Chapter Sixteen
The others now gathered around Gideon and listened intently as he told them everything he and Homer Barrow had done. “I cannot take credit for this good outcome. It was Mr. Barrow’s deductive brilliance that won the day.”
Joss nodded. “Pudge, Henry, and I followed those fiends as far as we could. They had taken Lord Berwick’s carriage, tossed the poor driver off it, and then attempted to race off.
The driver’s all right, but no thanks to those miserable curs.
He assured us he would report the abduction to the magistrate. ”
“He probably has done. Mr. Barrow sent one of his men to the magistrate’s bureau to find out whether anything out of the ordinary had been reported. He sent another to Lord Pullingham’s home because he and Hawthorne were partners in crime, so to speak.”
“We were on foot,” Joss continued, “and managed to keep them in sight for a while. But we lost them once the traffic thinned. Still, we kept up our search in the hope we might come upon them.”
“But we never spotted them again,” Pudge said, raking a hand through his hair.
“We finally gave up and returned here. It did not occur to us to look in Southwark. We thought for certain he was hiding out somewhere along Curzon Street, since that is where many of the Upper Crust are known to keep their mistresses. Beggin’ your pardon, Lady Berry. ”
“Quite all right, Mr. Pudge,” Berry replied. “I am aware of such discreet arrangements.”
Gideon smiled.
Mr. Pudge?
Pudge’s real name was Albert Smith, but no one ever called him that.
Gideon shared a grin with his friends, including Pudge, who all thought it quite a sweet mistake. None of them would ever correct Berry.
“But there wasn’t a trace of them on Curzon Street,” Henry said, continuing the story. “So we looked around Covent Garden and then Bloomsbury.”
“We did not know what we were doing,” Pudge admitted. “But we wanted to give it our best for the sake of Lady Berry.”
She smiled at all of them. “I am honored, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you did for me and Lord Berwick.”
Dr. Farthingale returned while they were still talking about this evening’s incident. Everyone turned to him in worried expectation, for the doctor was frowning.
“He is bruised, but nothing is broken.”
“Thank heaven,” Berry murmured.
“However, he also needs to be kept under close observation, because there might be internal bleeding that is not yet apparent. Those bounders kicked him viciously.”
Gideon reached over to take Berry’s hand, knowing this news would have her crying again. “Should he stay here for the next few days, too?”
The doctor nodded. “Yes, if you do not mind turning your club into a temporary infirmary. He has been jostled too much already, and I fear moving him again may set off that bleeding before his body has time to recover. Also, it will make it easier for me to check on both of my patients if they remain here.”
“Consider it done,” Gideon said, although he was worried that having both of them here would make it impossible to keep their presence a secret. The magistrate’s investigators were certain to come by the club to question the pair.
He exchanged a glance with Bonham, for they both knew having the authorities come around might hurt business. No patron wanted to find themselves face to face with a sharp-eyed constable.
Well, he and his partner would deal with the matter if it became a problem.
After a few more minutes of discussion, his friends left to retire to their own quarters.
Bonham remained behind. “I’m going to return to Duchess Square once I’ve finished checking on our other clubs. But I’ll have their accounts sent over here for you to review. You are far better at numbers than I am. Do you mind?”
“Not at all,” Gideon replied. “That’s fine.” It would keep him close to Berry and still enable him to attend to business matters while she rested.
Bonham closed the door behind him, a highly improper thing to do. But Berry did not seem concerned.
Gideon took her hands in his once more. They were cool to the touch, but felt far warmer than before.
“I’ve been holding down food for the last few hours,” she said, looking quite cozy in his bed and casting him a kittenish smile.
He grinned. “Is this your way of asking me to kiss you? Even though I smell like a mountain troll, if Horace is to be believed.”
“Horace is prone to exaggeration, isn’t he?” She laughed softly. “And I must look as hideous as the Minotaur with all my lumps and bruises.”
“You look beautiful,” he said, his voice husky with the ache of wanting her. “Are you ready for your kiss?”
She looked up at him with her big eyes and a big smile just for him. “I have been ready for you since the day I was born.”
“All right, kitten.” He resumed his seat beside her on the bed and placed an arm on either side of her as she lay propped against her pile of pillows.
