To Love a Thief (9 page)

Damn, but being a viscount certainly made things difficult. In his old life, he would’ve been able to steal a kiss—or more—by now. He supposed he could’ve yesterday at her town house. However, the timing had been extremely poor. He wasn’t the sort of man who kissed someone after her house had been robbed.

A footman opened the door, and Daniel made his way inside. The interior was filled with important, wealthy, privileged men. Men with whom Daniel barely felt comfortable. Being here  at White’s, amidst all of the history and pomp, had been very intimidating at first, but now it was just … necessary. If he wanted to be an influential member in the House of Lords, he needed to participate in all the trappings of being a lord. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy the political discussions he often engaged in here, particularly when he was able to bend someone’s ear about the need for police reform or the deplorable conditions in London’s prisons, especially the “hulks” bobbing in the Thames, carrying thousands of prisoners in their filthy depths. No, it was everything else that taxed his patience—the betting book, the gambling, the excessive drinking. He’d seen enough of that behavior during his constable days and he’d seen it executed by far better sots than these pretenders.

Aldridge hailed him from a table on the other side of the room. Daniel made his way toward the man who’d been such a good friend and confidant the past two years. He never could’ve navigated the breach from constable to viscount without his help. And now he had to accept the possibility that the man could be a criminal. He gave his head a mental shake. No, that couldn’t be possible. Aldridge might’ve had no knowledge the items had been stolen. At worst, he’d purchased stolen property, and he’d refused to acknowledge it to Jocelyn because he was embarrassed to have been caught.

But what of the watch fob he’d been wearing today? If he were truly embarrassed, Daniel would think he’d either return the fob to Jocelyn or at least hide it away. Instead, he’d worn it quite blatantly.

“Carlyle, I’ve ordered our usual.” A bottle of ten-year-old Highland whisky sat in the middle of the table. Aldridge poured him a tumbler. “Good to see you.”

Daniel sat and accepted the glass. “Thank you.” He took a swig, savoring the smoky tang as it slid down his throat. He never could’ve afforded such luxury as a constable. Peerage definitely had its benefits.

Aldridge sipped his whisky. “You know I’ve always guided you well, don’t you?”

“Of course, and I appreciate your help.”

Aldridge nodded vigorously. “Certainly, my boy, certainly. There’s no easy way to say this, so forgive my candor. Miss Renwick would be a perfectly acceptable wife if you were Constable Daniel Carlyle. However, you’re now Viscount Carlyle, peer of the realm. You should set your sights much higher. You
need
to.”

It came as no surprise that Aldridge would want to steer him away from Jocelyn. If matters did progress with her, he hadn’t the foggiest notion how things would go with the earl. And he didn’t want to have to choose one over the other. Although, if Aldridge were somehow involved in the theft of Jocelyn’s things, or if he refused to recognize they were rightfully hers, Daniel was going to have a difficult time maintaining their friendship.

He set his glass on the table, but kept his fingers curled around the base. “Does it really matter who I marry, provided she isn’t a pariah?”

“Absolutely,” Aldridge said, his eyes full of fiery conviction. “It’s of the utmost importance. You need a wife who can manage your households, preside over social events, and make dukes feel comfortable.”

“You don’t know whether Miss Renwick can or can’t do any of those things.” Neither did Daniel, but he suspected she could—and well.

Aldridge leaned forward, his forearms braced on the table as he cradled his glass of whisky between his hands. “Here’s what I do know: During her Season two years ago, she was immediately marked as Trouble. With an impertinent mouth and flirtatious nature, she quickly gained a reputation as a … loose female.”

She did all that in a fortnight? Daniel had expected Aldridge to disdain his growing interest in Jocelyn, but he hadn’t been prepared for all-out warfare. “I have to think you’re exaggerating,” he said softly, but with an edge.

Aldridge set his glass down and gestured with his hands, as he was wont to do when he was engaged in a conversation he cared deeply about. “I’m only telling you the truth. If you marry her, many will think less of you for it, and it will be difficult for you to effect the change you want. I know how committed you are to creating a true police force, and how much you care about improving the conditions of our prisons. Are you prepared to abandon those endeavors for a woman whose virtue may or may not be pure?”

