Hunt held her hand as they made their way up the street. He turned them into an alley and made his way up the steps to a back door. He placed his hand on the door latch, turned it and it opened. He pulled her inside.
Diana took a deep breath. This was it.
* * *
Hunt stopped once they were inside and the door closed. He had to get his mind off Diana’s legs encased so detectably in those trousers and onto the job he needed to perform. He had to find written information that would tie Melrose to the anarchists. Then his job—this assignment—would be finished.
Diana could then plan the wedding, and he would make the arrangements for their wedding trip. Again, his mind drifted to matters other than what they were doing. Bringing Diana along, with her scandalous outfit and familiar scent, was definitely making this assignment more difficult. They needed to search Melrose’s library—the most likely place where any papers were stored—and get out.
Marcus’s contact had provided Hunt with a rough sketch of the floor where the library was situated. Taking Diana’s hand again, he led her up the back stairs to the first floor.
He counted down three doors and then opened the fourth. The library. They entered quietly, and he closed and locked the door. Just in case someone wandered around at night and tried to access the library. They might think it odd that the library was locked, but it would give them time to decide what to do to avoid being caught.
The room was dark, but someone left a small oil lamp lit. Hopefully that was a usual thing to do and any wandering servant would not think it odd to see a bit of light coming from under the door. It was his experience that servants were so well-worked they rarely left their beds once they arrived there.
“You start with the books on the shelves over there.” Hunt waved in the general direction of the south wall. “I will go through his desk and also look for a safe where he might have papers.”
He breathed a sigh of relief when Diana nodded and walked away from him. She picked up the oil lamp and placed it on the floor where she sat and began to pull books out.
He doubted very much if there were papers hidden in the books, but it was a way to keep Diana in sight and out of trouble while he searched the desk.
He’d brought a small lantern—the same one he used when he searched Mallory’s gallery. It wasn’t a great deal of light, but with his excellent night vision, he was able to read fairly well.
After about an hour and a half, Hunt pulled out papers from the safe he’d found behind a shelf of books. His training in lock picking paid off again when he was able to get into the safe.
He stared down at the papers, and his lips tightened. Not only was Melrose involved with the anarchists, two MPs were named in a letter Melrose had received.
Hunt folded up the documents and tucked them into his jacket. He closed the safe and straightened up the desk as much as possible, so it didn’t look searched.
“Diana,” he called in a loud whisper.
“What? I hope you found something since my muscles are getting sore from pulling out books and flipping through them. I must have gone through a hundred books.”
“Well, you can stop. I found what I was looking for.”
Diana shoved a book back onto the shelf and stood. “Thank goodness. This spying stuff isn’t as exciting as I thought it would be.”
“Things are rarely as exciting as one thinks they will be.” He joined her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Thank you for your help.”
“What help? You found what you were looking for.”
His eyes drifted down to her legs. Damn, why did she have to wear those trousers? Slowly he bent his head and brought his mouth to hers. When his tongue nudged her lips, instead of pulling back, she moved closer and opened her mouth.
He wrapped her in his arms and groaned when she shifted, pressing her soft breasts against his chest. No need to wear a corset when one was dressed in trousers. Hunt grasped her chin to tilt her head and take the kiss deeper. Diana was right along with him.
He smiled at her slight moan of disappointment as he pulled back. “We are pushing our luck here, sweetheart. It’s best we leave as quickly as possible.”
She nodded and took his hand. After he made a quick visual sweep of the room, he opened the door, looked out, and pulled her forward.
They quickly left the house and hurried down the pavement to where the carriage was parked. Hunt helped Diana in and they were off.
Diana looked out the window and frowned. “Where are we going? This is not the way to my house.”
“That is correct. I have to stop at The Rose Room and let my brothers know that they can release Melrose now.”
Her eyebrows flew to her hairline. “Are they holding him prisoner?”
Hunt laughed. “Not at all. They are just making sure he is enjoying himself enough that he has no interest in leaving.”