Chapter 9
Sunday
Coleman Street, Cheapside
Elijah took Miss Alberts’s mantle and hung it on a peg next to his grandmother’s.
Her hair, pulled back in a mass of wine-colored curls, shone in the late afternoon light.
Tonight, he would kiss her. But first, he would ask permission to court her, not knowing what else to do with her father gone.
She knew of no other relatives in England.
Permission first, then kisses. His fingers itched to touch her flaming tresses.
He woke up in a sweat some mornings after dreaming of her.
“Well,” said his grandmother, “I won’t mistakenly call you Diamond now that I’ve seen your glorious hair.”
Miss Alberts blushed. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Mrs. Norton.” She held out her hand, but of course Grandmama pulled her into a tight hug.
“No formalities in this house,” she said, her eyes bright with laughter. “Come and sit in the parlor. We’ll have some claret.”
Once settled in her rocker, with their guest in Eli’s usual chair and he in a straight-back he’d pulled from the writing desk, Grandmama smiled and said, “Tell me about yourself.”
Elijah knew she was putting Miss Alberts at ease, for he had already told most of what he knew. But it gave their guest the opportunity to talk of things she was comfortable with, for the most part, and led to other conversations.
“Mrs. Norton, what smells so divine?” asked Miss Alberts, her head tipped back as she took in a deep breath.
“Sturgeon wrapped in cabbage with a special sauce my mother taught me, fresh scorzoneras—one of Elijah’s winter favorites because it tastes so close to asparagus—and an apple pie.”
“Oh my,” exclaimed Miss Norton, “such a feast!”
They talked of the weather and the challenges of her new position, avoided any mention of her father, and then shared how the Peelers had found Eli’s grandmother.
“I was madder than a sow defending her piglets when men came around asking about my daughter. I thought the neighbors had been gossiping.” Grandmama shook her head, remembering the day.
“When they were certain who I was, they told me of Elijah and asked if I wanted to meet him. I have to say it was one of the happiest days of my life.”
Elijah grinned. “Grandmama was having some difficulty with the tavern and her home above. Taxes were due, repairs piling up, and she was alone. She called me heaven-sent when I found this place and moved her in.”
“Paddy helped me get a decent price for the business, enough to settle my debts. I feared being a burden to my grandson.” She held up a hand when Eli tried to protest. “Now that I’m settled, he needs to look to the future and a family of his own.”
Miss Norton blushed again. “Quite a tale,” she murmured. “So, no stories of Mr. Norton when he was a child?”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to ask the O’Briens for blackmail material,” his grandmother said with a wink. “More claret?”
Miss Alberts shook her head. “You have a lovely home, Mrs. Norton. Are those your sons and husband?”
“Yes, aren’t they handsome? Almost as good-looking as Elijah.”
Miss Alberts stood, her eyes narrowed as she studied another portrait. “Your mother?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at Eli.
He nodded, but his eyes were concentrated on her bare neck, its elegant arch, the kissable hollow at her throat. He held back a groan.
“She’s lovely,” Miss Alberts said quietly. “I don’t blame you for your anger at her loss, Mrs. Norton. My mother also died too young. Consumption.”
The dinner provided good food, amusing conversation, and a chance for Eli to observe Miss Alberts away from others and in the light.
Much of their time together had been spent on walks or lately in the kitchen at Hatton Garden.
He noticed certain movements of her hands, or a tilt of her head, that were uniquely her.
The change in tone when she spoke of something amusing or serious, or the way she bit her bottom lip when she was uncertain how to proceed with a thought.
She was kind, intelligent, thoughtful, and the most exquisite creature he’d ever set eyes on.
And he wanted her with every ounce of his being.
There was a reason he had been on that corner just as the carriage came swerving down the street.
Miss Clara Alberts was meant to be part of his life, meant to be his.
“Miss Alberts, do you prefer music later or games?” asked Elijah.
“Please, call me Clara or Ruby. I think we’ve become close enough friends, don’t you?” She smiled at him, then Grandmama. “I enjoy both.”
His heart thumped and the stupid grin wouldn’t come off his face.
After dessert, they returned to the parlor. “How is the missing jewelry case coming along?” asked his grandmother.
“Yes, tell us please,” said Miss Alberts.
“I went to every jeweler in the area and asked the owners to check their inventory, explaining why. Only two others had inventory missing, but again no idea for how long.” He shook his head. “There has to be an obvious link to each that I’m missing.”
They discussed the possibilities, all previously on Elijah’s list and scratched off.
“My mother used to say that sometimes we think too hard because it’s so important to us.
If we put it from our mind for a while, the answer will find us,” said Miss Alberts.
“It’s worth a try since you’ve hit a wall. ”
“On to brighter subjects. Shall we sing a bit?” asked his grandmother, rising and walking to the pianoforte. “Elijah, get one of your broadside ballads.”
“Do you sing, Ruby?” he asked, her moniker coming out more as a rasp. He loved saying the name.
“I enjoy it very much. Shall we, Elijah?” Her smile sent desire crashing through him. Bufflehead!
Eli fetched the sheet he’d left in his pocket.
Street vendors often sold the ballads, singing them on the corner to attract a crowd, then selling the publication.
He announced the tune for the lyrics, and Miss Alberts joined him next to his grandmother, who struck the first chords.
He put his arm around Ruby’s shoulders to share the lyrics more easily.
