Page 9 of How to Fall for a Scoundrel

“Ooh, a mystery!” Daisy grinned. “Say no more. I’ll go and drag Devlin away from the card tables.” She disappeared into the crowd.

Unlike Tess and Daisy, who both lived in Mayfair, Ellie and her parents lived relatively close to the Lincoln’s Inn Fields office, in Bloomsbury, near the British Museum. Her father, Baron Ellenborough, had eschewed the more fashionable parts of town in favor of being closer to the Royal Courts of Justice. The three girls had only met thanks to their common attendance at Miss Honoria Burnett’s Ladies Academy.

As soon as she arrived home, Ellie dashed off a brief note to Tess that was guaranteed to pique her interest.

New job. Urgent.

P.S. Just kissed Charles King.

Tess’s recent marriage to Justin Thornton, Duke of Wansford, had sent ripples through theton, but the two of them were blissfully happy. Daisy, Tess, and Ellie had already arranged to meet for dinner tomorrow night, but Ellie sent the note to Tess’s town house in Portman Square to urge her to come to the office in the morning. Then she went to bed, her brain whirling with memories of her unexpectedly eventful evening.

When morning arrived, she dressed with care and arrived at the office to find Daisy pacing the room with barely suppressed energy, and Tess seated calmly behind her desk, drinking a cup of tea.

Daisy’s eyes grew wide when Ellie described the events of the previous night.

“He kissed you? Right there in the ballroom, where anyone could have seen?” Her tone was one of astonished awe. “No wonder you were blushing. What a risk!”

“And then he pretended to be Charles King to Bullockand accepted the case,” Ellie confirmed. “Without even knowing what it was about.”

Daisy shook her head in wonder, and all three of them stared at Bullock’s gold watch, which Ellie had deposited on the desk. It was clear that “Henri Bonheur” had risen dramatically in Daisy’s estimation: not merely a handsome rogue, but a capable thief too.

Daisy’s criteria for what made a man attractive was incomprehensible.

“Well, apart from the fact that we don’t know who he is,” Daisy said, “his suggestion isn’t bad. Having a man around is sometimes quite useful.”

“For opening tightly sealed jars of jam?” Ellie snorted. “Reaching hard-to-access shelves?”

“I meant for solving cases. A physically intimidating specimen like him could be useful when questioning male suspects. And if you ever need personal protection, he’d make an excellent bodyguard.”

Ellie’s body heated at the memory of that particular hard body pressed against hers in the alcove. How had something that lasted less than three seconds left such an indelible impression?

“But he’s a self-confessed criminal. The antithesis of everything we stand for: justice, order, and the rule of law.”

Tess took a leisurely sip of her tea. “True, but haven’t you heard the phrase ‘a reformed rake makes the best husband’? This is the criminal version of that: a reformed thief makes the best thief-taker.”

“That’s just whathesaid,” Ellie groaned. “But wouldn’t we be foolish to trust a man like that? How do we know he’s not just using us for his own nefarious ends?”

“Like what?” Daisy scoffed.

“Tess is rich,” Ellie said. “And so is your father. Maybe he’s trying to inveigle his way into a position of trust so he can rob you both?”

“If he’s as good as he claims, he wouldn’t need to go to all that bother.” Tess took another sip of tea. “He’d have already broken in and stolen whatever he wanted to steal.”

Ellie frowned, reluctant to admit that her friend had a point. “Well, perhaps he means to ruin the business. Perhaps he’s been employed by someone we’ve annoyed to close us down.”

“Most of the people we’ve annoyed are either dead, in prison, or have fled abroad in disgrace,” Daisy said with satisfaction.

“I think his explanation makes perfect sense,” Tess added. “He’s intelligent enough to stop thieving before he’s caught, but too young to retire and sit quietly by the fire. Who can blame him for wanting a little excitement?”

“So you think we should agree to let him work on the Bullock case?” Ellie asked.

“Why not? We can tell him it’s a trial. If he’s useful, we’ll consider letting him work with us on a more permanent basis.”

“He’s unpredictable, unethical—”

“—charming, confident, suave,” Daisy finished with a chuckle. “Better to have him on our side, don’t you think?”

Ellie gave a groan of defeat. In truth, the thought of seeing “Henri Bonheur” again made her heart beat strangely in her chest.