Touch Me

Thea could not believe her ears. "But that would have put the entire voyage in jeopardy."

"Nonsense." Lady Boyle lifted the garment she was knitting and examined it closely before setting it back on her lap and resuming activity with her needles. "Merely his policy with Lloyd's."

"I'm sure you are mistaken. Drake would never have jeopardized that policy on purpose. He told me coming into port on time was a matter of his honor."

"Apparently catching your attacker was of more import."

Of more import to Drake than his honor? She took leave to doubt it. Lady Boyle must be mistaken. She would ask Drake about it as soon as possible.

The sound of the outer door opening drove all questions from her mind.

He had returned.

She rushed out the door, ignoring Lady Boyle's instruction that a lady should never rush to a gentleman and should never run, period. She descended the stairs more quickly than might be ladylike. By the time she reached the bottom, Drake was handing his hat and coat to Lady Boyle's very correct butler.

She skidded to a halt a foot or so from Drake.

He turned toward her and he cocked his brow in question. "Is something the matter?"

She realized she was slightly out of breath. "Of course not."

"Then why the mad dash down the stairs?"

"I could not wait another moment to hear how your meeting at Lloyd's went."

He shrugged. "Much as one would expect it to go."

She wanted to throttle him. "Since I have never been to London, have never done personal business with a company so large, and have no idea what collecting a policy entails, you will just have to tell me."

Taking her arm, he led her back up the stairs at a much more sedate pace than she had used to descend them. "It was not terribly exciting. I brought paperwork from Liverpool showing the date of my arrival. They gave me a bank draft for the amount of my policy and that was that."

"What about your investors? Did they collect as well?"

"They will. Most are gentlemen of the ton and will send their men of affairs around to collect their bank drafts."

"But they will miss all the satisfaction for themselves."

He laughed. "I assure you, they will enjoy all the satisfaction of spending the money they made on this trip."

She wrinkled her nose. "I suppose."

They reached the top of the stairs.

She held back, not ready to reenter the drawing room. "Drake?"

He stopped and looked down at her questioningly.

"Yes?"

"Your aunt said something that I was sure she was mistaken about, but I wanted to ask you anyway."

Dark eyes gazed into her own. "You're rambling again, Thea. That's a sure sign that something has you excited or upset. Which is it?"

"Neither."

He looked unconvinced.

Thea cleared her throat. "Your aunt said that you were preparing to drop anchor so the ship could be searched for Fox."