He brought his mouth close to hers.
Berry’s lips were just the right amount of plump and soft, and had the perfect amount of give against his own. Her breath was sweet and held a trace of mint and the marrow broth she had just eaten.
He gently pressed the weight of his body against hers, only lightly because she was bruised and he did not want to hurt her.
“Close your eyes, love.” His voice was still husky because he was as eager for their first real kiss as she was. “This one is from me, straight from my heart.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. “I am already melting.”
He smothered a smile. Whatever little heat she was feeling was nothing. He was going to make her burn for him.
“I love you, Berry,” he whispered, and captured her mouth in a kiss that was meant to ignite that sweet body of hers.
Yes, the kiss was meant to devour her, conquer her, but also be exquisitely deep and gentle.
But gentle did not mean tepid. He wanted her to feel the scorching intensity of it.
After all, he had a reputation to uphold. A bad reputation. He knew how to seduce women.
Berry was clutching his shoulders and surrendering with delight.
What he had not expected was his reaction to her innocent response. She had him burning, too.
A sharp knock at his door brought their kiss to an abrupt end.
Gideon drew off her just as Horace burst in. “Make yourselves decent,” he whispered urgently. “And this door must stay open.”
“Why?” Gideon rose to stride across the room and toss Horace out. The lad could be quite irritating at times, especially right now. Gideon had just started kissing Berry and did not appreciate the interruption.
“Lord Berwick is fretting and insists on getting out of bed to speak to Lady Berry.”
“Whatever for?” Berry asked.
Horace shook his head. “I don’t know. Just make yourselves presentable. I stalled him by telling him I would find a robe for him to wear.”
Gideon stepped to his wardrobe and withdrew a black banyan. “Here, have him put mine on. Foolish old man. The doctor told him to stay in bed. He was quite clear in his instructions.”
“Well, he isn’t listening, is he?” Horace turned toward Berry. “He insists there is something important he must tell you.”
Gideon’s heart sank.
Was it to warn Berry not to involve herself with him? Would Lord Berwick maintain this class distinction even after all Gideon had done for them? Well, he hadn’t done it with the expectation of any reward. He had done it because he loved Berry, and she was all that mattered.
“Uh oh. He didn’t wait for me. I think I hear him coming down the hall,” Horace said, and dashed off to assist Lord Berwick…and slow him down to give Gideon and Berry time to look as though they had not just been in the throes of a hot kiss.
Gideon knew he looked fine. But Berry?
Gad, that kitten. She had that just-kissed look on her face.
Well, there was no help for it. Lord Berwick was not going to be fooled even if Berry managed to look expressionless.
Gideon smiled at her. “Sorry we had to cut it short.”
She blushed. “Was there more to the kiss?
“Yes. Much more. I was just getting started.”
“Oh my.” Her eyes widened. “Well, the sample I got was awfully good.”
She had the sweetest way of making him smile. “Then you liked it?”
“Tremendously.”
He nodded in approval.
“What do you think Lord Berwick wants to tell me? I am not going to listen if he’s just going to bluster again about the importance of bloodlines and family connections. You are the right man for me, and there can be no doubt of it after tonight.”
“Again?”
She sighed. “We spoke of you tonight while on our way to Lord Folger’s party.”
“And he warned you against liking me?” Well, he should not have been surprised. Business was one thing. Love and marriage were quite another.
“Gideon,” she said softly, for he was not hiding his irritation very well, “I am a grown woman and know my own mind. I spoke out of turn. Lord Berwick is an intelligent man. There’s no need for either of us to get worked up before we know what he intends to say.”
“But is it so difficult to figure out? I am good enough to risk my life for you, but I will never be good enough to be your husband. So, after all this, we are right back where we started. Do you think he would cause problems for the orphanage if you ignored his concerns and married me?”
“No, never. He cares for those children dearly.”
Gideon shook his head. “But he might influence your donors. St. Brigid’s will be harmed if the donations dry up.”
“Let’s hear him out first.”
Gideon rubbed a hand along the back of his neck. Berry believed that love could triumph over everything, but Gideon was too cynical to hold out such hope.