Page 18 of A Dangerous Lord (Regency Spies & Secrets 3)

Corbyn reached into his waistcoat pocket and pulled out a few coins. “Thank you for the information,” he said, extending them towards her.

Miss Polly accepted the money and slipped it into a pocket of her gown. “I assure you that it was entirely my pleasure.”

His eyes roamed her painted face. “I am glad to see that you are looking well.”

“Then you need spectacles,” she joked.

He offered her a slight bow. “Until we meet again.”

“I hope I will see you sooner rather than later, Bryan,” Miss Polly remarked.

“You will.”

While he walked over to the door, Miss Polly said, “I urge you to use caution when you go to The Gutted Fish.”

“And why is that?”

“Those men are not to be trifled with.”

Corbyn smirked. “Neither am I.”

He opened the door and stepped into the hall. As he headed towards the main entrance, Corbyn found, once again, that he had more questions than answers. Why was Hannity investigating counterfeiters? And why hadn’t he divulged that information in his last missive?

Corbyn stepped outside, tipped his head to acknowledge Donnelly, and headed towards The Gutted Fish. He knew that Oliver was investigating a radical group that would periodically meet at the pub, but he hadn’t mentioned anything about counterfeiting.

“What were you up to, Hannity?” he muttered under his breath. He knew his friend wasn’t up to anything nefarious, so there must be a logical explanation for all of this.

As he turned the corner, he saw a brown-haired young woman up ahead, dressed in a pristine pale blue gown, looking deucedly out of place, and his eyes grew wide as realization dawned on him.Jane. What in the blazes was Jane doing near the docks? And why was she unaccompanied?

He watched as she ducked into an alley next to The Gutted Fish, and he found himself increasing his stride to catch up to her.

Jane realized nowthat she may have been too impulsive in following Oliver through the rookeries. Men were watching her with interest as she passed by them, and she tried to appear unaffected by their blatant perusal. Fortunately, she still retained her reticule around her right wrist, which contained her muff pistol. She could protect herself if the situation warranted it.

But she wasn’t fooling herself. She was terrified right now. The men and women’s eyes grew even more bleak as she headed closer to the docks, and she was horrified to see children dressed in rags begging on the street. The smell wafting off the river was horrific, and she wished she had a handkerchief scented with rosewater to place over her nose.

Regardless, she could always make her presence known to her brother, and he would escort her back to the orphanage. But she didn’t want to do that… at least, not yet. She wanted to see where her brother was going.

Oliver had no reason for being in a place like this, and she was determined to find some answers. With a purposeful stride, she continued to stay a few yards behind him, ignoring the men and women brushing past her.

She watched as Oliver entered a two-level brown brick building where a sign above the door read The Gutted Fish. Stopping on the street, Jane had the sense to know that her presence in a pub wouldn’t go unnoticed, much like her presence in the rookeries.

A woman ran into the back of her and nearly knocked her over. “Watch where you’re going,” the woman warned as she continued down the narrow road.

Jane knew she couldn’t stay on the street, nor could she go into the pub. Pressing her lips together, she turned her attention towards an alley next to The Gutted Fish. Windows lined the wall of the pub, and she decided to peer inside and see what her brother was up to. She doubted he came all this way just for a drink. If that was the case, there were plenty of pubs closer to Hawthorne House.

Quickly coming to a decision, she hurried towards the alley and stepped onto the slick cobblestone. The smell of urine and excrement was overwhelming as she headed deeper into the alley. She stopped outside of one of the lower windows and peered into the hall. A fireplace sat in the middle and divided the room into two sections. Her eyes scanned the crowded room, but she saw no sign of Oliver.

Drat.

He must be on the other side of the fireplace or in an entirely different room, she mused.

A male’s voice came from next to her. “What are you looking for?”

Jane gasped as she stepped back from the window. It took her only a moment to recognize Lord Evan in the dimly lit alleyway, but she couldn’t help but notice that he was dressed quite plainly. Not that he normally dressed as a dandy. No, he always dressed the part of the gentleman that he was.

Lord Evan was a tall, broad-shouldered, yet lean, man with a square jaw. His dark hair was brushed forward, but it was a little longer than was fashionable. She had always considered him to be a handsome man.

He watched her intently, and she realized he was still waiting for her response. “You startled me,” she declared.

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