Quicksilver - Amanda Quick [79]
“Already?” Virginia sounded breathless and a bit dazed. She slipped her hands out from under his shirt with obvious reluctance.
“Perhaps we might continue this very enlightening conversation concerning the progress of our investigation over a glass of brandy?” he suggested.
“Excellent notion.”
He smiled and raised the hood of her cloak back up over her head to conceal her tousled hair. She pulled the folds of the garment around her to hide the unhooked bodice. An edgy anticipation aroused his senses like a potent drug.
Somehow he managed a reasonably dignified exit from the carriage. Virginia’s hand trembled when he assisted her down to the pavement, but she appeared outwardly composed, as always.
He paid the driver and waved the vehicle on its way. The need to get Virginia into the house and out of her clothes was almost overpowering, but he took a moment to survey the darkened street, looking for shadows within shadows.
One particular shadow shifted in the front area below the steps of Number Seven. A hand appeared out of the darkness, waving enthusiastically.
Virginia stifled a small yelp and peered into the inky depths. “What in the world? There’s a man down there.”
“Good evening, Uncle Owen,” Matt said.
“Where’s Tony?” Owen asked.
“He’s in the garden, watching the kitchen entrance,” Matt said.
“You’re both supposed to be in the attic of the empty house across the street, damn it,” Owen said.
“This is closer to the muffins and the coffee, sir,” Matt said.
“What muffins and coffee?”
Virginia looked at him. “Owen, who is this?”
“My apologies, Virginia. Allow me to introduce my nephew, Matthew Sweetwater. He and his brother have been keeping an eye on this house for several days. Matt is the one who told me that you had not returned from the Hollister mansion the other night. Matt, this is Miss Dean.”
“A pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” Matt said respectfully.
“Mr. Sweetwater,” Virginia responded automatically. She looked at Owen. “You said you had put watchers on my house, but I didn’t realize they were your nephews.”
“Didn’t I mention that?” He took the key from her hand and opened the front door. “Must have slipped my mind. I’ve been somewhat preoccupied lately. Matt, what did you mean about getting closer to the muffins and coffee?”
“The housekeeper came out onto the front steps earlier this evening and signaled to us.”
“Oh, dear,” Virginia said. “She saw you?”
“Mrs. Crofton is a very observant woman,” Matt said. “We realized she had spotted us, so we crossed the street to introduce ourselves. She invited us in for muffins and coffee.”
“So much for instructing you in stealth and camouflage,” Owen said. “Keeping watch on this house was supposed to be part of your training.”
“Did you tell Mrs. Crofton that you were guarding the house?” Virginia asked, very anxious now.
“Yes, ma’am,” Matt said.
“She must have been horrified,” Virginia said.
“She didn’t seem horrified, ma’am,” Matt said. “She left extra muffins and coffee in the kitchen for us after she went upstairs to bed. Gave us a key. Told us to make ourselves at home.”
“She’ll probably give notice in the morning,” Virginia said. “I’m certain her previous employer did not have the sort of personal life that required men to watch her house.”
“What’s done is done,” Owen said. He opened the door and urged Virginia into the hall. “Forget my nephews and your housekeeper.”
“Easy for you to say. I’m sure, given the Sweetwater status and fortune, that you and your family don’t have any problem obtaining good housekeepers.”
Owen got the door closed. “No, we don’t. Most of our staff have been with us for years. Their parents worked in our parents’ households. The positions have descended down through the family.”
“How convenient,” she grumbled.
He peeled off his coat and hung it on a hook. “If you need a new housekeeper, I’ll see that you get one. Now, if you don’t mind, I have something else I’d rather discuss.”
“What?”
“This.”
He trapped her against the nearest