Page 25 of Crash Landing
Trajan was about to resume their conversation when a shadow outside the window caught his attention.
It was only a flicker of something. Perhaps a branch blowing across the back lawn. Or a night owl in flight.
Florence noticed his sudden tension. “What is it?”
“I don’t know. Something feels off.” He rose and crossed to the window but saw nothing in the blackness. He shook his head and sighed. “I must be seeing things.”
“We are both on edge,” she muttered. “Trajan, I had another thought.”
“Yes?”
“Frampton may have more than the packet of letters belonging to Lady Simmons. Would we not be doing a service to the Crown if we stole back any incriminating letters concerning other lords and ladies he may be extorting?”
“By all that is holy,” he muttered. “Florence, I did not want you involved in retrieving those belonging to Lady Simmons, and now you want to expand your mission to save every highly placed idiot in government?”
“It was just a thought,” she countered. “Obviously, you do not think it is a good idea.”
He laughed. “Unbelievable. Frampton is no gentleman blackmailer.First, he took shots at us, although he clearly meant them for you. Then he followed you to the Weymouth Inn. He has shown himself to be a most determined man. What do you not get about this?”
“He is a bit scary, I will admit. But why would he want to hurt me when he cannot be sure what I am after, or if I am after anything?”
“Because he thinks like a cornered animal and will do anything not to be caught. He did not coincidentally appear at the inn on a lark just as I was packing you up. He may not be certain what you are after, but he knows you are aftersomethinghe has, and hell will freeze over before he willingly hands it over to you.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you persisting?” Trajan sighed and shook his head. “He has to be worried you are digging around and getting too close to whatever illicit business he is conducting.”
“I am not happy to be doing this, but I cannot return to London without those letters.”
“You will be carried back dead if you do not stop this right now. You pose a threat to his entire operation, and men like that eliminate threats. Enough, Florence. You are a terrible liar and will never be able to talk your way out of danger if he traps you.”
She buried her face in her hands and nodded. “I understand. But how does this change anything? I cannot ignore this command from the Princess of Wales herself.”
“I’ll stand by you upon our return to London and make her see the impossibility of what she has asked you to do.”
“And if she doesn’t see it? Would you have me destroy your good name, too?”
“Do you think I care? I am not going to abandon you to the wolves.” He raked a hand through his hair. “You will have my protection for as long as you need it.”
She looked up at him, and he saw the anguish in her expression. “Thank you for being so wonderful to me, Trajan. I mean it sincerely.”
“Ah, then you are not trying to soften me up merely because I am useful to you?” he said with light teasing.
She managed a wobbly smile and a gentle laugh. “I would never do such a thing to you. But to be clear, you are proving to be more of an impediment than of use to me,” she teased back.
He supposed this was true, which was why he could not retain any anger toward Florence. She was caught up in circumstances beyond her control and doing her best to survive her assignment, while he was doing his best to keep her out of harm’s way and just have her survive.
“Please believe I am genuinely grateful to you,” she said. “Even if I am giving you a hard time about this.”
“Let’s figure out how to get you out of this mess. Anything else important for me to know?”
She blushed. “I have no idea what you mean.”
He sighed. This was going to take longer than he’d expected.
“Right, first the cocoa.” He moved from his chair to sit beside her on the settee because it was easier for him to pour the hot liquid into their cups, as well as fill their plates with the tarts and fruit set out on a small tray on the tea cart.
But that shadow by the window suddenly caught his eye again. He hadn’t imagined it.
