Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

D uke lingered across the street from Mr. Reinhold's town house and tried not to be obvious in his agitation. Time was growing short. It would do no good to attend without her as she was the only one who could identify the man who had killed Mr. Sharma.

It was absurd they were pursuing a murderer on their own. He knew that. The rational thing to do would be to take her to Bow Street and make her tell the authorities what she witnessed.

The problem was when he was around her, he felt distinctly irrational. He was a parched man in need of her attention. She was smart and funny and adventurous. Not to mention exceedingly lovely. She was all he had thought about—dreamed about—since their meeting on the street.

Even if he was panting after her like a dog, he wasn't an idiot. She was lying to him. Her name was not Jynx or Jane Jones. She had not revealed her address. She was secretive about the minutia of her life, even as she was open about her dreams and hopes of the future.

Did he even know her? He ruminated on the question as he drummed his fingers on an iron railing. He knew the important things about her. And he strangely felt like he had known her forever. She would eventually trust him enough to reveal her secrets. Perhaps once he coaxed her into his bed.

Just the thought warmed his blood and tightened his chest with anticipation. Would it happen tonight?

It was at that moment a hired carriage pulled to a stop in front of him. He stepped forward. The door swung open and Jynx was on the threshold, already leaning over to step out. She wore a cloak with a hood, but her eyes were luminous. He offered his hand, and her palm slid against his. Neither of them wore gloves.

"I apologize for my tardiness." Her voice was frazzled with nerves and panic.

She stepped out and the carriage drove on, leaving them alone.

He didn't release her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "We can be fashionably late."

"A killer might be on the other side of that door." She glanced toward the town house across the street.

"It's possible."

"Or someone from society might recognize me."

He harrumphed. "And it would embarrass you to be seen with me?"

Her eyes widened. "No, of course not! But if word reached my aunt I was in attendance, it would complicate my life."

He sighed. It wasn't fair she had to bend to her aunt's and society's rules when she had paid her penance in marriage already, but who was he to argue the point? "It's also possible we will not find him, you will see no one of your acquaintance, and you can enjoy an evening of scientific exploration."

Her shoulders dropped slightly. "As grim as our errand is, I am looking forward to experiencing Sir Humphry's discovery. It could have important implications beyond such frivolities as this party."

"What would that be?" He tucked her hand in his arm and led them across the street.

"For medical procedures or for animal husbandry. We must be careful not to imbibe too much though. Sir Humphry almost died experimenting on himself." She was prattling, but he understood it was born of nerves.

A butler greeted them, and the invitations Lord Benson had acquired for them gained them entrance. Jynx passed her cloak off, and Duke caught his breath. She was wearing a beautiful blue gown the color of the summer sky back home. Her décolletage was full and tempting. The gauzy sleeves sat on the edge of her shoulders leaving a beautiful expanse of skin.

She touched her collarbone self-consciously. "I wasn't sure what to wear."

Her took her hand once more and drew it down, linking their fingers. "You look beautiful."

Her skin pinkened delightfully, and her lashes swept over her eyes. "Thank you."

The butler announced them into a large drawing room where settees and chaise lounges were arranged in a semicircle, leaving the middle of the room open and ready for a demonstration. Two dozen people mingled about the room, but only two or three glanced in their direction as he led them to the nearest corner.

Jynx unfurled her fan to partially hide behind as she studied the room like a fox among hounds. Her tension drove his own anxiety up. Finally she sighed and shook her head. "I recognize no one."

"There is still time for him arrive, and if he does, we'll hear him announced. This could work to our advantage."

"And in the meantime?" She closed her fan.

A man with graying, unkempt hair shuffled to stand in the middle of the carpeted room and rubbed his hands together. Although he wasn't a large man, he commanded attention through his vibrating excitement. The conversations around them died to murmurs.

Duke leaned in to whisper in Jynx's ear. "We relax and enjoy ourselves."

Their guide through the evening's experiments slipped his jacket off and rolled his sleeves up. "I am Dr. Becker. Is everyone ready to experience the euphoria of laughing gas?" He spoke with an accent that placed him from one of the many Germanic states of Europe. "I have been tasked by Sir Humphry himself to demonstrate and oversee our evening together. Do not be afraid."

Tittering erupted from many of the ladies present. The danger heightened the moment. The man went on to describe how they would take the gas out of special silk bags. "Do not be alarmed if you are infected by a bolt of energy and good humor. Some people find they cannot be still. Feel free to take air in the gardens or visit a different room. You may not remember what you say or do. You may find yourself laughing uncontrollably. Some find the gas an aphrodisiac. Overall, I hope you find the experience illuminating."

