By the time the hack drew to a halt, she’d worked herself in a frenzy of self-recrimination and self-doubt. As Quinn moved to exit the coach, she put a hand on his arm, stopping him. “Can I come by again tonight?” she whispered. “I need to see you.” The day hadn’t worked out at all like she’d planned. She hadn’t had a single moment alone with him.
He frowned. “I don’t want you riding across town by yourself again,” he murmured back. “It’s too dangerous.”
Tears sprang unbidden to her eyes. She felt almost desperate to be in his arms again. Not for passion but for comfort.
His expression gentled. “I’ll come to you. I’ll meet you outside Lady Aston’s house at eleven, and we’ll ride to my house together. Just don’t get caught leaving.”
“Thank you,” she breathed. “I’ll see you then.”
For a moment, she almost thought he’d kiss her, but then he seemed to realize where they were, and he pulled back. “Goodbye, Allison. Miss Fields.”
As he jumped down from the coach, Allison sank back against the velvet squabs with a sigh.
“I sincerely hope that I did not just overhear you arrange an assignation with the inspector,” Heather said softly. “Though I like him very much, you know nothing good can come of this.”
“Nothing good?” Allison gave a choked laugh. “Lately, it seems like he’s the only good thing in my life.”
“Oh, Ally, you’re falling for him, aren’t you?” Heather shook her head. “I thought you had no interest in marrying. And even if you did, you know your reputation would be ruined if you married a lowly police inspector.”
“I don’t want to marry him,” she said, but for the first time in her life, she actually had a brief glimpse of herself as a wife, living in Quinn’s cozy little house with a baby on her hip. She shook her head to clear the image, feeling even more lost and unsure of herself. Could she really live that way, without any of the luxuries and conveniences she’d grown so accustomed to?
“I admire your sense of adventure. But what if you end up with a baby? What if someone finds out?” Heather looked genuinely concerned now.
“I don’t want to do... that with him tonight,” Allison said, her voice breaking. “It’s just... everything that happened today. I want to talk to him about it. I want him to... comfort me. The only place I feel truly safe is in his arms.”
Heather gave a brittle little laugh. “Well, his arms do seem as though they’d be comforting. He’s staggeringly good-looking.”
Allison smiled wanly in response. “He is, isn’t he?”
But she feared her feelings for him were growing much more complicated than mere attraction.