The Duke Heist by Erica Ridley

Author:Erica Ridley [Ridley, Erica]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: None
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2021-09-02T00:00:00+00:00

19

As nonplussed as Chloe was that Lawrence had accepted her offer of help—and as determined as she was to prove herself useful—her feet slowed as she followed him out of the library.

This was the room. Puck was in here; she could feel him. As soon as she and her sister were together out of earshot, Chloe would tell Tommy to look closer at the library.

When Lawrence turned to lock the door before heading to his office, Chloe asked no questions. She wanted him to think her primary interest lay in Parliament, not in his art collection.

That it was kept under lock and key was no matter. Tommy had her own copy. From what she gathered during previous promenades, the housekeeper had not returned from holiday, and the other two maids were busier than usual, taking up the slack. Which meant Tommy could slip in and out of the library with no one the wiser.

The idea that Puck & Family might return home before the end of the season gave Chloe’s stomach an odd twist. She shoved the unwelcome sense of sorrow away.

Lawrence led her into a warm, cozy study. Late afternoon sun streamed through the windows. “You can take off your bonnet if you’ve tired of wearing it.”

She would never tire of it. “I like my bonnet.”

His dimple flashed. “Then by all means. Please take a seat.”

A large, comfortable-looking, worn leather chair stood on the far side of a mahogany Pembroke table he appeared to be using as an escritoire. Two armchairs, presumably for guests, sat on the other side. Chloe chose the one with better light.

She wanted to burn every moment of this evening into her memory.

Rather than walk round to his chair, Lawrence sat down beside her and began rotating the piles of documents so that the text faced in their direction.

She tried to breathe. Lawrence wasn’t just fulfilling her romantic desires; he was treating her like an equal. More so, in fact, than she imagined he would treat Lord Southerby if the earl were there.

“I’ve never shared my methods with anyone before,” Lawrence said, negating the idea of even his peers being welcome in this space. “I have an exceptionally rough draft, but it reads longer than I like to speak and is missing half the points I want to make.”

“Then let’s start at the beginning.” She motioned to the pages clutched in his hand, her pulse skipping.

How many times had she spied upon the House of Commons from the attic or infiltrated the Strangers’ Gallery in disguise? This was more than having a statesman right in front of her. The Duke of Faircliffe was about to perform a speech for her alone.

He cleared his throat. “‘As anyone who has ever driven past Whitechapel is well aware, the—’”

“No,” Chloe interrupted. Perhaps she would be more useful than she’d thought.

His blue gaze shot to her, befuddled. “No?”

“The speeches you begin with a question garner markedly greater immediate interest than the others,” she explained. “And your phrasing, however innocently

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