Duke and Jynx held back while the more eager of the participants moved to surround Dr. Becker. Soon all that could be heard was raucous laughter. A lady emerged from the jostling crowd to run out of the drawing room, her skirts hiked to her knees, giggles trailing her. A man followed with a grin on his face to catch her around the waist and lay a kiss on her neck.

Was laughing gas indeed an aphrodisiac? Duke was suddenly much more interested in the experiment. They were the final two to partake of the gas. Merriment permeated the room and left him eager to try the gas.

Jynx's eyes were wide, and he wasn't sure her mood, but she stepped up to take her turn before him. She took a deep breath of the gas. Her eyes partially closed and her head fell back. She swayed slightly, and he moved to put a steadying hand at her waist.

The look she gave him could only be called sultry as she pushed the bag toward him. He couldn't breathe in the gas fast enough. He took in a great lungful and held it like he would a fine cheroot.

He coughed on his exhale. His head felt like an angel was plucking harp strings. It reverberated sweetly, and without knowing why, he threw his head back and laughed. Jynx joined him, and they fell into one another's arms.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the gardens, her laughter trailing behind her like tinkling bells. They continued into the darkness until they came upon the brick wall that marked the boundary to the mews.

"I feel like a star exploded inside my head," she said. "I'm all tingly."

"I want to kiss you. And more." He couldn't believe the words had come out of his mouth.

"I want more too." Apparently she had lost the same number of inhibitions as he had.

Not knowing how long the effects would last, he didn't waste another second. His mouth swooped to capture hers.

There had been a finesse and gentleness about their earlier kisses. He had been wooing her. The gas had stripped away his gentlemanly veneer, leaving only the elemental. Their kiss was raw and decadent and portended what they really craved.

Her lips were aggressive, her tongue delving to spar with his. He groaned and pressed her against the ivy-covered brick wall. She fumbled with the buttons of his waistcoat until only his thin lawn shirt was separating her hands from his flesh. He tugged the gauzy sleeves of her gown down her arms edging the bodice lower. Her half-corset pushed her breasts high, and it took the flick of his thumb to pull her chemise even lower.

Her nipples were rosy and peaked and begging for his mouth. He gladly obliged, kissing each nipple before sucking hard.

Her back arched over his arm, and she threaded her fingers through his hair. "Is this the work of the gas?" she asked breathlessly.

"The gas has merely revealed our true desires." He moved to her other breast to suck and nuzzle it.

Should he stop? The intrusive thought must mean the gas was wearing off. Before he could decide, one of her hands slipped from his hair to trail down his chest. Her fingers didn't stop at his waistband, but continued south to where his erection pressed against the placard of his trousers.

She cupped his cock and squeezed. "Your member is large."

It was, of course, what every man wanted to hear. "You are a tease, my lady. Do you want me to spend in my breeches?" he murmured before capturing her lips in another kiss.

He cupped one of her breasts and pinched her nipple, rolling it between his fingers. She squirmed and squeezed his cock tighter.

"What if I swept you away to my rooms? We could leave from the mews. I would wreak such pleasure upon your body, you would have no room for regrets." He murmured into her ear, his hand on her breast, and hers on his cock.

She let out a little moan, but it wasn't answer enough. She had to speak her desires.

"Tell me what you want?" he asked more emphatically.

"I want to share your bed tonight. Damn the consequences."

There was no mistaking the defiance and surety in her answer. It was all he needed.

He repaired her dress, reluctantly covering her magnificent breasts, and grabbed her hand. The gate from the garden to the mews was to their left, and he led them toward it, his body humming in anticipation of sinking deep inside her.

As he was reaching for the handle, the door swung open. On the threshold stood a man wearing a dark frock coat and a beaver hat. Duke bowed slightly and took a shuffling step backward to let the gentleman pass.

Jynx's gasp brought Duke up short. His instincts went on alert. The man didn't wait for questions to be asked but turned on his heel and ran.

"It's him," Jynx said.

But Duke was already in pursuit. The laughing gas had boosted his energy along with his libido, and he closed the gap before the man had made it out of the mews and into the main thoroughfare.

Duke threw himself forward and hooked his hand around the man's back collar. The man jerked backward, his hat flying off to roll into a nasty-looking puddle. Duke landed half on top of him.

"Let me go." The man tried to wiggle free, but Duke fisted his collar even tighter.

"Not a chance," Duke said through gritted teeth.

