Page 33 of The Hellion and the Hero

Captain Harris and Reggie exchanged a subtle glance, while Barnaby scurried behind the desk. Georgiana felt a pang of regret for sounding so cross, as the dog was terribly sensitive.

“Why don’t you sit down,” Reggie said gently.

She bristled at his tone. “I need to go to work.”

“Absolutely not,” Captain Harris said.

She swung back to face him. “Excuse me? You do not make any demands of me,sir.”

“Georgie, please,” Reggie pleaded. “You can’t possibly think that is a good idea. Not after last night.”

Reggie really did look at his wit’s end. Georgiana took in a deep breath, but the anger churning inside her didn’t fade. “I’m sorry you were scared, but I will not hide away in my house. I refuse to give whoever did this the satisfaction,” she managed to say in a relatively normal voice.

Reggie opened his mouth to protest, but the captain interrupted. “Give us a moment, Mr. Fox.”

“I’ll be in the parlor.” Reggie actually looked relieved as he left, with Barnaby following at his heels.

Good. Now they could have it out.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Georgiana turned back to Captain Harris. “I wish you had let me speak to Reggie first. He needs to be told things in a certain way. Now you’ve put him in a state.”

“Astate?” Captain Harris raised an eyebrow. “He appears to be having a perfectly reasonable response to the situation. Why do you keep trying to protect him?” he then asked softly.

Georgiana blinked, blindsided by the question. “It’s always been that way,” she said, though it wasn’t much of an explanation. That was just what Georgiana did. She managed things for everyone else. And no one ever questioned it.

“He’s a grown man. And a highly capable one at that. Under the current circumstances, I suggest you let him help you rather than worry about his reaction to the basic facts of this case.”

“Your concern is noted,” she replied tightly. “Now shall we call him back in here?”

He cast a glance toward the door. “I wanted to apologize for last night first.”

Oh.

“I acted unprofessionally. I should have left as soon as I knew you were safe.” Georgiana’s mouth dropped open. He was serious. “And my actions put your reputation at risk, as well as my own.”

Oh.

“Captain,” she began. “While I appreciate your thoughtfulness, I hardly think I was on the brink of ruination simply because you spent an hour on my chaise. One hopes it would take a bit more than that.”

As color stained the captain’s cheeks, Georgiana realized how suggestive this sounded.

“Yes, well,” he said with a short cough. “I did appreciate your help, though. I don’t usually talk about my…problems. Or my past.”

Georgiana’s heart melted as she watched him fumble for the right words. “I confess, I don’t usually talk about mine, either,” she added with a little laugh. What a pair they were.

He gave her a small smile. “I hope you understand why it’s best if we keep our distance from each other whenever possible,” he continued. “I don’t want to create any more issues for you, or do anything that could further hamper this investigation.”

Like spending more time with her. She bowed her head in disappointment. He was right, of course. So why did she feel so wretched?

“Yes, that’s sensible,” she said and glanced up.

Captain Harris was staring at her strangely. Like he wasn’t quite sure what he was looking at, but he was determined to find out. Her skin prickled with awareness, but just as he began to say something the door opened. In came Reggie followed by a maid with the tea tray. Somehow he looked even more anxious than before. “Well then? Have you told her yet?”

“I was just about to.” Captain Harris replied with barely veiled irritation.

Georgiana looked between them. “Tell me what?”

Reggie sat down beside her. “The captain and I discussed it, and we think it’s best if you leave London for a bit while we get to the bottom of this. Louie agrees, and so does Mr. Khan. I spoke with both of them this morning.”

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