She viewed him through half-lidded eyes. “What was that for?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know.” He pulled her against him. “But let’s do it again.”
And so they did.
EPILOGUE
Six months later
Amy and William sat side by side in the back room of the Atkinson & Tucker bookstore, awaiting the arrival of the other members of the Mystery Book Club.
Since Mr. St. Vincent’s murder and the work she and William had done together, they’d found themselves in a sort of courtship. Nothing had been formally declared, but they did spend a lot more time together than they had before the murder investigation.
And, of course, every time Papa visited from London, he made a point to invite William to dinner, and to accompany him to his club. Although William didn’t seem to mind spending time with Papa, she had to admit it made her a bit nervous, always wondering when Papa would whip out the marriage contracts.
On the positive side, there had been the few kisses they’d shared since the somewhat drunken ones the day Mrs. Miles was arrested.
William flipped through the pages of Keene’s Bath Journal, the local newspaper for Bath. Amy continued to read the latest Conan Doyle story about Sherlock Holmes. She was a bit annoyed to find that the book she was currently writing was similar. With all the mystery books being published, that situation was bound to happen, but it was always an author’s concern.
“Listen to this.” William turned to her and glanced back at the newspaper. “An unidentified man’s body was found floating in the River Avon early yesterday morning. Attempts are being made to identify the man so his family may be notified.”
Amy shuddered. “That’s terrible. I wonder who the poor unfortunate man is.”
The other members began to filter in, and William closed his newspaper and tucked it into his satchel. Amy closed her book and then stood to greet the others. She made her way to the small group of women who had arrived.
Lady Carlisle no longer belonged to the club, since she and her husband had moved to France after he had received the much-sought-after ambassador position. Amy hoped Lady Carlisle had received the help she needed to end her addiction.
Mr. Miles had drifted away also, which was no surprise, since his mother was currently in jail awaiting her trial for murder. As far as Amy knew, the police had shut down the drug-importing business, and RSV Shipping was currently up for sale.
“It is time to begin our meeting.” Mr. Colbert stood at the front of the room. He smiled at the members; then his eyes shifted to the doorway, and he frowned. Amy turned, and an unfamiliar man stood there, looking around the room.
“May I help you, sir?” Mr. Colbert asked.
“I’m looking for a Lord Wethington.”
William stood and waved the man over. The man held out a folded paper to William. “This is for you, milord.”
William thanked him and returned to his seat.
“What is that?” Amy pointed at the paper.
He shrugged and opened it, his eyes scanning the missive. After a few moments, he inhaled deeply and looked over at her, his face pale. “The police have identified the man found floating in the river.”
“And they notified you?”
“Yes. He is Mr. James Harding. My man of business.”