An Inconvenient Arrangement

Chapter 19: Rafe

"Oh, this feels so nefarious," Sylvie whispered to him as he let her into his house from the rear entrance. "I feel as though I am in some penny novel with all this creeping about."

Raphael did not respond but did a quick scan of his surroundings, making sure no one could see. The last thing he needed was to get caught sneaking Sylvie into his bachelor accommodations at night by a gossiping neighbor. It would be a quick trip to the church for both of them.

Why his heart leapt in his chest at the thought was something he was not too keen on examining too closely.

He put his hand at the small of her back and propelled her inward, feeling strangely protective of her. Well, surely not strange. He was responsible for her and Jane now, it was only natural that he felt the need to shield them against any harm. He frowned as her bones poked him.

She needed to eat more. He would speak to the cook at the townhouse about it.

"Do you have a hidden dungeon?" She asked as she allowed him to remove her cloak. Rafe grimaced at how thin and worn it was but bit his tongue from making an irritable comment. Fortunately, the new ones he had ordered had arrived while they had been away. Now, he only needed to force them on her, which was going to be a tedious argument. Proud little bird, if only she would let him spoil her without feeling beholden to him. She had tried to pay him back for the boarding fare at the inn, of all the preposterous things.

"No hidden dungeon," he chuckled. "Just a false panel on my office wall."

As they approached his office she paused, her eyebrows raised in a very governess-like chiding manner.

"Mayhap you ought to ensure that there are no nude women about this time."

"You will never forget that one, will you?" He sighed tiredly and led her into the office where he sat her down before removing the panel and revealing the actual wall where he had tacked up all the evidence he had collected.

"Never," she grinned at him and sat down on the chair he'd pulled out for her. Would this damn itch to kiss her ever fade? Likely not, now that he had seen her fall apart so completely on his fingers. Heard her hitches of pleasure, her quiet gasps of his name. God, he was getting hard just thinking about it.

Stop it.

He had other agendas tonight.

"Before we begin I need you to understand completely that whatever is said or shown to you in this room cannot be divulged to anyone. If I had my way, I would tell you nothing at all, but I despise lying to you. More to the fact, I have incredible difficulty lying to you, you ask too many questions. And you think too much. Not a very desirable trait in a woman, you know? God knows you make things very difficult for me, anyway." She scowled at him, her nose bunching up so he flicked it to let her know he was jesting before he gave into the fool temptation to start kissing her again. He pushed her glasses up her nose and continued, "So, the next best course of action is to involve you. To a very limited degree."

"Well I'm hardly rushing off to the Times with the news, Raphael, I am not an imbecile. Nor am I going to take up the mantle of detective with my limited capabilities."

"No," he agreed softly, his gut twisting with apprehension, his every instinct wanting to protect her from the ugly business of Thomas' death. "No, you are no fool."

"Raphael, I am no swooning miss. I can take it. Perhaps, I may even be able to help. Tell me everything."

God damn it, those eyes of two bewitching colors, so clear and sincere. He felt pinned, trapped, helpless to deny her. The rebellion in his heart grew stronger each day, those stirrings coming with more and more frequency and each time it took more and more effort to quell them.