was part of the merchant class. In my head, Mr. Worth had been a studious man with excellent grammar who doted on my every word. Unlike Moran, who argued with me over my choice of words and told me outright that he wasn’t romantically interested in me.

“A respectable trade.” Ash placed his hat on his head. “I don’t have a head for numbers. Moran does.”

Had he read my mind? “It comes with running a business. You have other strengths that, frankly, are off-putting.”

His brow shot up at my statement, curiosity reflected in his blue stare. “Indeed, what pray tell are they?”

“You have a way of asking questions that make me wish to offer more than I probably should.” I shook my head and crossed my arms, confused by my own imprudent need to make such a bold observation.

He moved closer to me, not touching but near enough that I could feel the heat emanating from him. “Are you admitting to having secrets?”

“Doesn’t everyone?” I had more than most, and every time I fumbled my words, I was one step closer to revealing all of them.

“Some have more than others.” Ash glanced past my shoulder toward the bedroom before his gaze settled on me once more. The telling way his eyes skimmed over my face made me tense with anticipation. I really should step back and bid him adieu, but a force stronger than my will kept me in place. “I wish to ask you a question.”

“You have been asking me questions all night.” I locked my knees when I wanted to sway in his direction. Desiring a man, especially one who could ferret out my past, wasn’t wise. Yet my nipples had ideas of their own.

“I have.” He lifted one knuckle and skimmed it along my jaw, challenging my resolve to remain unaffected. “I would like to ask you one more.”

Raised voices sounded from behind me. “I don’t want you to read the story. I want Birdie to read it. She does the voices best,” Janice said.

“It sounds like you are needed.” He twisted and moved to the door, a reluctant smile curling his lips. He had a very appealing mouth, his bottom lip slightly fuller than the upper.

“Janice gets agitated easily when she is tired.” I followed him, relieved yet annoyed to have our conversation interrupted. It was rare that I had any free time, even rarer to flirt with a man who was interested in me. Unlike Moran. The thought of my employer brought its own complications. Both men appealed to different facets of me.

“Children need their sleep. As do their sisters.” He opened the outer door and stepped into the hallway.

The light from inside spilled out, casting the stairwell in dark shadows. A high window let in enough diffused light to get him safely downstairs.

“Thank you for seeing me home.” I didn’t wish the night to end, but I had to be practical. Responsibility weighed my shoulders, and after the obligatory story, I would seek my own bed.

He shifted on his feet, one hand resting on his hip. “I would like to see you again.”

The urge to tap my feet nearly overwhelmed me. Nervousness settled into the pit of my stomach. Surely he wasn’t about to ask to court me? “I am sure you will since you and Moran are friends.”

“I am not speaking of work. I enjoyed this evening and wish to step out with you again.” His voice took on a husky cast, overt interest in his stare. “You and your sisters are very engaging.”

“Thank you.” A part of me screamed yes, but continuing on this current path wasn’t wise. I had a secret that could land me in Newgate prison and condemn my sisters to the poor house. Yet, looking at him standing so close, my resolve was sorely tempted. In truth, I had never been courted before. “I am flattered, but—”

“Wait, don’t finish that statement.” He reached out and cupped my jaw, his thumb caressing my cheek. With an understanding nod, he leaned in and brushed his mouth across mine. I closed my eyes, my breath catching at the gentle caress. He slid his hand to the back of my neck and I moved into his embrace, a foolish thing to do. Head tilted, he skimmed his mouth across mine in a slow, seductive dance, his beard a gentle caress against my face.

The wine had dulled my senses, and I was tempted to accept his offer of courtship. Moran’s face flashed in my mind, and a wave of guilt washed over me. I broke the kiss, my breath coming fast. “I can’t. I, Frank, well, I can’t. I am sorry.”

“I understand.” He frowned at my comment, his chest rising and falling rapidly under his greatcoat. “I won’t say I am not disappointed. I like you, Mrs. Worth.”

Disappointment rested between us, adding to my shame. “I like you as well but my life is very complicated right now, and I, well, I need time.” By my calculations and barring no unforeseen expenses, Eloise could start running the agency in as little as six months. Once we gained our footing, I would resign my position with Moran and announce my father’s death in the papers. Until then, if there was even a minute chance of losing my position with Moran, I couldn’t risk it. “I am very sorry.”

