Page 49 of Seduced By a Scoundrel

“And I have no wish to stay locked away until you see fit to release me,” Jeremy snapped in return.

It was all Derrek could do not to growl and march Jeremy back into the bedchamber. He marshalled his temper as best he could to say, “Please do not put yourself in danger.” Jeremy continued to look defiant, so he added, “There is much for you to enjoy here at The Chameleon Club. You have not formalized your membership in The Brotherhood as of yet, I believe. I am certain Cecil, that is, Lord Thurleigh, would be delighted to assist with your initiation.”

“Initiation?” Jeremy asked, one eyebrow raised suspiciously.

It was a tiny thing, but it made Derrek laugh, breaking the unbearable tension between them. “Not that sort of initiation,” he said with a rakish look. “Though if you wish to be initiated more fully, I can arrange for that later.”

Jeremy seemed to relax at the ribald comment and almost smiled. Derrek took that opportunity to lean in and kiss him quickly, but he truly had urgent matters at Scotland Yard to see to.

“I will most likely be back by luncheon,” he sighed. “We can dine together and discuss what happens next.”

“Yes, I am eager to discuss that,” Jeremy said, his tone slightly lighter.

Derrek kissed him once more, then turned to leave before the mood between them could turn sour again. He had no great desire to keep his dove under his thumb, but he did want to keep him safe. If he had had more of a care with Joseph and had forbidden his lost love from venturing into the diseased parts of town then perhaps Joseph would still be with him.

He shook himself out of that thought as he descended to the ground floor of the club and walked swiftly past the ballroom-cum-dining room. He would find a bun seller somewhere out and about in the city to break his fast. In that moment, he did not want company or any of his friends asking for particulars about his situation with Jeremy. He wanted to get what was coming over with.

Every dreary assumption he had about what Anderson might have to say to him was proven true almost from the moment he stepped into the inspector’s office.

“I cannot have officers in the employ of Scotland Yard disappear for months without warning or notice,” Anderson lectured him as Derrek stood at attention in front of the man’s desk. “Informing a junior that you would be gone is not an appropriate way of announcing any sort of special endeavor. An endeavor that seems highly suspicious to my reckoning,” Anderson added with extra emphasis. “Who is Mr. Wilkes to you?”

It was the question Derrek had been expecting. “He is a man whose life is in danger,” he said, eyes straight forward. “I am duty-bound to protect those who cannot protect themselves.”

“Your duty is to me and to Scotland Yard,” Anderson said, on the verge of losing his temper.

Anderson was correct, of course. In the cold light of day, without the excitement of the moment or the haze of affection clouding his judgement, Derrek could see how irresponsible his actions had been.

“It is not so much that Mr. Wilkes was and continues to be the target of this plot,” he tried one last effort to exonerate himself, “it is the fact that one of the men I believe to be involved is a villain involved with a case I thought I’d settled two years ago.”

“Explain,” Anderson said, giving no explanation about whether he would accept any explanation.

“Lord Albert Howard of Maidstone Close,” Derrek said. “He and his father, Lord Linton, departed for the Continent after it was proven they were involved in a kidnapping and in the besmirching of a woman’s honor.” That was as detailed as Derrek dared to be with what Lord Albert had done to Lady Suzanne. Of course, it likely helped nothing that the entire operation had been a private matter not connected directly to the Met.

Anderson frowned. “So you are not engaged in wickedness with Mr. Wilkes?” Anderson asked. “Because there have been whispers about you, Talboys.”

That simple statement rang out like a nail being driven into a coffin.

“I can assure you that I have done nothing wrong or inappropriate, sir,” he said, well aware that it was not a denial.

Anderson narrowed his eyes and studied Derrek. “I have no choice,” he began. Derrek held his breath in the silence before Anderson went on with, “I must accept your resignation from the Metropolitan Police Department.”

It was all Derrek could do not to gust out his breath and wilt with relief. Anderson was granting him a boon by allowing him to resign. “Thank you, sir,” he said.

Anderson was still stony-faced as he said, “You’ve served well over many years. It is a shame that it has come to this, but whatever the truth may be, you do not deserve to hang.”

Derrek swallowed hard. “No, sir. Thank you, sir.”

That was, in essence, the end of the matter. There were papers to sign and protocols to observe, but by noon, Derrek walked out of Scotland Yard no longer a policeman.

He should have been devastated. The career he’d worked for and hoped to engage in for the remainder of his days had been snapped short. Except that of late he had not been certain he wished to continue in the direction he’d always gone. Being with Jeremy and becoming a member of The Brotherhood had brought new ideas and new possibilities into his life.

He had a paradoxical spring in his step as he walked back toward The Chameleon Club, pondering the world of choices that suddenly lay open before him. He could use the skills and connections he’d gained as a policeman for the specific purpose of protecting men like him and Jeremy. He’d been damned lucky that Anderson was willing to let him walk away without further investigation into the things he’d heard about him. Not many men would be so lucky, but if there were a way to help those men….

Derrek contemplated a thousand ideas for what he could be and who he could help as he returned to Park Lane. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he did not notice the carriage that stopped several yards in front of him nor the man who stepped down from it until Sir John Conroy turned partially in his direction.

Derrek stopped where he was, nearly causing the man who had been walking a few steps behind him to run into him. He watched Conroy, braced for some sort of attack on the man’s part. But after a few seconds, it became apparent that Conroy did not know who he was, nor did his business have anything to do with him.

That was about to change.

---