Chapter Twenty-five
Three days later, Quinn was once again poring over a pile of paperwork when Allison’s footman, Joseph, appeared in his office doorway.
“Excuse me, Inspector,” he said after knocking lightly on the open door. “I’ve brought a note from Lady Allison.”
Quinn sat back in his chair, glad for the distraction. They’d made even less progress with Daisy’s murder than with Polly’s. This time, the killer had left nothing behind but the picture, and that didn’t seem to tell them a damn thing they didn’t already know.
“Thank you, Joseph,” he said as the young man walked forward and laid an elegant cream envelope on his desk.
Joseph nodded. “I was glad to hear of your engagement, sir. I’ll be delighted to work for you.”
That took Quinn back a bit. He’d never had a servant before and wasn’t at all certain that he wanted one. “Um... thank you,” he managed.
“Would you like me to wait and see if there is a reply?” Joseph asked.
“Oh... yes. Can you wait out in the lobby for a moment while I read it?” Quinn wasn’t certain what the note contained, but knowing Allison, he might not want an audience while reading it.
After Joseph left him, Quinn got up and shut the door, then sat back down, using a letter opener to slice open the top. As he pulled the letter out, a whiff of Allison’s perfume wafted up, overwhelming his senses with sudden memories of Allison naked in his arms.
He unfolded it and realized this was the first time he’d seen her handwriting, which was as beautiful and elegant as she was.
Dearest Quinn,
I know you’re worried about me coming to see you, but I can’t bear to be apart any longer. Can you come to me at the following address tonight? I’m fairly certain that no one would ever think to look for either of us there. Just be certain you’re not followed.
I can’t wait to see you,
Allison
An address in Belgravia he’d never heard of was scrawled at the bottom. He had no idea where she wanted him to go, but he already knew that he would. He’d been craving her as well. It seemed that it had been far too long since they’d been alone together.
Grabbing a piece of paper, he penned a letter of his own.
Princess,
I’ll see you this evening. Looking forward to it.
Quinn
He folded the note, put it in an envelope, and took it to Joseph in the lobby, feeling better than he had since he’d last seen her three days ago.
* * *
ALLISON PACED THE FRONT parlor of the house in Belgravia, waiting impatiently for Quinn to arrive. The owner of the house had agreed to allow her to rent it until the sale went through, and she’d received the keys this morning. The moment she’d had them in her hand, she’d known she needed Quinn here with her.
Not only was she certain that no one would ever find them in her new home, she wanted Quinn to see it. She wanted to get his opinion on it before it was too late to back out of the deal because it was her fondest hope that he would be living here with her.
But they hadn’t talked about where they would live. In fact, they’d hardly talked about anything concerning their future. The mere thought of everything that could go wrong made her anxious, but the only way they could solve all the unknowns was to tackle them one by one.
With a sigh, she sank down on the lone sofa in front of the fireplace, where a fire burned merrily. The house was largely empty, but she’d had a busy day shopping for everything she’d thought she’d need for tonight—sofa, bed, linens, and a few dishes—and paid extra to have it all delivered today.
Joseph and Heather had come with her this afternoon to help her get things ready, but she’d sent them back to Jocelyn’s an hour ago. She wanted to be completely alone with Quinn tonight.
A loud knock at the door startled her, then sent her heart racing. He was finally here!
With a glad cry, she jumped up and ran to the door, looking through the glass to make certain it was him before throwing it open. “Quinn!” she cried.
He smiled, his emerald gaze taking her in appreciatively before he stepped inside and closed the door behind them. “You look incredible, princess.”