Jynx caught up with them, breathing hard. "That's him."

Duke shook the man. "Who are you? Why did you murder Mr. Sharma?"

"Unhand me. I am a gentleman, sirrah." The man's attitude only raised Duke's ire.

"Unluckily for you, I am not." Duke punched him in the face.

Duke was no stranger to a good rumble in the dirt littered with cheap shots and insults. The man holding his bleeding nose and moaning was used to sparring at Gentleman Jack's, where decorum ruled and the jabs were above the belt.

Duke rose to his feet and hauled the man up by the lapels of his jacket, shoving him against the wooden slats of the stables. He pushed his arm underneath the man's chin with enough force to constrict his breathing.

The man kicked at Duke's legs in his rising panic, but Duke ignored the pain. "Are you ready to give us some answers?"

The man clawed at Duke's arm and choked out a yes.

Duke eased the pressure but did not release the man. "Let's start with a simple question. What's your name?"

"Reginald Atwater."

Duke glanced toward Jynx. "Do you know him?"

"The family name is well known in scientific circles, but we are not acquainted."

Atwater aimed a scathing look toward Jynx. "And who the devil are you?"

"That is none of your concern. Why did you kill Mr. Sharma?" Jynx asked.

Atwater's jaw worked, and he pressed his lips together.

Duke sighed. It seemed he would have to extract the information the hard way. He pressed his arm into Atwater's throat with such force it lifted him off the ground. Atwater's eyes went round with terror.

"R-Research," Atwater said on his last thread of air.

Duke eased his hold. "What research?"

"I paid the man to provide me with something—anything—to impress my father."

"What happened?" Jynx stepped to Duke's side.

"Sharma discovered a new element. It was amazing. My name would have been cemented in history." Atwater spoke with the tone of a zealot.

"But it was Mr. Sharma's discovery, not yours."

"It was mine. I paid for it," Atwater said vehemently.

"Mr. Sharma refused to let you take the credit. Is that it?"

"He said it was his greatest achievement. He promised to give me his research on a new kind of lamp for miners. Miners! As if I care about the dirty blighters. I needed that element. My father —" At this, Atwater dropped his gaze, but there was pain of a father's disappointment.

Duke could sympathize. His own father had not approved of Duke's wanderlust. He wanted Duke at home, learning the family business. It would never have driven Duke to murder though.

"What happened to the research?" Duke asked.

"I don't know. It wasn't there." Atwater's frustration did not contain even a whiff of contrition.

Duke did not bother to hide his disgust. "You killed a man for nothing."

"I'll find it and claim it as is my right!"

"Let's see what Bow Street has to say about that."

Atwater struggled against Duke's hold. "You can't! I'm a gentleman."

Duke cocked his head. "But not a peer. I believe that matters in this case."

"I'll hail a hack," Jynx said, retreating to the street.

Atwater nudged his chin toward Jynx. "She is the only one who can identify me. Even if she is believed, my father will make sure she can never show her face in polite society again."

Jynx had been right not to come forward. If Atwater would kill, besmirching a woman's reputation would not leave a mark on his conscience. Duke shook his head ruefully. "Do you think you are the only man capable of deceit? I am the only witness, and I do not care a whit what your society thinks of me."

True fear finally made its way into Atwater's demeanor. "You are a foreigner. Who will believe you?"

"I am a foreigner who has more in common with a Bow Street runner than you do." Duke had, in fact, developed a rapport with two of the runners in particular. They held no affection for toffs.

"We'll see about that," Atwater said.

Duke hoped the confidence in Atwater's voice was misplaced. He maneuvered Atwater into the waiting hack, keeping a hand on the man in case he tried to run, but thankfully, he didn't. Duke did not relish a footrace across London at night. Atwater might have the upper hand if he was knowledgeable of the streets.

They pulled in front of Bow Street's offices. Duke hauled Atwater out of the hack and said to Jynx. "I'll settle the matter and keep your name out of it."

He might have said more, but Atwater chose that moment to try to run. It took one of the runners to come out and help Duke manhandle Atwater inside. The runner recognized Duke.

"Is this the apothecary's killer then?" The runner asked.

"It is. He confessed to me. I just need to…" Duke turned around to set the next meeting with Jynx, but the hack was gone.

He stood on the pavement for a long moment. He supposed finding the killer was a just end to their unconsummated liaison. He had no way to contact her. He turned and entered the Bow Street offices.

Even as justice was fulfilled, his heart deflated and bitter regret was left in its wake.