A Lady of Letters (32 page)

Augusta's mouth twisted into a rueful grimace. "Not half mad, I'm sure. Entirely mad."

"You should never have entered in this room."

"Well, it was too late. I was already here when the two of you, er, made an appearance.

"You could have slipped back out the window."

She couldn't keep her eyes from jerking up to meet his. "And leave you here at Ludlowe's mercy?" Her thumb came up to touch lightly at the corner of his mouth. "You are hurt. I'm sorry I had to let him go on like that with you, but it was vital that he tell us everything."

For an instant, an expression flashed in their hazel depths that made Sheffield dare to hope all was not lost between them.

"Leaving me in his clutches would have been what I deserved, considering—" he began, only to be interrupted by the muffled sound of pounding at the front door. At the same time, a head appeared at the mullioned windows and there was a tapping at the glass. Swearing under his breath, the Earl went over and flung it open.

"When ye didn't show up guv, I took the liberty of sending fer Bow Street. Stevie stuck te the lady, like ye's ordered and follered her here." A scruffy looking fellow craned his neck and took in the fallen form of Ludlowe. "Looks like ye got things settled without der help, but at the sound of the shots they's gone ahead and broken in the front door."

"You did the right thing, Jones." The Earl turned to Augusta. "You had best be out of here before they come in," he said softly. "My man will see you safely home."

"But we must search the desk for further proof, and question—"

The tramp of hurried steps echoed from the hallway. "You may trust me to do all those things. Please don't argue with me on this, Gus." Sheffield took her arm and drew her toward the window. His mouth quirked into a faint smile. "Now, if you will just leave the way you came in."

She swung one foot up over the sill. "Will you promise to... send around a note and let me know what happens."

He nodded. "I promise you will hear of everything."

The other leg went up, and Jones reached to help her down.

"Gus."

She turned around.

His lips came down hard on hers for an instant, then he propelled her into the other man's waiting arms.

Augusta paced back and forth before the fire, her eyes straying to the clock on the mantel every few minutes. "Damnation," she muttered aloud. It was nearly midmorning and she still had heard no word from the Earl. Surely he could have taken the time to pen a short note to inform her that the culprit was finally locked away and the authorities were beginning to move against the unscrupulous mines.

She sighed. No doubt it would be the last bit of correspondence she would ever receive from him. Wandering back to her desk, she picked a letter at random from the neat pile lying on the blotter and began to read. Each word on the paper seemed to burn a hole in her heart. Lord, she would miss their intimate exchange of thoughts.

But even more, she would miss his company in the flesh. It felt as if he had become almost a part of her, yet she must resign herself to giving him up, no matter how much the void ached. They were too different to fit together comfortably. Hadn't she seen the sparks fly often enough to know that? And hadn't their hot words left raw scars on each other? She mustn't fool herself into thinking his kiss of last night was fired by anything other than the heat of the chase.

A discreet knock on the door caused her to brush a tear from her cheek. She hastily shoved all of the letters into the top drawer and pushed it closed. At least, she would have the pleasure of seeing his distinctive script once more. "Come in, Jenkins," she called. "I have been waiting for—"

Her words died in her throat as Sheffield entered instead of the butler.

"Oh!" Augusta turned to hide the quiver of her lips.

"I thought you would like to know what the authorities are planning." He shifted his weight from one foot to another. "It would have entailed a rather long letter, so I thought I may as well stop by myself."

"Of course."

"With what Ludlowe told us last night and the number of documents found in his desk, there will be no trouble in arresting the owners of the mines. His cohorts will find their way to the gallows as well. And the children will be returned to their families." He gave a sigh. "Though I fear not all."

"No." This time, at least, she had a good excuse for the tear that spilled to one cheek. "We could not save the all. I... I wish I could have done more." She reached up to brush it away, but the Earl was suddenly close by and his fingers came up gently against her skin.

"You have done more than any one person could be expected to do. Not only did you stop this monster, but your eloquent writings have raised the public's awareness of the horrors of child labor enough so that it may never happen again."

"But... But much of the credit for that rests with you as well."

"Only because you encouraged me to take action."

