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Authors: Cindy Spencer Pape
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Are we certain he did it on purpose?” Amy bit her lip, still having a hard time accepting that the sergeant had done such a despicable thing.
Kendall gave her a grim smile. “You’d be surprised at the authority vested in the Order. But I don’t want to try to take him alone, not with a houseful of innocent bystanders. I’ll take you and the others to the hotel and come back with a couple policemen.
Amy wanted to argue, but she agreed that Caro and Nell needed to be away from here. It seemed they wouldn’t leave without her, so she found herself being bundled off to the Bedford Hotel, Brighton’s foremost accommodations.
Tom and the footman had gone with Kendall to consult with the local constabulary, taking the massive clockwork dog with them. It galled Amy to sit and wait, but she did, taking tea in a private sitting room with Caro and her older children, while the little ones napped nearby. This was why she hadn’t planned to marry, she reminded herself, even while she was fascinated by what she learned about the Hadrian family and the Order of the Round table. She hated being relegated to sitting and waiting. When Kendall stopped back and asked Nell to come help pack up Peterson’s belongings, Amy began to silently think of ways to punish him for leaving her behind.
Peterson, damn him, was nowhere to be found. Kendall questioned the other residents of the boarding house and found none of them had seen the man since breakfast. Kendall talked Mrs. Bennett and the Stapleton sisters into checking into a hotel—at his expense—on the pretext of a toxic chemical spill in the attic. They’d promised to notify the bookseller on the way and take him as well. Only Mr. Saunders saw through their ruse and remained behind.
“Knew the blighter was up to no good.” The grizzled veteran helped box up the contents of Peterson’s workshop, under the strict supervision of Tom and Nell. Nothing else of interest was found. It seemed his source of power was with him, wherever he was. Interestingly, the scrap on his workbench looked more like he’d been making jewelry than mechanical toys. Whatever it was, Kendall got a sick feeling from touching the scrap gold—similar, if not nearly as potent as the one he’d gotten from the horse. Nell shook her head—there was no phantom, though the man was certainly up to no good. But where was he? And what did he plan to do next?
Finally, Nell was returned to her mother, and Saunders and a constable were left to watch the house and send word if Peterson approached. Kendall, Tom and an older inspector went to check the rail and dirigible stations. All Kendall could think of was that he couldn’t let the bastard get his hands on Amy. This wasn’t even about duty or his work. It had become personal.
Bloody hell, when had he gone and fallen in love? And in just one night?
Suddenly, even the idea of marriage and children sounded a whole lot better than living without her. In less than twenty-four hours, his world had turned upside down.
Chapter Five
Amy walked along the beach promenade with a young boy on either side of her, one extolling the virtues of the local steam tram, while the other, a far more serious lad, peppered her with questions about the processes of photography. The Hadrian children never seemed to slow down, but she found herself enjoying their company.
“Jamie, I’d be happy to take you for a ride on the tram, but first we have to return to your family with these ices.” Each of them carried a tray of shaved-ice treats. “Piers, I find the calotype is still the best for outdoor photography, as you don’t have to carry your developing equipment and chemicals with you, but you’re right, it lacks the detailed clarity of glass-plate negatives.”
“I need to use the retiring room,” Piers said suddenly as they passed that public convenience. “Can you hold my tray for a moment, miss?”
“Of course.” She had two hands. When Jamie decided to join
Kendall gave her a grim smile. “You’d be surprised at the authority vested in the Order. But I don’t want to try to take him alone, not with a houseful of innocent bystanders. I’ll take you and the others to the hotel and come back with a couple policemen.
Amy wanted to argue, but she agreed that Caro and Nell needed to be away from here. It seemed they wouldn’t leave without her, so she found herself being bundled off to the Bedford Hotel, Brighton’s foremost accommodations.
Tom and the footman had gone with Kendall to consult with the local constabulary, taking the massive clockwork dog with them. It galled Amy to sit and wait, but she did, taking tea in a private sitting room with Caro and her older children, while the little ones napped nearby. This was why she hadn’t planned to marry, she reminded herself, even while she was fascinated by what she learned about the Hadrian family and the Order of the Round table. She hated being relegated to sitting and waiting. When Kendall stopped back and asked Nell to come help pack up Peterson’s belongings, Amy began to silently think of ways to punish him for leaving her behind.
Peterson, damn him, was nowhere to be found. Kendall questioned the other residents of the boarding house and found none of them had seen the man since breakfast. Kendall talked Mrs. Bennett and the Stapleton sisters into checking into a hotel—at his expense—on the pretext of a toxic chemical spill in the attic. They’d promised to notify the bookseller on the way and take him as well. Only Mr. Saunders saw through their ruse and remained behind.
“Knew the blighter was up to no good.” The grizzled veteran helped box up the contents of Peterson’s workshop, under the strict supervision of Tom and Nell. Nothing else of interest was found. It seemed his source of power was with him, wherever he was. Interestingly, the scrap on his workbench looked more like he’d been making jewelry than mechanical toys. Whatever it was, Kendall got a sick feeling from touching the scrap gold—similar, if not nearly as potent as the one he’d gotten from the horse. Nell shook her head—there was no phantom, though the man was certainly up to no good. But where was he? And what did he plan to do next?
Finally, Nell was returned to her mother, and Saunders and a constable were left to watch the house and send word if Peterson approached. Kendall, Tom and an older inspector went to check the rail and dirigible stations. All Kendall could think of was that he couldn’t let the bastard get his hands on Amy. This wasn’t even about duty or his work. It had become personal.
Bloody hell, when had he gone and fallen in love? And in just one night?
Suddenly, even the idea of marriage and children sounded a whole lot better than living without her. In less than twenty-four hours, his world had turned upside down.
Chapter Five
Amy walked along the beach promenade with a young boy on either side of her, one extolling the virtues of the local steam tram, while the other, a far more serious lad, peppered her with questions about the processes of photography. The Hadrian children never seemed to slow down, but she found herself enjoying their company.
“Jamie, I’d be happy to take you for a ride on the tram, but first we have to return to your family with these ices.” Each of them carried a tray of shaved-ice treats. “Piers, I find the calotype is still the best for outdoor photography, as you don’t have to carry your developing equipment and chemicals with you, but you’re right, it lacks the detailed clarity of glass-plate negatives.”
“I need to use the retiring room,” Piers said suddenly as they passed that public convenience. “Can you hold my tray for a moment, miss?”
“Of course.” She had two hands. When Jamie decided to join
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