Read Online Temptations of Anna Jacobs by Robyn DeHart - Free Book Online Page B

you’re saving them a lot of effort. Clever of them.”
    “You are wrong about this. I do have good instincts. I am good at this.” He wasn’t certain he believed that, but he’d be damned if he’d let her see that she’d got to him. “Speaking of which, I have work to do. I trust you can see yourself out.” He didn’t give her time to answer, but he could hear her sputtering as he left her alone in the room.
    He crossed the hall into his office and shut the door firmly behind him. Through the heavy oak door, he could hear the sounds of the dowager demanding her carriage be brought around. She couldn’t get out of his home fast enough. With any luck, he wouldn’t have to see her again for quite some time.
    At his desk he flipped open the file where he’d been organizing his notes and stared blankly at the pages, the determination to help solve this case hardening in his belly. He would do every thing he could to catch this man. He would do it to protect the women of London. He would do it because no person—no matter how society viewed them—should die so horrible a death.
    Yes, all of London was astir because the Ripper had moved out of Whitechapel, but it was the deaths there that spoke to him most of all. Society thought these women didn’t matter. That they had no worth. Their birth, their circumstances alone, had made them easy victims. That bothered him most of all.
    Damnation, but he wanted a drink.
    Surprisingly enough, he wanted to see Anna even more.
    ***
    Drew waited until the dowager’s carriage had driven off, then he stepped outside. Had he not required a carriage to take Anna to the Yard, he would have walked. The brisk night air did not completely strip his desire for a drink, but it did send enough shivers through his clothes to put other thoughts in his mind.
    After walking the length of sidewalk in front of his townhome three times, he stepped into his carriage and headed in the direction of Viscount Wickersham’s. He had barely stepped out of the carriage when she slipped out her front door, a heavy cloak covering her. She walked over to him and silently held her hand out so he could assist her inside.
    He followed her in and then shut the door. The small lantern hanging from the hook swung as the carriage lurched forward. It provided enough light for him to see his companion as she pushed the hood off her head.
    “Am I to assume your mother would not approve of this little assignment?” he asked.
    “I cannot be certain, for I did not actually seek out her approval.” She chewed at her lip, then grinned. “In any case, she goes to bed fairly early on the evenings when we don’t attend any functions. She suffers from headaches,” she said.
    “I see.” They rode in silence for a few moments. He found himself wanting to tell her about his mother, but that of course, was ridiculous. It was annoying enough that she’d rattled him tonight; he certainly did not need to tell other people about it. They would never have a mother-son relationship. He’d come to realize that years ago.
    “Now what is it I’m supposed to do with this woman’s body?” she asked. “I spoke with my professor, and he was able to give me some basic instruction on how autopsies are performed for investigative purposes, but I am not certain what it is
you
expect of me.”
    “I merely want you to examine the body and give me your observations. I don’t want to give you too many details now because then your conclusions will either agree with mine because you’ll be looking for those assumptions or you’ll disagree because you think me a fool. Either way your observation will be tainted,” Drew said. “So for now, let us merely say that I want you to look at her injuries and make notes on your findings and we’ll go from there.”
    She nodded and took a steadying breath. The warmth of her breath came out in a little puff of air.
    “Are you nervous?” he asked.
    “I suppose I am. I’ve never seen a