Daniel’s hackles rose, and he gripped the whisky glass like a weapon. “Careful. I won’t have you impugn an innocent’s reputation.”

“Carlyle, how well do you know this girl? You’ve only just met. I have it on good authority she was in London looking for a husband because she’d been thrown over by someone in Kent. Someone with whom she’d already been intimate.”

Outrage on her behalf threatened to spill forth from his mouth, but he kept himself in order. With a composure he didn’t feel, he took a healthy drink of his whisky. When the fire reached his belly, he allowed the warmth to calm his rising temper. “How could you know such a thing?”

“Lady Margaret Rutherford has infallible information about everybody.”

Lady Margaret was the most feared gossip in London and perhaps all of England. A spinster with a supposed network of informants that would likely rival his own, her
on-dit
s were generally accepted as truth, even if the majority of them bordered on the malicious.

Aldridge plucked up his whisky and downed the remainder. Then he reached for the bottle and poured another glass. “I’m only asking you to listen to my counsel. We’ve known each other awhile now, and I only have your best interests at heart. I should hate for you to ignore my advice—which is coming purely from my concern for your welfare—and suffer the consequences.”

Daniel couldn’t ignore the man’s earnest plea. He did know the earl far better than he knew Jocelyn. And he had to admit she did have an impertinent tongue. He’d seen evidence of it just that afternoon. Could the rest be true? He doubted it. And more importantly, it was of no consequence, at least not to him. However, he also recognized he couldn’t be the viscount he wanted to be if he married someone who would be scorned. Furthermore, he
had
caught her stealing. It didn’t matter that she’d been taking items she believed were hers, she’d bent the law in her favor.

His insides twisted. Hadn’t he bent the law on countless occasions? He knew Odette and his other informants were criminals, could have sought their arrest on any given day. But he hadn’t. He’d accepted that he had to allow a little wrong to do a lot of right. How was that different from her actions?

“My lord?” A footman arrived at their table, breaking into Daniel’s internal discussion. “I have an urgent note for you.” He handed Daniel a folded parchment.

With a frown, Daniel accepted the paper from the footman’s gloved hand. “Thank you.”

He unfolded the missive and read the hastily written lines:

Please come at once.

Jocelyn

He stood quickly, nearly knocking his chair over. Jocelyn might not be the right viscountess, but he already felt more strongly about her than he had any other woman. “Please excuse me.”

Aldridge got to his feet as well. “What’s wrong? May I be of assistance?”

“No, I have to go. I’ll take your counsel into account.” His heart pounded, and his muscles grew tense and tight. It was all he could do to walk sedately from the club.

JOCELYN paced the small entry hall waiting for Daniel to arrive. Her thoughts went from what she’d found upstairs to the encounter with Aldridge at the park to the delightful flirtation she’d shared with Daniel. Her blood warmed at the thought of seeing him tonight, and for that reason alone she was glad she’d found the clue.

A sharp rap drew her from her reverie. She rushed to the door and opened it wide.

Light from the entrance hall illuminated Daniel’s face—his dark blue gray eyes, his strong, square chin, and that bottom lip she still wanted to nibble.

He immediately crossed the threshold and closed the door behind him. “Where’s Moss?” His voice was filled with alarm.

The smile forming on her lips died upon hearing his concern. “In the kitchen with Mrs. Moss. I told him I’d answer the door.”

He frowned down at her. “Do you think that’s wise, given what happened here? I don’t want you doing that again.”

That he cared so much for her welfare warmed her to her very soul. Her smile crept back. “I won’t. I promise.”

“But you’re all right?” He put his hands on her shoulders and grazed them down her arms to her elbows, which he clasped gently.

His touch made her move closer to him. “I’m fine.”

He frowned again. “Your note could’ve said so. I was worried.”

Oh, dear. She’d dashed that note off without thinking. She should’ve added that she’d found a clue. But his solicitude felt so nice, she was perversely glad she hadn’t. “I’m sorry. Next time I’ll be clear.” She grinned up at him. “I’ve found a clue! Come!”

