An Unseen Attraction by KJ Charles

Author:KJ Charles
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2017-02-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Rowley did manage to sleep for a couple of hours, although he didn’t look any better for it. Clem felt sick and guilty at the sight of his grey face and dark-ringed eyes. He had a hounded look that Clem hadn’t seen before, yet which seemed to belong on his face as though it had always been there.

Clem wasn’t having it. He was not. Maybe he wasn’t able to do something himself, but he blasted well knew a man who could.

They walked to the Jack and Knave in silence. It was a Saturday evening, mid-November, cold and miserable and misty, but still the streets bustled and the lights and noise of the late markets were enough to make Clem and Rowley take a zigzag route to Greystoke Place, in tacit agreement to stay away from people.

The shop had been boarded up, and Clem had paid two of Elsie’s brothers to keep an eye out and raise the alarm if they saw trouble. He didn’t know if it would do any good, prayed it was unnecessary, and suspected it was too late to matter anyway, with so much of Rowley’s stock ruined by fire or water.

It wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair, and Rowley ought not to be looking so hunted and so lost.

“Rowley!” Phyllis hurried up as they entered the Jack. “Mark told us the news. I am so sorry. Here, come and get a drink, both of you.”

“Thank you,” Rowley said dully.

Greg had to extend sympathy too, and Clem took the opportunity to ask Phyllis, “Is Mark in yet?”

“He’s in the back room, with Nathaniel.”

“Oh. Uh. They aren’t, you know, are they?” It seemed utterly implausible, but stranger things had probably happened, though Clem couldn’t think of any offhand.

“Lord, no. Mark would throttle him before he got his trousers off. No, Nathaniel’s after professional help as well. Some problem with a confidence trickster, apparently.”

“Oh, dear,” Clem said vaguely.

“Might be good for him,” Phyllis said with a little shrug. “Nat thrives on righteous rage. He’ll enjoy a really deserving target.”

“That’s not very kind,” Clem objected.

“Kind is your job, sweetie. I do accurate. In you go now, and good luck.”

The Jack and Knave’s back room was where the regulars went to be discreet, which was to say, you might find three or four couples there on busy nights. Nathaniel called it the Den of Iniquity when he was talking like a newspaper, but it was only a room, with settles round the walls covered in rather worn velvet drapes. There was one table in the middle of the room, with four chairs and Mark and Nathaniel deep in conversation.

“Oh, here they are.” Mark rose. “Rowley, I’m sorry to hear your news.”

“As am I.” Nathaniel pushed back his chair. “I’ll leave you to it.”

“No, please don’t go,” Clem said. Nathaniel was without doubt the cleverest man he knew, and his legal training could surely come in useful. “We’re in real trouble and I need help.”

Nathaniel glanced at Rowley and resumed his seat.

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