Page 28 of Is This Real or Just Pretend?

Alex rubbed her bleary eyes and glanced at the clock.

Approximately two minutes had passed since she’d last looked.

She let out a frustrated sigh and leaned back in her chair.

Workdays never dragged on like this. It was only a little past three o’clock and she was ready to climb out of her skin.

Is this how her colleagues felt? No wonder everyone clambered for the doors at the stroke of five.

But there was no reason why she should be so distracted.

You know perfectly well why.

She frowned at the voice in her head. The theater was tonight.

And Lucien was supposed to attend. Though given how they had parted, she wasn’t entirely sure he would show up.

He had received her note of apology days before, and yet she’d still had no response.

Had no idea how his meeting with Benjamin had gone—though that hadn’t stopped her from imagining the two men galivanting around London together.

Perhaps even sharing a laugh at her expense.

But she forced the ugly thought aside. It was beneath her.

And there was no good reason why Lucien’s attendance should concern her.

If he was prepared to end their arrangement because she had engaged in the same business practices as she always did, then so be it.

Let him be ridiculous and offended and on his own .

Alex pushed back her chair. Enough. If she was going to waste away the afternoon, there were far better places to do it than her office.

Trouble was, she couldn’t think of anywhere to go.

If she went home, her mother or aunt would only pepper her with questions she didn’t want to answer.

And she couldn’t visit the British Museum because it would only make her think of Lucien even more, and that was not helpful.

Will was in Parliament, Phoebe was at her school, and Freddie in parts unknown…

which were all the people she knew. Alex grimaced.

How small and dull her life had become. Then, before she could stop it, the thought flitted through her mind for perhaps the hundredth time that day:

I wonder what Lucien is doing?

The near-constant refrain was slowly driving her insane. She didn’t care . Not one—

“Miss Atkinson.”

Alex blinked and turned toward the doorway of her office where Potts hovered with a nervous look on his thin face. She suspected it was not the first time he had addressed her.

She cleared her throat and sat up in her chair, as if she hadn’t been caught wool-gathering. “What is it?”

Potts stepped into the room and lowered his voice. “There is a policeman here to see you. Inspector Holland. He says it’s urgent.”

“You had better show him in, then.”

Potts nodded and hurried away.

Well, this was unexpected. She had met the detective inspector last month after he got mixed up in some business with Phoebe and Margrave. He was far too serious, even for a man in his position, and didn’t suffer fools. Alex rather liked him.

As Inspector Holland strode into the room, his eyes met hers and he nodded hello.

“Miss Atkinson. Thank you for seeing me.”

“Of course. Please sit,” Alex said as she gestured to the lone chair before her desk.

As he took his seat, his broad shoulders tightened underneath his jacket. He had the kind of muscular build that was usually found in boxers and sent young ladies into a swoon. And yet, Alex couldn’t help thinking she preferred Lucien’s lean form.

You are ridiculous.

“I’m sorry to drop by unannounced,” he began, entirely unaware of the direction of her thoughts. “But I was in the area and wanted to warn you in person.”

Alex tilted her head. “Warn me?”

“I have it on good authority that the criminal known as the Nun has indeed returned to London and was funding Fleur.”

“Oh. That. I had forgotten.”

Before Will and Phoebe came to their senses and admitted their love for each other over the summer, Will had first thrown over the daughter of his mentor, Lord Fairbanks.

The man in turn threatened to name Phoebe as Margrave’s mistress in retaliation, so Alex had taken it upon herself to buy up the earl’s debts to keep him in line.

However, unbeknownst to Alex, Lord Fairbanks had also been involved in a new private gentlemen’s club called Fleur with a shadowy Irish criminal—the Nun.

When Alex bought his debts, the earl pulled out of the club and then fled the country when he failed to pass a bill that would have targeted woman-owned brothels across the city, while leaving his own establishment untouched.

The inspector’s dark brows rose at her blasé admission. “I’m afraid you may be in danger.”

Alex waved a dismissive hand and shook her head. “The Nun’s quarrel is with Lord Fairbanks. And last I heard he was hiding out somewhere on the Continent.”

The inspector pursed his lips. “Forgive me, Miss Atkinson,” he began. “But it was your actions that led to the closing of Fleur. You cost the Nun money and possibly his foothold in the city. That will not be forgotten.”

