Free Disgrace and Desire by Sarah Mallory Page A

it, m’lady. Looked everywherefor that danged package but it’d gone, and nothing in its place! I think it— what the devil! ’
    The groom pulled up in the doorway, his eyes popping. As he looked around for some sort of weapon Jack eased himself away from Eloise and waved the pistol.
    ‘Perkins, isn’t it? I beg you will not try to overpower me again,’ he said pleasantly. ‘You would not succeed, you know.’
    Eloise struggled to her feet.
    ‘I did not untie him,’ she said, feeling the groom’s accusing eyes upon her. ‘But he is not our villain. The fact that the package is gone confirms it.’
    ‘He might have an accomplice,’ said Perkins, unconvinced.
    ‘Believe me, I mean your mistress no harm,’ said Jack, standing up and dropping the pistol back into his pocket. ‘I want to help, but to do that I need to know just what is going on.’
    He drew out his handkerchief and pressed it cautiously to the back of his head. Eloise saw the dark stain as he took it away again. She said quickly, ‘Yes, but not now. First we must clean up that wound.’
    ‘My man will do that for me when I get back to town.’
    ‘Then let us waste no more time.’
    She clutched at his sleeve and led him outside, leaving Perkins to put out the lamp and shut the door.
    ‘Can you walk?’ she asked. ‘Do you need my groom to support you?’
    ‘No, I will manage very well with you beside me.’ She felt his weight on her arm. ‘I am not too heavy for you?’
    ‘I helped carry you,’ she retorted. ‘You were much heavier then.’
    She heard him laugh and looked away so he would not seeher own smile. She was not yet ready to admit to a truce. They continued in silence and soon the carriage lights were visible in the distance.
    ‘Did you ride here?’ asked Eloise.
    ‘Yes. My horse is tethered to a bush, close to your carriage.’
    ‘Give Perkins your direction and he will ride it back to the stable.’
    ‘And just how is he to get back?’ demanded the groom.
    ‘He will travel back with me in the carriage.’ Eloise bit her lip. ‘I think I owe Major Clifton an explanation.’
    Jack followed Eloise into the carriage and settled himself into the corner, resting the undamaged side of his head against the thickly padded squabs. The coachman had orders to go carefully, but the carriage still rocked and jolted alarmingly as they made their way back towards town. He peered through the darkness at his fellow passenger.
    ‘Are you going to tell me the truth now, madam?’
    There was silence. He thought he detected a faint sigh.
    ‘This morning I received a letter,’ she said at last, ‘asking me to put one hundred guineas under the roots of a fallen tree on Hampstead Heath. The instructions were quite explicit.’
    ‘And what did you expect to get for your money?’
    ‘The—the return of a diary. When I went into the Clevedons’ garden last night it was because I had received a note, instructing me to do so. At the base of Apollo I found a piece of paper. It was a page torn from a…a very personal diary.’ There was a pause. ‘I discovered it was missing last year, but with all the grief and confusion over Allyngham’s death, I thought it had been destroyed.’
    ‘I see. I take it you do not wish the contents of this journal to become public?’
    ‘That is correct.’ The words were barely audible.
    ‘And what is it you wish to keep secret, madam?’
    There was an infinitesimal pause before she said coldly, ‘That you do not need to know.’
    ‘I do if I am to help you to recover the book.’
    ‘If you had not interfered tonight I might already have it back! Who knows but your untimely appearance frightened off the wretch?’
    ‘He was not too frightened to take your money,’ Jack retorted.
    ‘Well…mayhap he will return the book to me tomorrow.’
    ‘You are air-dreaming, Lady Allyngham. In my experience this type of rogue will keep on demanding money until he has bled you dry.’
    ‘No!’
    ‘Yes.’ He