Yes, he told himself, to share the lyrics.
“This is called ‘It’s Money All Laid Out,’ sung by Alec Hurley,” he said, clearing his throat.
“I know this one!” Ruby said, grinning.
I’m very fond of peace and quiet wherever I may be,
And tidiness at home, it does my eye-sight good to see.
And when I’ve done a hard day’s work I want my rest, you’re sure,
And it’s grand, it’s great to spot this when I’m entering our door.
Chorus
There’s the missus making dumplings, the kids all singing hymns,
And last week’s heavy washing all hanging about;
When I think to marry Hannah, cost me seven and a tanner,
Then I say—it’s money well laid out.
Ruby chuckled at the chorus. Eli wasn’t surprised she had a clear high voice. His tenor blended with hers, and he rather liked how they sounded together.
I went to church one Sunday, and I thought the change was great,
But what give me the knock was when Bill Scraggs brought round the plate
He’s never liked me since I called him a mangy pup,
So when I give my bit, you should have seen his nose go up.
Chorus
There’s the missus making dumplings, the kids all singing hymns,
And last week’s heavy washing all hanging about;
When I think to marry Hannah, cost me seven and a tanner,
Then I say—it’s money well laid out.
And he had the blooming impudence to try it with his teeth,
Looked hard at me and bended the tanner about,
Well, he pinched it on that Sunday, and he got a month on Monday,
Then, I sez, it’s money well laid out.
The end of the evening came too quickly for Elijah. As he helped her with her cloak, his grandmother called to him from the kitchen. He excused himself and went to see what she needed.
“She’s lovely, Elijah,” Grandmama whispered. “Have you kissed her?”
His eyes went wide at the question. “Grandmama!”
“I’ve lived too long to mince words. You better do it before someone else does,” she said, wagging a finger at him.
He kissed the top of her head. “Promise.”
Tonight, they would not walk, he decided. He hailed a hackney and helped her inside. It was time. He sat next to her, taking her gloved hand in his.
“Ruby,” he said in a hoarse whisper, trying to tame the emotions that assailed him.
She faced him, a smile on her heart-shaped face. She placed her other hand on top of his. “Yes?”
Did she sound breathless? Devil it, nodcock, just say it.
“May I court you? I wish with all my heart that I could ask your father, but I can’t wait a year or two.” To his great joy, she nodded, her green eyes glistening. Was she crying?
He cupped her face with a hand, his thumb brushing away the tear at the corner of her eye. “I want to kiss you. Would that be—”
Her hands flew over his shoulders, and she pulled him to her, pressing her mouth to his.
Her breath wafted against his skin, and he drew in her scent of vanilla and cinnamon.
Desire slammed through him, but he vowed to slow down.
He pulled back the slightest bit and brushed his lips back and forth across hers before sliding an arm around her waist. His other hand slid across her cheek, his fingers brushing the silky hair that had invaded his dreams.
His lips moved to her jaw. He feathered kisses down her neck, and the whimper that came from her was almost his undoing. “I’ve wanted to do that for so long,” he whispered, his forehead against hers.
“I’ve wanted you to do that for just as long.” Ruby glanced up at him shyly, chewing her bottom lip.
Elijah dipped his head and kissed her again, harder, letting loose a crumb of his passion.
She tasted of apples and nutmeg. His senses were under assault: her beauty, her scent, her taste.
His hand cupped her face again, the pad of his thumb stroking the satin skin.
His tongue traced the seam of her mouth, and she opened for him.
When his tongue gained entrance, her breath caught, and he smiled as he deepened the kiss.
Her fingers tangled in the hair at his collar, her fingernails scraping his scalp, sending tiny lightning bolts to his core.
His hand moved from her face, his knuckles trailing down her slender neck, and he kissed that hollow he’d studied earlier.
Her head fell back and placed a kiss above each creamy mound.
With great reluctance, he leaned back, pulling her against him with his arm around her. She snuggled next to him.
“So, that is what a kiss should feel like,” she murmured, her eyes closed.
“Wonderful, isn’t it, Ruby?”
“With you, it is. My experience before this was quite different.”
His interest was piqued. “Tell me,” he demanded with a grin.
“I was waylaid by a boy as a girl. He surprised me and then slammed his mouth against mine, so I slapped him,” she said smugly.
“What did he do?” asked Eli, enjoying the story.
“He laughed, quite pleased he’d gotten away with it.”
“Can’t blame the boyo.” Elijah laughed too, then sobered. “And the second was with Mason?”
She nodded, squirming until she could meet his eyes, then wrinkled her nose. “It was wet. Not at all pleasant. I couldn’t see what the fuss was all about.”
“And now?” he asked, relieved the second kiss hadn’t been a frightening experience. Instead, it put Eli in an even better light.
“I think we should kiss every time we see each other.”
“I could arrange that.”
Ruby drew in a breath. “I’ve never felt like this before. Heat grows inside me, spreading up to my face, then… My stomach has a hundred wings inside, tickling and teasing me. That starts this flutter, lower…” Her eyes grew wide. “Oh my, we shouldn’t be discussing this.”
“Then sit contentedly in my arms, and we’ll enjoy the silence and the ride.”
As Ruby snuggled against his side, his fingers running up and down her arm, he knew fate had sent this woman to him. Just when she would need him most. And he had never been more grateful.