Alex crossed her arms. “What do you want me to do about that?”

“Stay close to home until I arrest him.”

“Well, that is unfortunate because I have a business to run,” she said dryly. “I also have tickets to the theater this evening.”

And nothing short of a meteorite crashing into the city would stop her from attending.

The inspector huffed. “This is serious, Miss Atkinson. The Nun is a dangerous man and he does not appreciate competitors.”

“I am not his competitor, Inspector,” Alex said. “I simply bought up the debts of a man threatening my sister. That is good business. Perhaps this nun person should have found a more solvent aristocrat to partner with.”

The inspector blinked. Then his expression darkened.

“Is that the defense you plan to use when you are accosted in a dark alley? Or kidnapped and held for ransom? He knows you are a wealthy woman. I’ve made it clear to Margrave that Phoebe is in danger.

Winifred as well,” he added with uncharacteristic urgency.

Winifred, is it?

But Alex did not needle him about when exactly he had seen her sister, as the man was obviously in distress.

“I am not trying to be flippant,” she began, gentling her tone as much as she could.

“And I promise to take your concerns to heart. But unless you can provide some kind of evidence that I am a target, I can’t very well upend my entire life simply because a criminal who might be in London might decide to confront me.

Besides, this isn’t the first time I’ve angered a man over a business decision. ”

“The Nun doesn’t do your kind of business, Miss Atkinson.

He doesn’t follow the rule of law and isn’t interested in maintaining relationships.

He casts people aside once they have served their purpose.

And if someone gets in his way, he takes care of them.

Permanently.” The inspector shoved his chair back.

“You don’t know who you’re dealing with,” he growled.

She narrowed her eyes. This sounded personal for him. “And yet, you do.”

He avoided her gaze as he stood. “I came to you first as a courtesy,” he said, ignoring her comment. “But your father needs to hear this too.”

Alex sighed. “Fine. Do as you must.” Though she didn’t expect his reaction to be much different from her own. “But even if he is in London now, will he be caught? As I understand it, he avoided the police quite successfully for many years.”

Inspector Holland paused in the doorway and looked back at her. “Yes, because I intend to do it myself.” Then he left the room, but the cold certainty of his words hung in the air and Alex swore she felt a chill.

The Lyceum Theatre was full that evening for the production of Cymbeline and it seemed that nearly everyone wanted to stop by their box to say hello to her parents. Or Freddie. Or congratulate Phoebe and Will, who hadn’t arrived yet.

Alex toyed with the emerald bracelet on her wrist as she watched the entrance.

Normally she eschewed jewelry, but Mother had insisted it went perfectly with her gown.

For once, Alex was grateful for her mother’s jewelry box.

This blasted bracelet was the only thing stopping her from pacing the room.

“Alex,” her mother suddenly hissed by her ear. “You’ll damage the clasp if you keep that up.”

“Sorry,” she murmured and forced her hands by her sides.

Mother’s eyes softened. “He’ll come, darling. Don’t worry.”

As she patted her arm, Alex bit her lip. Mother thought she was simply nervous to see her new beau, not because she might have ruined their little sham.

If he had already come to an agreement with Benjamin, he wouldn’t need her anymore anyway.

Unless she was willing to sue him for breach of contract, there wasn’t much she could do to hold him to their arrangement.

And she wasn’t nearly desperate enough to do that.

But the mere thought of finding another man to take his place was exhausting.

And unappealing. She wasn’t good at this courting nonsense.

And it irked her to no end. Perhaps Benjamin had been right all those years ago.

I am your only option, darling. No other man will put up with you.

Her fingers clenched and she was seconds away from breaking the clasp altogether when a shadow appeared in the doorway.

Alex’s chest tightened, but it was only Will with Phoebe on his arm. Her sister was distracted, but Alex’s eyes locked with Will’s and he must have seen the flash of disappointment on her face. While Phoebe broke off to greet some dowager friend of their mother’s, Will ambled over to her.

“A pleasure to see you too,” he quipped.

Alex leaned over to give him her cheek. “I’m sorry. I thought you were Lucien.”

After giving her a friendly peck, Will pulled back. “He isn’t here?”

“Not yet,” Alex rasped.

His eyes searched her face. “Is everything all right?”