One Penny Surprise (Saved By Desire 1)

When she watched Luke’s face change she knew instinctively the direction of his thoughts and shook her head. “No, before you ask, I do not know if that man was the creditor I was supposed to hand the money over to.”

“So why aren’t you with Clarence now? Did you run with the money when you didn’t make payment?” He wasn’t sure what to think right now, but at least she was talking to him.

“When the creditor didn’t turn up, and you left me with the body,” she said accusingly, “I got worried because it looked bad that I was standing over a dead man with a bag full of money. I left, but then went back to the hovel. I couldn’t tell Clarence I hadn’t made the payment because he would have spent the money on drink and gambling, and would have pushed me into going to another meeting, which is something I was never going to do. It was a stupid risk to take in the first place, and all because he couldn’t be bothered to go himself.”

Luke mentally applauded her logic. “So when the creditor didn’t turn up for his money, you decided to keep it and do what exactly?”

“Cousin Peter told me to use it to sort myself out and not hand it to Clarence. Cumbria is all I have ever known. I don’t belong in Peter’s world, mainly because he and Clarence hate each other so much. I was going to go back to Cumbria, and see if Clarence had actually sold the house, or if I could get any of my belongings back. Because I know there a bit better than London, I was going to try to find work.”

“Doing what?” Luke had to admit it, he was hooked on her story and wanted to know more.

“I don’t know. Whatever someone wanted me to do that would pay a wage.”

Luke had a few ideas but quickly turned his attention back to the table.

“So the money is righ

tly yours,” Luke replied, relieved that she wasn’t a thief.

“Well, sort of.”

“Well, it either is, or it isn’t.”

“I left with the money because I don’t see why Clarence should have it. As far as I am concerned, the money is rightly Peter’s. Clarence has lied to me about a lot of things. I cannot honesty be certain that he hasn’t lied about owing someone so much money. It is a loan that Peter gave to me. I had intended to keep some of it for myself anyway, but hand some of it over to the creditor to clear only part of Clarence’s debts off but not all of it. I do firmly believe that Clarence should clear some of it himself. I don’t care if he has to go to work to do it; he has nothing else to do with his time. Peter told me to use it to sort myself out, so that is what I intend to do now.”

“How much debt has he run up?” Luke snapped. “How much is in the bag?”

“Five hundred pounds.”

Luke sucked in a startled breath. “Poppy, you cannot go about in London with a bag containing that kind of money. Heaven’s above woman, are you asking for trouble?”

“Well, nobody knows what is in it,” she declared defensively.

“Are you sure?” He challenged. “That woman in the coaching inn who knocked you over certainly seemed intent on getting her hands on it. Then your father seems to want it back, and then there were the pick-pockets in the park. Just what are you not telling me?”

“Nothing,” she countered. “I am telling you the truth. I didn’t kill the man in the park. I am not a thief. I borrowed this money off a cousin. Ask Peter if you want to. I will give you his direction. You can go and see him personally and ask him what happened between him and Clarence. He will confirm what a scoundrel my sire really is. Once I had sorted myself out, anything I didn’t spend I intended to return to Peter, and arrange to repay him any money I used.”

“But if he said you were to use it to sort yourself out then he most probably doesn’t expect you to pay it back.”

“Five hundred pounds?” she said incredulously. “It is a heck of a lot of money to give to someone.”

“I know,” Luke sighed. “I must admit it is a lot of money to ‘set someone up’. If you give me his direction, I will go and meet with him and find out what this Clarence has been up to, and why he loaned you such a large amount of money in the first place.”

“I have just told you,” Poppy replied with a frown.

“Yes, but as a woman in the family, and younger than them, you may not be aware of what Clarence has really been up to. It is odd, do you not think that Clarence has to come to London to repay the money? For debts he allegedly ran up in Cumbria? Really?” He shook his head. “Take it from me, Poppy, there is something else going on here. Until we can find out what, given what happened with the woman in the coaching yard, and the level of Clarence’s anger, I think you are better off staying here.” He sensed her instinctive protest and held a hand up to halt it. “There is also the matter of the body to consider.”

“I didn’t have anything to do with that,” she protested vociferously.

“Bodies just don’t appear by themselves.”

“Yes, but I was the one who found it. Why would I draw attention to someone I had just killed? That man was twice the size of me,” she protested. “I have never heard anything so preposterous in my life. If that is the best theory you can come up with then I think it is time for me to leave. After all, you are a man walking all alone in the park at the crack of dawn. You are tall and strong -,” she lapsed into temporary silence when she nearly said ‘and handsome’, but eventually continued. “What is to say that you aren’t the killer?”

“Well, if that is the case then you should worry because you have just come into the home of a murderer,” he retorted. He immediately knew he had made a colossal mistake by the way her face changed. She stared at him for several long moments, as though she had never seen him before, and then suddenly grabbed her bags and swept toward the door. Before she could open it though, he planted one heavy fist against it to stop her from storming out.

“Look, I am sorry but there are dangers are out there, Poppy. In here, you have my protection.”

“I need to go back to Cumbria?” she whispered.