Page 70 of When You Rescued Me

“I wonder if the man who smelled so strongly of turpentine had anything to do with it,” Hannah said.

Samuel stumbled to a halt. “You saw him?”

“Yes. He arrived on a tender and hurried past us when Father and I were returning to the carriage.”

If they were not already dangerously close to the gate, Samuel would have kissed her again. Instead, he tightened his grip on her hand. “Would you be willing to come to the Bow Street office first thing tomorrow morning to describe exactly what you saw to Sir John and my colleagues?”

“You think I can be of assistance?” she asked.

“I am sure of it.”

The moonlight caught her smile. “Then I would be happy to come.”

His heart lifted. If nothing more came of it, Hannah’s visit to Bow Street would enable him to see her again soon. “Would ten o’clock suit?”

“That would be fine.”

He opened the gate to find Prescott standing on the other side.

“Mr. Dennington sent me to discover whether all is well,” Prescott said.

“It is,” Hannah said, discreetly sliding her hand from Samuel’s. “We spoke to the porter for some time, but Alfie is now safely delivered.”

“Very good, miss.” Prescott gestured toward the carriage. “May I help you inside?”

“You may. Thank you, Prescott.” She turned to Samuel. “Good night, Samuel.”

“Good night,” Samuel said. “You were truly remarkable this evening.”

He caught her smile before Prescott opened the carriage door.

“As were you,” she said, and then she disappeared into the vehicle.

Scarcely aware that the carriage was on the move once more, Hannah smoothed her trembling fingers across her charred skirts and attempted to calm her racing thoughts. Samuel had kissed her! Warmth filled her cheeks, and she pressed her hand to her fluttering stomach as she relived the moment that he’d drawn her close and lowered his lips to hers. She’d desired his kiss, yet she’d been woefully unprepared for how it would make her feel. It had drained all strength from her knees while simultaneously filling her heart with joy. Their connection had been real. Incredibly and overpoweringly real. And though she lacked the words to fully express her feelings, it was safe to say that in those few short minutes, Samuel had turned her world upside down.

She closed her eyes, grateful for the enveloping darkness as images and experiences from this fateful evening washed over her in an unrestrained stream until one lasting impression remained: She had fallen in love with Samuel. It was as clear to her now as the day was from the night.

“Delivering Alfie took longer than I’d anticipated.”

Her father’s voice cut through the silence, jarring Hannah’s thoughts back to the present. “Yes,” she said, reluctantly shaking off her lingering memories of being in Samuel’s embrace so that she might give her father the attention he deserved. “The porter was somewhat reluctant to assist us at first.”

“Is that so?”

She heard the surprise in her father’s voice. Given his affluence and notable position in Society, he rarely, if ever, encountered such treatment.

“What caused the fellow to change his attitude?” he asked.

“Samuel mentioned that you were waiting in the carriage.”

“Hmm.”

“That does not please you?” It was Hannah’s turn to be surprised.

“If my presence enabled Alfie to receive the assistance he needs, then I am glad for it.”

There was something he was not telling her. “And yet it does not seem that you are fully satisfied with the situation.”

For a few moments, the only sound in the carriage was the rhythmic clack of the wheels. She waited.