Page 67 of Juliet's Touch

No wonder Alexander detested the man. In Juliet’s humble opinion, he had every right to. The thought of her brother-in-law disemboweling Charles brought her a moment of vengeful joy. Mr. Fletcher’s shoulders tensed, and he let out a feral growlthat disturbed poor Pepper’s dreams. Opening one eye, the pup sniffed.

“I will kill the bloody fool,” Mr. Fletcher said.

Charlotte patted his forearm. “’Twas long ago, darling. Let us focus on Juliet.”

Mr. Fletcher continued to scowl. Charlotte pecked his cheek. His expression relaxed as if her kiss was a soothing balm. He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. Pondering the case, Juliet supposed.

The room was quiet except for a purring cat, a panting dog, and the chirping birds.

At last, Mr. Fletcher spoke. “I have been following the stories about Knight Roamer. I have concluded that he is an avenger.”

“An avenger,” Charlotte said. “That sounds quite ominous.”

“Not really,” Fletcher said. “Think of avengers as redressers or rectifiers. I once heard someone refer to these individuals as vigilantes. ’Tis a citizen who takes law enforcement into their own hands. Not unlike what I do, except I get paid, I have a sign above my door, and the magistrate sends me cases that Mr. Feilding’s men need help solving. Avengers tend to work outside the law and on their own.”

“Hmm,” Charlotte murmured. “Are you suggesting that Juliet is correct and Knight Roamer is an honorable man helping to rid the city of crime?”

“I am,” Mr. Fletcher said. “At least that is what I believe at the present. He just happened to make the mistake of tying up Lord Stanley, thus angering the aristocracy. I suspect Stanley was up to no good and deserved every bit of it.”

“The avenger also kissed Lord Riley’s fiancée, further incurring his wrath.” Charlotte’s gaze clouded over. “I think ’tis so romantic.”

Mr. Fletcher scoffed.

“I seem to recall a masked scoundrel grabbing and kissing me once upon a time.” Charlotte rolled her shoulder coquettishly.

Mr. Fletcher’s lips twisted in a mischievous grin. “Ah, yes.”

The Fletchers reminded Juliet of Emily and Alexander, and she yearned for what these couples had—a deep connection that cut through superficialities. Respect. Understanding. Adoration. And crackling, invisible sparks. The remarkable part was that she might just have all of this with Eric Stone.

Juliet considered telling the pair that she had feelings for the pugilist, but what was the point? He had nothing to do with her current predicament. Her sentimental emotions needed to be set aside for now. Finding and protecting Mister Brown Eyes took precedence. Once he was safe, she could focus on her wonderful, sweet Eric.

“I know Knight Roamer is a good man,” Juliet reiterated.

“I may have an idea who he is,” Mr. Fletcher said. “If my hunch is correct, I believe he already left the city.”

Relief washed over Juliet. The instincts telling her to seek Hugh Fletcher’s assistance had been correct. “So, you think he’s safe?”

“I do. Wait…” Hugh huffed. “Unless he came back to the city at the same time as you.”

“Why would he do that?” Charlotte asked before Juliet had a chance to.

Hugh tapped his fingers on his desk, seeming to stare into Juliet’s soul. Did he think she was hiding something from him? If so, he was mistaken. She’d told him everything she knew about Knight Roamer and Lord Riley.

He halted the unsettling tapping to open his desk drawer. He withdrew a newspaper, slid it across the desk, and pointed at one of the articles. “The Daily Dispatch of London.Have a look.”

Juliet angled the paper so she could better read. Perhaps the long day had her befuddled because she read the short, albeit shocking article twice and was still confused.

“What does it say?” Charlotte asked.

Juliet looked to Mr. Fletcher for clarity or reassurance, or any reaction at all, because she was dumbfounded.

He took the article from her, cleared her throat and read it aloud.“This reporter has it on good authority that Lord Riley, The Dowager Countess Riley, and Miss Juliet Coldpepper were set upon by footpads while leaving a production of Drury Lane. Lord Riley is said to have pushed his fiancée into the path of the thieves to save himself. Luckily, the people’s hero, Knight Roamer, came along, saving Miss Coldpepper and the Dowager Countess. Nine days later, and the Authorities are still searching for the thieves.

AW”

Charlotte gasped. “Just like you said it happened, Juliet.”

Except whoever this reporter was, they had not mentioned the kiss. Why would they leave it out when the scandalous encounter was just the type of salacious gossip readers craved?