“You needn’t be.” He adjusted his hat on his head. “I would like to walk you home sometimes. I enjoy our conversations.”

“I would like that. Good night.” I held the door as he turned on his heel and descended the stairs. The kiss lingered on my lips. While my head said I was doing the right thing, my body protested. I closed the door and pressed my forehead to the cool wood.

“Why didn’t you say yes?” Violet asked.

I spun around, my face flaming. “Were you eavesdropping?”

Violet nodded, unabashed by my chastisement. “Yes, I was. He likes you. Why did you turn down his offer to court you?”

“Because things are complicated. Are the girls asleep?” I went toward their room, hoping to avoid this conversation.

Violet followed, undeterred. “Yes, they are asleep, and you didn’t answer my question.”

“There is nothing to tell. You know the situation.” I entered my own room, but my stubborn sister followed. “In case you forgot, he’s an inspector for the Met, and we have secrets to keep.”

“He is a man, and you are a woman. If you married him, you could end this charade.” Violet sat on the end of the narrow bed in the room I shared with Eloise. Like the rest of the house, the paint was peeling in the corner, and the floors needed a polish.

My shirtwaist had an ink stain on the cuff. Frowning, I unfastened the tiny mother of pearl buttons I had salvaged from one of my mother’s dresses, remnants of a previous life full of privilege and gaiety. “Or he could throw me into prison for perpetrating a fraud against a peer of the realm.”

Her face fell. “There is that.”

“Besides, I don’t wish to get married.” I valued my freedom too much. To be dependent on a man wasn’t in my nature. Of course, I was working for a man. A very alluring man who made my toes curl in my shoes. Yet an equally tempting man wanted to court me.

“Nonsense, every woman wishes to get married.” Violet lay back on the bed, her feet hanging over the edge. She was on the cusp of womanhood, eager to find the beau of her dreams. While I wished for her to remain a child as long as possible, I couldn’t hold back time.

“Just because you do doesn’t mean that wish applies to everyone.” I removed my shirtwaist and draped it over the plain wooden dressing screen. A breeze blew over my feet, and I hurriedly removed my skirt. Donning my nightgown, I belted a robe around my waist.

“No, I suppose not.” She rolled onto her stomach and plucked at a string on the quilt covering the bed. “If I was a year older, I would marry him myself. Perhaps I should ask him to court me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” The idea of Violet marrying Ash or any man while still a child brought me up short. “You cannot marry without my permission as sixteen is the age of consent.”

“Adelle Thomas quit school and got married, and she is a year younger than me,” Violet countered.

I moved to the bed and sat down, unfastening my hair. Sadly, girls were often sold off to the highest bidder despite the laws of consent. “You are not Adelle Thomas. Now it is past your bedtime, so I suggest you find your bed.”

“Can I sleep in Eloise’s bed?” Violet rolled off my bed, yawning.

While I wanted to be alone with my thoughts, I could think of no viable reason to say no except... “Eloise isn’t supposed to return to the hospital until the morning.” I was so used to her being gone I hadn’t questioned her absence.

“She picked up another shift.” Violet slipped into the bed and pulled the covers to her chin.

Sally was one of the other nurses and she and Eloise had become fast friends. The two were inseparable of late and often spent hours in each other’s company outside of work. I was happy my sister had found a friend. My hair tumbled over my shoulder as I loosened the pins. I licked lips that felt heavy from Ash’s impromptu kiss. My cheeks heated, and the cleft between my legs throbbed a steady beat. Extinguishing the lamp, I crawled between the cold sheets.

If things were different, I might have accepted Ash’s courtship just to see where things would lead. I hadn’t been lying when I said I didn’t wish to marry. I wanted to have a career where I was in charge of my own destiny.

My eyelids grew heavy, and I curled on my side. Tomorrow, I would see Moran again. My lips twitched at the notion until I shut the thought down. He wasn’t a love interest but a man I worked for.

The more I remembered that, the better off I would be.