“How long did Mr Hemming remain in the alley?” Eva’s strained tone conveyed her anxiety.
“Half an hour, ma’am. He walked to the door a few times, but couldn’t raise the courage to knock.”
Eva lifted her chin. “Well, I suppose that’s some consolation. Hopefully, he won’t bother me a—”
A loud bang on the front door made her jump.
Her nerves must be strung as tight as a bow.
“That might be Jonah, sir.”
Eva glanced over the bannister. “Who is it, Bardsley?”
It wasn’t Jonah, but a matron from the hospital come to offer assistance. Eva hurried downstairs to reassure the woman who explained she’d sent a porter to alert a constable.
“Have you noticed any other suspicious activity tonight?” Noah asked Bower while Eva was out of earshot. “Something besides the fact I’m standing here in nothing but my breeches.”
A flicker of a smile touched Bower’s lips. “A penny boy brought a note. I have it here in my pocket, sir.” He tapped his chest. “Mr Daventry told me to intercept anyone who came knocking.”
“Is the note addressed to Miss Dunn?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll give it to the lady when she returns.”
Noah nodded despite itching to know the contents and the identity of the sender.
“The fiend who threw the bottle, was he on horseback or foot?” Noah said.
“Foot, sir. I thought he was heading to the hospital, but then he crossed the road and disappeared into the alley. Jonah got ready to follow him, but the blackguard suddenly leapt from the shadows and hurled the bottle at the window.”
“Then he’s done this before.” Noah scratched his head. The crime bore the mark of a heartless devil. Someone who didn’t care if an innocent woman and her servants perished in a blaze. “Few men would hit the target the first time.”
“There are capable thugs for hire if one’s brave enough to enter the belly of St Giles, sir.”
The Turners employed just such men to carry out their evil threats. Yet every instinct said the scoundrels were not to blame.
“That’s all for now,” he said. “Give Miss Dunn the note and then find Jonah. I want to question the reprobate before a constable arrives.”
“Yes, sir.”
Bower hastened downstairs. Noah went to inspect Howard Dunn’s bedchamber, mindful not to tread on the shards of glass. He tore the sodden sheets and blankets off the bed, made sure the mattress and frame were not kindling and about to burst into flames. And then set about performing another important task.
“Noah!” Eva’s panicked voice echoed along the landing. She came charging into her brother’s bedchamber wearing her spectacles. “Noah, I have something to show—” She stopped abruptly when she found him sitting on the floor amid wet blankets and Howard Dunn’s ruined boots. “What on earth are you doing?”
He raised his hand and dangled a pretty topaz necklace. “I believe this is yours.”
She gasped, her eyes more dazzling than any precious gem. “My mother’s necklace! Heavens. I never thought to see it again.” She dropped to her knees beside him, snatching it from his grasp before kissing him quickly on the mouth.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her as she stared at the delicate gold scrollwork. Happiness radiated, oozed from every fibre of her being. Knots formed in his chest as he held out his hand and offered her the ruby brooch.
The gesture earned him another kiss.
God, he wished he’d found a host of sentimental treasures.
She removed her spectacles and slipped them into the pocket of her wrapper before scanning the damaged boots. “The floor looks like a cobbler’s workbench. Howard will be furious.”
“Why? When I’ve finished with him, he’ll not walk again.”
Her exuberant smile returned. “What made you search for the jewels amid all the commotion?”
Ah, now to the difficult part.
“It’s not safe here,” he said, his tone conveying the full gravity of the situation. “I need you to pack a valise. I need you to get dressed and leave with me. Now. Tonight.”
“Leave?” Confusion marred her brow. “I’ll not have the fiend drive me from my home. And where would I go? I had barely enough money to buy boots without withdrawing my invest—”
“You don’t need money. I need to keep you close until the threat passes.”
“Close?” The uncertainty in her eyes faded.
“Somewhere I know you’ll be safe.”
“Where?”
“Wigmore Street.”
“Wigmore Street?” Her breathing quickened. “But people will talk.”
“You don’t give a hoot what people think.”
“No, not about me. But I care what they say about you.”
He laughed. “It cannot be worse than what they say already.” He didn’t want her to think it was an excuse to take liberties. “You would have your own chamber. I could retire to my room in Hart Street if necessary.”
She remained silent.
Panic rose in his chest. “It would be a temporary arrangement.”
“I—I’m not sure I would cope.”
“Being in unfamiliar territory? Or are you worried I might become as obsessed with you as Hemming is?” There. The truth was better out than left to fester within.
Eva shook her head and drew her mouth into a serious line. “I’m not sure you would understand.” She gazed at the pretty necklace clutched in her hand.
“Help me understand.”
A brief silence ensued.
“Do you know what it’s like to feel powerless? To have one’s world pulled from under one’s feet, to have—” She stopped abruptly. “Forgive me. Of course you do.”
He wished he didn’t know. “You feel empty yet heavy at the same time. You blame yourself for being weak. Strive to ensure you never feel that way again.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “So many people take freedom for granted.”
“But one must question if we’re ever truly free. There is always someone to please. Someone to hold you to account.”
A sad sigh breezed from her lips. “Although stressful, this last week has been wonderful, too. I don’t want Howard to live here. I’m tired of pandering to his whims. I want to wake in the morning knowing the house is quiet, knowing the day will be pleasantly uneventful.”
“Eva, I’m just asking you to stay with me for a few days.”
“I
