Page 19 of Beauty and the Thief

“You’ve found me, so you have,” Mr. Kelly replied easily, that lilt in his voice so musical and appealing. His breath fogged the brisk air between them, floating away like a ghost in the night.

“Do you have a few moments free, Mr. Kelly?”

The darkness made it impossible for her to see his gray-blue eyes. She’d been intrigued by those eyes when she first met him. They were an unusual color and lent a seriousness to his usual bemused expression. But she was able to see his brows, and there was no mistaking that they shot up.

“That’s an interesting question to pose to a man in the middle of the night, so it is.”

“It’s hardly the middle of the night, and I’m not asking out of curiosity,” she retorted. If her cheeks were still pink, it was from anger now rather than mortification. Why did the man have to be so difficult?

“Sure and you don’t have me schedule on your clipboard?”

“Mr. Kelly,” she said, biting back the less than ladylike rejoinder that sprang to mind, “your little quips and asides might seem charming to some, but I assure you they have a less than amiable effect on me. I’d prefer if I ask a question, you answer it directly. Especially as I’ve come all the way over here in the mid—in the dark and the freezing cold to ask it.”

“How callous of me. You must be near chilled to the bone. Here’s me coat.” He’d shrugged it off, and before she could object, draped it over her shoulders.

“Mr. Kelly! I do not need your coat.” Although, she had to admit it was warm from his body and smelled faintly of tea and cloves. “I need an answer to the question.”

“Why do you want to know?”

She blew out an impatient breath. “Baron wants to speak with you. I couldn’t care less what you do with your time.”

He looked at her for a long moment, seeming to consider. Then he said, in a very casual tone, “Take me to him.”

Thank God. She’d thought they might stand in the cold all night going around and around. “If you will follow me, Mr. Kelly, I’ll take you to the farmhouse.” She didn’t wait for him but began the long walk back to the main house. She’d deposit Callahan Kelly with Baron then slip into the kitchen for hot water and a much-needed cup of tea. She had a worn pair of woolen socks she liked to sleep in on cold nights like these, and her numb toes all but cried out for them.

Mr. Kelly quickly caught up to her, his strides being much longer than her own. “What’s happening at the main house then?”

“Baron will tell you what you need to know. If anything.”

“Something to do with Stimple and Cummings?” he asked, deftly skirting a patch of ice on the field. “You came for them earlier.”

She neither confirmed nor denied his statement. She’d worked for Whitehall long enough to know when to speak and when to keep her mouth shut.

“That doesn’t concern you, Mr. Kelly.”

“It concerned me enough that you waited outside for me. Or were you just looking for an opportunity to speak with me alone?”

She could all but hear the smile in his voice. She stopped abruptly and swung to face him. But as he’d kept walking before looking back at her, she ended up having to face forward to meet his gaze. They were closer to the farmhouse now, and she could see him more clearly. His tousled hair fell over his forehead and his eyes glittered with amusement. His full lips turned up in a cocky smile.

“You really do have a high opinion of yourself, don’t you?” she said.

He shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. She realized she was still wearing his coat, but she had no desire to give it back in that moment. Let him shiver.

“You are the last man at The Farm I wish to speak to alone. Perhaps the last man within a hundred miles. Perhaps the last man in England.”

“Sure and I rank even below the criminals in Newgate?”

She ground her teeth together. “Even below the criminals in Newgate,” she said between clenched teeth. “I sought you out because I was told to, and I follow orders, even when I despise them.” She shifted the coat off her shoulders and thrust it back at him. He caught it with one hand. “Take your coat and your arrogance and kindly refrain from speaking to me again.” She marched on ahead, leaving him at the edge of the field. But just as she reached the drive and the steps to the farmhouse, she heard his feet behind her.

“So you have a soft spot for me then?”

Bridget clenched her hands and let out a frustrated scream before opening the door to the house and stomping inside.

“Miss Murray? Did you find him?” Baron asked, coming out of the adjacent room at the sound of her arrival.

Bridget straightened, remembering herself and her position. “I did, sir. He is right behind me.”

Mr. Kelly entered the door then, pulling his coat closed. He smiled when he saw her. “You waited for me, I see.” With a wink at Baron he continued, “She has a particular regard for me.”

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