“Then perhaps I should lie back and close my eyes, and wait for you to tell me you love me again.”
He’d heard her!
Bostock cleared his throat. “There’ll be time for that later. We need to get those shackles off your wrists, Mrs Chambers, and get Thorpe to his feet. And no doubt Betsy will be out of her mind with worry.”
“I’ve sent my man to find a constable,” the lord said, looking back at Lily’s lifeless body. “I’ll deal with things here. But I shall need your testimony to satisfy the powers that be.”
“Thank you, Lord Gibson,” Daniel said. “I shall call on you tomorrow and will provide whatever you need.”
Lord Gibson? Heavens, Daniel had achieved more in the few hours working alone than they had in days.
Finding the key to the shackles in Lily’s satchel, Daphne spent five minutes massaging the marks on her wrists where the metal had dug into her skin. Bostock removed the odd contraption strapped to Daniel’s chest. The lead ball had dented the first sheet of metal. Daniel shrugged into his coat. Despite her anger, Daphne had to admit there was something quite fetching about a bare-chested man wearing nothing but outdoor clothing.
“You still haven’t explained why you risked your life when there were a hundred other ways to deal with Lily,” she said.
They walked along the wharf toward Lower Shadwell. Bostock had hurried ahead to find Murphy. Daphne’s heart was still racing. The memory of Daniel falling to the ground would never leave her.
“I needed to distract Lily long enough for Gibson to get close. And I needed you out of harm’s way. Gibson wouldn’t take the shot until Lily fired first and I couldn’t take the chance she might hurt you.”
“So you risked your life for me?” she said, anger surfacing again. “What if she’d hit you in the neck? What if she’d missed your stupid metal vest? What then?”
Daniel stopped walking, grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. “Then my only regret would be that I’d not told you I love you.”
She was silent for a moment as the words seeped into her mind.
“You do?” The warm feeling in her chest banished the anger and fear. “You’re not just saying that because I said those same words to you?”
He laughed. “For heaven’s sake, Daphne. You’re supposed to be a skilled enquiry agent. How can you not know that I’ve loved you since the day I met you?”
Daphne blinked. “Since when?” Her stomach did a little flip.
“Since the night at the
opera.”
“But in recent years you’ve been so distant.”
Daniel raised a brow. “As I’m sure you’re aware, I have never been good at dealing with rejection. My way of coping with emotion is to ignore it.”
His comment brought to mind all she’d learned from Lavinia. “Is that why you refuse to accept who you truly are?”
His gaze dropped, and he shrugged. “Perhaps.” He took her hand, and they continued walking. “We should go home and get some rest. With this case solved we must turn our attention to more pressing matters?”
“Do you mean what we should do now we have both declared our true feelings?”
“Indeed,” Daniel nodded. “We must decide what we want to do now. Where we go from here.”
Chapter 25
After spending the morning with Lord Gibson, giving him a full statement of events leading up to the death of Lily Lawson, Daniel made his way to Hyde Park. Daphne had asked to meet him away from New Bond Street. The bridge leading to Apsley House was a short distance from the main thoroughfare, but it was quiet, secluded.
He arrived ten minutes early. Despite Daphne’s insistence she take a hackney, he’d not risk her waiting alone in such a sheltered spot. The time gave him a moment to reflect on the events of the last few days.
So much had happened. So much had changed.
The overwhelming feelings that consumed him made everyday tasks more difficult. It had taken him over an hour to eat breakfast, for his mind continually wandered back to Daphne. It had taken three attempts to tie his cravat. How was he to focus on a new case when seducing the woman he loved was his only priority?
The faint rustle of silk captured his attention.