One Penny Surprise (Saved By Desire 1)

Luke snorted. “Me, for one. The gang of pick-pockets for another. The killer for another. Oh, and that man in the trees I tried to chase.”

Poppy winced and lapsed into uncomfortable silence for a moment while she contemplated just how stupidly naive she had been. She hated to admit it but he was right.

“I was told to meet him in the park by the river, so that is what I tried to do. How many other women were in the park holding a carpet bag? I was hoping the man would approach me and I could confirm it was him by asking for Clarence’s name, or something. I don’t know.” She had no idea why she felt the need to defend her actions but she did, although she wasn’t entirely sure who she was trying to defend her behaviour to, Luke or herself. Either way, the more she spoke the more she realised just how idiotic she had been, and how close she had come to losing her life.

“You took a heck of a risk. Whoever you were supposed to hand the money over to now knows you still have it. Clarence does too now. He may have been contacted by the creditor demanding his money back, I don’t know. That isn’t important right now. I think we need to find out a bit more about the reality of Clarence’s debts.”

“What do you mean ‘the reality of Clarence’s debts’?”

“Whether they exist or not,” Luke replied honestly.

Poppy stared at him. She had been so focused on their discussion that she hadn’t noticed he had sidled closer until his leg was pressing gently against hers, and she could feel his warmth against her side.

“Do you think he is lying?” she whispered. She wanted to deny it but then thought about the woman in the yard.

“I think that he isn’t being honest with you, Poppy. That money is yours and until you speak to Peter, needs to remain with you. Clarence has no claim upon it, so if he does take it, I can arrest him for theft. As long as you are honest with me and stay at this safe house then there is no threat to you or the money.”

His gaze remained on her as he spoke. He waited until the silence became almost palpable. To his consternation, rather than make her uncomfortable, it settled over them both in a rather intimate way that drew them closer.

“I will help you and keep you safe,” he promised. ?

?Trust me.”

“I am trying,” she replied.

She had never trusted a complete stranger in her entire life and wasn’t entirely sure she could trust him but it was too late to back out now. She had told him too much already. The longer they sat together the more she became aware of the molten warmth that had started to grow deep in the pit of her belly. Her heart cried out for the safety and comfort of his arms, but her mind warned her she had to maintain some distance between them because she wasn’t sure where her future lay now. She wanted to remain with him, which was odd because she didn’t even know him, but then she still wanted to return to everything she was familiar with because it was safe – or at least she had thought it was safe in Cumbria. Now she wasn’t entirely sure of anything anymore.

“I am not going to hurt you,” he promised her.

Temptation was too much to resist, and he lowered his lips to her shoulder and placed a tender kiss there. He heard her swift intake of breath but she didn’t make any attempt to stop him. His lips slid upward, across her jaw, and hovered tantalisingly close to her lips for a moment. She turned toward him hungrily, yearning for him to close the distance between them and kiss her again. Before he could, they were interrupted by a rapid series of knocks on the back door.

Luke mentally swore and placed a comforting hand on Poppy’s when she jumped nervously, but snatched it back again when a bolt of awareness shot up his arm. Their eyes met and held for a moment before another series of raps forced Luke to his feet.

“I know who that is,” he said softly. “Wait here.”

Poppy watched him go, her heart in her throat. She continued to stare at him until he vanished from sight. Then she stared absently into the fire while she thought about what he had just said. If he had been honest with her about working for the government, she needed his help to warn Clarence off the money. Not only that but she had a sneaking suspicion that Clarence had more secrets than debts. One thing she hadn’t lost sight of was that the note with the delivery orders for the money hadn’t specified who she was supposed to meet. Had it been the woman who had knocked her over? Had she missed seeing the woman in the park somewhere because she had been looking for a man?

Either way she felt submerged by a number of questions that for the moment she had no answers for. A part of her wondered if she really should go back to Cumbria and leave Clarence floundering for the money, but then had to remember that Clarence was desperate. There was nothing to say that he just wouldn’t follow her there. She needed Luke. She needed his protection and the safety of this house wherever it might be.

What she wasn’t sure of was whether she could cope with the burgeoning emotions that swirled around her with increasing force whenever she was around Luke. It made her wonder just what would happen between them now they were sharing the same roof.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Luke introduced Marcus and Barnaby to Poppy and then turned his attention to the contents of the bag. It all seemed legitimate and was a series of bank notes that totalled just under five hundred pounds. Poppy had taken a bit for herself, but a very small amount indeed; barely enough to live on for most people. That led him to wonder just what kind of lodgings she had taken since he had left her in the park because given the amount she had paid for it, she must have been living one step above destitution.

“We need to hide it. I take it you have kept some more for yourself?” Marcus asked softly. The woman beside him looked terrified, but was so achingly beautiful that the fear just emphasised the porcelain delicateness of her face, and the lambent softness in her strangely intriguing amber eyes.

Poppy nodded. “I bought a coaching ticket but missed it so will have to purchase another one. So I have kept some money for that and a bit extra for food and the like.”

“Well, you need to stay here for now, and we won’t charge you. You cannot risk leaving because the killer may think you saw him in the park. You are safe here.”

“You don’t think the killer is after me, do you?” she gasped.

She threw a wary glance outside at the thick smog visible through the window as she thought about the shadows that had flickered around her on the street. It was terrifying to even think about going back out there.

“We just don’t know, but it is a possibility we would be foolish to ignore. Then there is the woman in the coaching yard who accosted you, and Clarence to take into consideration,” Barnaby added wisely. “Whether they are working together or not remains to be seen, but it is irrelevant really. They are both a considerable danger to you until we can find out what they are up to.”

“You need to stay away from the coaching inn, the house in Camden you left Clarence in, and the house in Cumbria,” Luke added.