Page 56 of A Treacherous Trade

But I was beginning to suspect he didn’t hurt people because he was heartless. Did he and Aramis work so well together because they were a similar sort of broken? Or was I simply searching for an excuse for this softening of feelings for him?

I went to him, putting my hand on his arm. He tensed at the touch and regarded my gesture as if he wasn’t certain what to do with it.

“I want nothing from you, Jorah.”

His gaze snapped to mine, but he said nothing, so I continued.

“You are the only one of us who considers you in my debt, and I’m not the sort to put a price on doing the right thing.”

His jaw hardened, though his fingers reached across to trace the satin covering my knuckles. “Always so noble,” he murmured. I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or sincere.

“I’m here on behalf of a friend,” I began, unable to stand the intensity of his presence much longer.

He sighed. “And what does this… friend… want from me?”

“Nothing. If you remember, it wasyouwho foundmedownstairs in the ballroom. I wasn’t here to see you. I was waiting for Sophia.”

He blinked. “Sophia? What would your… friend want with Sophia?” A lascivious look darkened his features. “Have I read you wrong this entire time, Fiona? Do you remain unmarried because your tastes tend toward the sapphic?”

I snatched my hand away. “Some women were murdered,actually, and they both knew Sophia. All I’m looking for from her is information. Knowledge.”

He made a sound in his throat between a chuckle and a groan. “Have you switched careers in earnest, Fiona? Have you officially donned the badge of detective?”

“I hardly know what you’re talking about.” I crossed my arms.

“Surely you know you’re one of the most meddlesome women I’ve ever met.”

“That’s not true!” My hands dropped to my sides, curling into fists. “I’d rather have my nose in a book than someone else's business.”

“Unless the Ripper is whispered over a corpse.”

“He has nothing to do with this,” I said. “I’m merely doing a favor for a friend.”

He nodded, and suddenly all trace of that vulnerability I read in him was gone. Perhaps I’d imagined it in the first place.

Good. It was easier to dislike and fear him than to sympathize with him.

“Am I to understand you are back to working, then?” he asked, going to his desk and shuffling a few papers.

“Evidently,” I replied, turning away from him, needing the heat from the fire. “You’re free to resume sending me your victims, if that’s what you’re asking.”

I could feel his gaze like a cold dagger in my back, but I didn’t give him the satisfaction of my reaction.

“I will send you Sophia,” he said in a voice devoid of inflection. “But remember, Fiona, knowledge isn't always power—sometimes it's a liability.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked the flames.

“I’m warning you, that is all,” he answered, his long stride taking him to the door. “In my world, information is the primary reason corpses are delivered to your door for disposal.”

ChapterTwelve

As I waited for Sophia, I tried not to wonder how many customers she had to service before taking the time to see me.

The footman who’d assisted me downstairs ushered me out of the Shiloh Room and down a floor to a small bedroom done in greens and golds. It was neither lush nor sensual, but serviceable and neat.

Considering what might have just happened on the mattress, which was made and smoothed, I opted to sit on the trunk at the foot of the bed.

It was in these moments alone, with nothing to keep my brain occupied, that I was at my worst. Pervasive thoughts taunted me, swirling like dry autumn leaves against the wintry ground, fragmenting to litter the pathways of my mind with crunchy, untidy scraps.