Quick, Amanda by The River Knows Read Free Book Online

prey.

    “What kept you?” she said a good deal more sharply than she had intended. “I’ve been worried. You
    were gone for a very long time.”

    “Twenty minutes at most. Most of that time was spent in the garden, waiting for an opportunity to gain
    access to the house.”

    “Time does not pass quickly when one is waiting in a closed, unlit carriage.” She peered at him, trying to
    make out his features. “Are you all right? Was there a problem?”

    “Thank you for your concern. I am quite well, thank you. The only problem, such as it was, proved to
    be quite minor.”

    “You sound in remarkably good spirits for a man who has just risked his neck. Do you enjoy your work,
    sir?”

    He gave the question some thought and then shrugged. “The exercise does seem to have elevated my
    mood. What of yourself, madam? Do you derive a bit of a thrill from creeping about in other people’s
    bedrooms?”

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    “No, I do not,” she said tightly. She raised her chin. “And there is no need to make it sound as though I
    am in the habit of doing that sort of thing.”

    “I see. You only flit through strange bedrooms when the fancy strikes, is that it? When was the first time
    you invaded someone’s bedroom?” he asked.

    A shiver of warning slithered down her spine.

    You’ve said enough, she thought. In spite of his assistance this evening, the plain fact is you do not know
    this man. You cannot take the risk of revealing your secrets to him.

    “Never mind,” she said. “Tell me what you found. Did you get the safe open?”

    “Certainly.” He turned up one of the lamps, reached into the voluminous coat and brought out a handful
    of papers. “These were all that were inside the safe.”

    She stared at him, astonished. “You took all of his personal papers?”

    “Yes. There wasn’t time to sort through them to find the specific papers you wanted so I grabbed the
    lot.”

    “Good grief.” What had she expected? He was a thief, after all. “I, uh, just wanted to know if there were
    any papers relating to the brothel inside the safe. I didn’t actually intend—” She broke off. “Never mind.”

    “Here.” He handed the papers to her. “See if you can find what you’re looking for in that bunch.”

    Gingerly she took the papers and held them up to the light.

    “They all appear to be business-related,” she said, rifling through them. “Most deal with his new
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    investment scheme. I don’t see any relating to—” She stopped when she caught sight of a familiar
    address. Excitement stirred her pulse. “Ah, here we are. This one mentions the property at Number
    Twenty-two Winslow Lane.”

    She read through the document quickly and then looked up. “You have found the very document I was
    looking for, sir. According to this, Hastings recently invested a large sum of money in Phoenix House.”

    “Nothing like a satisfied client, I always say.” He took several small, leather-bound books out of various
    pockets. “May I hope for repeat business?”

    She ignored the teasing and examined the small books. “What have you got there?”

    “I’m not sure yet. I took them because most of them did not appear to belong to Hastings or his wife.”

    He handed a volume to her and opened one of the others to examine it.

    “This is a private journal,” Louisa said. She paused when she saw the name inscribed on one of the
    pages. “Good heavens, you’re right. It cannot possibly belong to Hastings. According to this, it is the
    diary of Miss Sara Brindle. She is set to marry Lord Mallenby at the end of the month. How on earth did
    it end up in Hastings’s safe?”

    “An excellent question.” He held up the book he had been perusing. “This journal belongs to a young
    lady named Julia Montrose.”

    “I’ve met her. She was recently