Rebecca shook her head, smiling. “Try to remember your promise to me.”
The warmth of her indulgent smile captivated Adam. Rebecca may not openly encourage him, but she charmed without even trying. He longed to pull her against him and kiss that mouth into temporary submission. “What are we doing here?”
She frowned. “The page that fell from my ledger was a bill for purchases in my name.”
“How recent?”
“The very day I followed my family to Suffolk. I left very early that day so the purchases could not be mine.”
“You arrived at Stapleton Manor earlier than usual.”
“Exactly. I wrote to tell Barclay I had left, after I reached my father’s estate. A woman could not be in two places at once unless there was some sort of pretense involved,” she noted.
Adam studied the shop façade through narrowed eyes, not liking the implications. “Please allow me to go in first and get a look at the place. Give me a few minutes before you both follow. Pretend we do not know each other at first so I can gauge the shopkeeper’s reaction to your identity.”
“Very well.”
Adam exited the carriage. As he’d ordered earlier, the carriage had stopped some distance from the business. Adam ambled down the footpath to Mr. Garrick’s Emporium of Fine Wares. The outside did not impress him still, but he went in and looked around. He found himself in a tidy little shop that belied the mean exterior.
A rotund man wearing wire spectacles stood behind the counter and beamed. “Welcome to the emporium, sir.”
Adam nodded and then looked about some more. It seemed a place where a man could buy almost anything he needed to make a good impression. He moved to one side and inspected a selection of walking canes. These were good quality items and reasonably priced, too.
But before he could investigate further, a movement at the window caught his eye. Rebecca had arrived—almost too soon.
She marched straight to the counter and the shopkeeper. “Good morning. Mr. Garrick, I assume?”
“Indeed I am.” The fellow beamed.
“I believe you have billed me for purchases recently. My name is Mrs. Rebecca Warner, and I assure you we have never met before.”
Garrick squinted at her, and Rebecca looked back at him in the most unfriendly fashion possible.
“You are not Mrs. Rebecca Warner,” the shopkeeper corrected.
“I am the one you billed. My card.
The fellow squinted at the writing on the card, and then Adam noticed he tested the quality of the paper with his thumb. A frown appeared between his eyes but then it cleared, and he returned the card to her. “How can I help you today?”
“As you can see, my residence is on Upper Brook Street. It is the address to which you supposedly sent a gentleman’s pocket watch. Do you expect me to pay for an item that was not delivered?” she demanded impatiently.
Adam winced at her tone. Rebecca had every right to be angry but her temper would interfere with the inquiry.
Adam strolled to the counter and stopped when he reached Rebecca’s side. “Is there a problem?”
Garrick glanced between them. “Who are you?”
Adam presented his card too. “Adam Croft, sixth Earl of Rafferty. Perhaps you could help the lady with her inquiry?”
The poor man fairly trembled. “Perhaps.”
“Well, the lady and I are good friends.” He gestured to Rebecca. “This is the honorable Mrs. Rebecca Warner, daughter of the Duke of Stapleton. We have come to ensure that you never bill her again for purchases she does not make.”
Garrick squeaked and rushed around the counter. Thinking the man meant to escape, Adam hurried to block his path. But Garrick only reached the latch and locked them inside together. He turned slowly, face pale. “There must be some mistake.”
“No mistake. I was not even in London on the day that pocket watch was purchased.”
Garrick glanced at Adam and then back at Rebecca. “I don’t want any trouble?”