She turned and, without thinking, took his hand to lead him up the stairs. When he didn’t follow, she stopped and turned back. He was staring at their joined hands. Then he seemed to come back to himself and stepped toward the stairs. Stifling a happy smile, she took him upstairs to her former bedchamber.

He paused again at the threshold and, disappointingly, dropped her hand. “Where is Mrs. Harwood?”

Jocelyn moved inside, but he remained at the door. “Abed already.” Was he hesitating because of propriety? “Come in and see, I found a knife under the bed.”

Daniel hastened to join her and knelt at the end of the four-poster where she stood.

She lowered herself to kneel beside him. “I came to remove the last of my things to my new chamber, and I saw a flash beneath the bed. It was the blade of a knife.”

He reached under the bed and pulled the weapon into the light of the lantern she’d set on the dresser. He stood, and she moved up next to him in order to see the weapon. The blade was maybe six inches, but the handle was the truly remarkable part. It was in the shape of a dragon with red-jeweled eyes and had a tail that curved to form a rounded hilt.

“It’s so unusual,” she said. “I questioned the servants after I found it. Nan said she was in here tidying when the thieves came in and hauled her downstairs. She believes one of them may have dropped it.”

Daniel frowned at the weapon. “I recognize this knife. It belongs to a man I arrested several years ago, Nicky Blue. I’ll go and see him at once.” He turned as if he really meant
at once
.

She rushed around him and blocked his exit. “Wait! Where are you going? May I accompany you?”

His brow furrowed, and his gaze had turned quite dark. “St. Giles, and hell no. Pardon my language. It’s not an appropriate place for a lady, especially at this hour.”

St. Giles? Even she knew that was one of the worst places in all of London. “I shall worry for your safety.”

His features softened a bit, but he diverted his gaze from hers. “Don’t, I’m quite comfortable there and no one will bother me. They know I’m a constable—or was a constable.”

Yes, there was definitely something wrong tonight. And being who she was, she couldn’t simply let it go. “Are you still angry with me about what I said to Lord Aldridge earlier? I’m sorry, but it was just so jarring to see my father’s watch fob on his person. Particularly when he knows I know he had my things.”

“No, I’m not angry.” His eyes found hers again, and she could see that he was telling the truth. He wasn’t angry, but he was
something
.

“Will this knife help me get my fob back?”

“Perhaps.” Daniel took her hand—maybe he was all right after all—and said, “Don’t worry. I’m not going to let anyone bother you again. Bow Street is keeping an eye on your house.”

She clasped her fingers around his, wanting to keep him with her for as long as she could. Bow Street was fine, but he was better. “They are?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.” She moved a bit closer to him and placed her other hand on his upper arm. “I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t met you. It’s been so long since anyone has sought to take care of me.” Then she knew she couldn't let him go without the kiss that had been simmering between them since yesterday.

She stood on her toes and watched him watch her. His eyes were dark, unreadable. Then she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his. He was soft and warm, and desire flashed through her, bright and hot.

She laid her hand atop his shoulder and opened her eyes. His gaze was still dark, but his lids had lowered, giving him a rich, seductive look. Her pulse quickened.

“Jocelyn,” he breathed. It wasn’t a question, but a warning, as if he were trying to stop himself.

But she didn’t want him to.

She curled her hand around the back of his neck and tilted her head to the side. Closing her eyes once more, she kissed him again.

This time, his hands came around her waist and he hauled her up against his chest. His lips moved over hers with insistent pressure. Where he’d let her kiss him the first time, this was him taking control. She clutched at his head as if her life depended on it, and maybe it did. She’d never felt such delicious sensation, such heat swirling through every part of her. The contact of his chest against her breasts was new but so exciting. She wondered how it would feel with nothing between them.

Then he completely distracted her thoughts by sliding his tongue along the crease of her mouth. She opened instinctively, and he swept inside. Oh. This … She was dumbstruck. He was all heat and velvet and bliss. Thank God he was supporting her weight; otherwise she would’ve melted into the floor.

His tongue caressed her mouth, coaxing her to join him in the dance. Tentatively, she touched her tongue to his. He brought her into his mouth, showing her how to kiss him back as thoroughly and divinely as he was kissing her. She never imagined it could be so lovely. So enchanting.