Page 57 of His Scandalous Viscountess
“He’s not,” Wolf replied, cutting in and causing her head to swivel in his direction.
Julia stared at him, waiting for more information.
Wolf lifted one shoulder at her unspoken question. “I was on my way over to tell you. Wallthorpe is in debt up to his ears, and on the verge of losing everything, including his family seat.”
“Just so,” Lucifer chimed back in. “I learned that the bank is close to coming for his property to satisfy the debt he currently owes. It seems he borrowed a large part of the stake he put into a shipping deal that fell apart when the ship went down.”
“You certainly seem to have better resources than even I do. I had not discovered the loan from the bank.”
Wolf tipped his head toward Lucifer.
“Yes, well, I discovered long ago that information could be as valuable as money. Sometimes more so.” He smiled a moment. “Well, I believe that satisfies our agreed-upon exchange, Lady Wallthorpe.”
“It certainly does. Thank you, Mr. Lucifer. I appreciate your awareness of the value I might place on this information.” She rose a heartbeat before both men. “Wolf, could I drop you somewhere on my way?”
As they turned to leave the spacious office, he turned to her. “I have my carriage, but thank you for the offer.”
“Ah, perhaps then you could drive me home, as I came via hackney. Having to elude my sister and her guard did not allow me to use my own vehicle.” She offered a conspiratorial smile to Mr. Lucifer.
“I imagine. Though we should discuss this new propensity for eluding your protectors.” Wolf’s reply suggested a reprisal was coming.
Chapter 23
Together, Julia and Wolf stepped outside of Lucifer’s club onto a much busier street than when she’d entered. All around them, people moved in various directions, creating a motion that resembled the heave and flow of the ocean. Curious, she watched as some split off from the steady stream to slip into one establishment or another. Then she noticed that Wolf was staring at a particular business.
“What is it?” she asked.
He remained silent while he watched two men stumble down the sidewalk on the opposite side of the road. As they drew abreast of them, Julia got a closer look and recognized Wolf’s friend, Arthur. His associate appeared to have an arm slung over his shoulders, as though they were close friends. Or maybe just inebriated friends. She moved to lift her arm to wave at him, but Wolf stopped her by grabbing her hand and dragging her down the sidewalk behind him.
“Hold on a moment!” He shushed her and kept moving until his carriage appeared.
Once inside, she looked at him in surprise. “What was that about?”
Wolf’s brows drew together as he pressed his lips tight. “A private matter amongst friends, and I’ll ask you to not say anything about seeing him.”
He acted strangely, but she trusted him more than she trusted anyone, so she simply nodded her acquiescence. In the end, she was grateful for the silence that enveloped them between Lucifer’s establishment and her home. While seeing his friend had distracted Wolf, she suspected it was merely a delay in the inevitable conversation they would have about her slipping out of the house.
On the one hand, she was well aware that Wolf and his friends were there to protect her. On the other, she had spent the last decade of her life taking care of herself more often than not.
Old habits were hard to break.
The carriage plodded along as Wolf sat staring out the window. Despite his silence, she could not miss the tension radiating from him. She shifted her skirts about in an effort to settle back against the squabs. His head snapped around to watch her until she ceased moving, and then he slowly returned to staring at the city that slipped past.
She repressed the sigh that welled up within and instead, held her tongue. All would come out when they arrived at her home. She doubted he could stay silent forever.
Not bothering to slip in the rear entrance since her escape had been well and truly discovered, they walked in the front door. She had only hesitated a moment when he dismissed his driver for the evening. One part of her was pleased to have him close, to know he would sleep beside her through the night. The other part railed against the fact that heassumedhe would be staying the night, and that he felt at liberty to simply do as he wished.
Unfortunately, she seemed to be at war with herself quite a lot lately. She did not appreciate the inner quarrel.
Flint and Ros both stood up as they walked into the front salon.
Her sister rushed forward. “Julia! You’re home safe!”
“Of course I am. You should never have doubted it.” Julia hugged her sister, even as she accepted the disgruntled look from Flint, who hovered nearby. “I did leave you a note so you wouldn’t worry.”
Ros released her. “That did not equate with your remaining safe. It merely let us know you had left on your own, and were not somehow abducted from the premises.”
Then Ros shot her a look that Julia thought of as her sister’s mother-hen look. It was sternly affectionate, with a raised brow and a partial smile.