Augusta drew in a long breath and looked away into the fire. "It doesn't really matter who is responsible. All that counts is that Ludlowe has been stopped."

"He is safely locked away in Newgate." Sheffield was so close to her shoulder that she could feel the warmth of him through her gown.. She started to move away but his hand touched her arm. "Gus. About last night..."

"You needn't apologize. I know the heat of the chase makes us do things we wouldn't normally do."

He stared at her for several moments. "You know, the heat of the chase is now over."

"Yes, I suppose it is."

His arms came around her. "Then why do you suppose this is happening?" he murmured as his lips grazed over her cheekbone.

"I... I don't know."

"Mmmmm. Take an educated guess." A gossamer kiss lingered on the lobe of her ear.

Her legs suddenly felt very wobbly. "But you do not even like me! You said—"

"You are all too aware of my damnable temper. I say a good deal of things I don't meant when I am angry. And even worse things when I am hurt."

Augusta bit her lip. "I hurt you?"

"You seemed so indifferent to me in the flesh. It was hard to bear, as I desperately wanted you to care for the real me as much as you seemed to esteem my ghost on paper."

"Oh Alex." Her arms had stolen up around his neck and she pressed her face against his shoulder. "If I acted indifferently it was because I was afraid to show you even a hint of how much I had come to... esteem you. I thought you might find an aging, ungainly spinster's attention unwelcome."

"You think yourself unattractive, Gus?" He gave a soft laugh. "At last I have found a subject about which you are totally wrong."

"But I am too... sharp in all the wrong places."

"No, my dear, you are exactly right in every way. Sharp where it counts, soft and rounded just where you should be." He tilted her chin up and ran his mouth along the line of her jaw.

"I... I suppose I must defer to your greater knowledge in these things."

He gave a chuckle. "A wise decision."

Augusta was silent for moment. "Does this mean we can still be friends? That is, can we still correspond like before?

"I am afraid not...."

She tried to hide the disappointment that pinched at her face.

"You see, my man of affairs has said I am spending far too much on ink and paper." He gave a crooked grin. "So I really must insist that we continue our relationship in the flesh rather than in letters, my dear. If you remember, I had suggested that we meet to discuss our ideas over a glass of port—would you care to make that every night?" His grin widened, though there was a touch of vulnerability beneath the humor. "Although I'm afraid it would have to be our own library, for White's is out of the question."

The light that came to Augusta's eyes put his fears to rest. "For now, perhaps," she answered, a mischievous smile of her own stealing across her features. "However our next crusade could be—"

He interrupted with a mock groan. "And my friends already think I am a candidate for Bedlam. Imagine what they will say when I propose that females be admitted to the clubs! But that is a discussion for some other time. At the moment, we have something far more important to resolve."

She held her breath.

"I needn't waste my breath telling you all my faults and weaknesses, for you have them all down in writing. You also know all my fears in life, and doubts, as well. But there is one thing of which I have no doubt—I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you become my wife as well as my best friend, Gus?"

"Oh Alex, I should like it above all things. I think I have been in love with you since that first curse popped out of your mouth." She hugged him very tightly, then looked up and bit her lip. "But I must warn you. I doubt I shall be able to change. You already know I am headstrong, opinionated and sharp-tongued. And not very obedient."

He couldn't repress a laugh. "I hadn't noticed."

When her own soft laughter had died away, she ventured to speak again. "There is also the matter of Firebrand. Perhaps you would not wish a wife who would insist on writing such incendiary things? For I would, you know. Not even for you could I give up expressing what I believe in."

He became very serious. "You cannot imagine that I would try to prevent you from doing that which is so very much a part of you. Besides, I have quite a fondness for our fiery friend. After all, it was he who introduced us."

"You are not afraid of the sparks that sometimes fly between us?

"On the contrary. They will keep our marriage from ever burning down into bed of cold coals. In truth, my love, I cannot conceive of a better match." His mouth took hers in a long, lingering kiss. "Have you an answer for me?"

Augusta reached down and picked up her pen. Grabbing a fresh sheet of paper, she dipped the nib in the ink and scribbled a single word across it.

Yes.