Page 25 of Just a Little Daring

Louis let out a breath of relief as Mr Lane-Fox ushered the women away.

“Thank you,” Louis said. “Where are Agatha and Miss Knight?”

“This way. Miss Knight and Miss Smith did not wish to leave, but once the women surged forward with such enthusiasm, they were in danger of being stampeded to the floor. I thought it prudent for them to seek shelter.”

He led Louis through the throng to a small storeroom and opened the door. Miss Anson, Aggie and Evie were all within.

“Louis!” Evie flew at him, hugging him tightly.

For a moment, Louis’ breath caught in his throat, but it was too quickly done, her embrace over before he had the chance to appreciate it. Evie blushed scarlet, remembering she had an audience and, much to his regret, let him go.

“Oh, I could throttle you. I thought I would die of terror,” she said, half laughing, though her eyes were rather too bright.

“You worried for me, ma petite?”

“Of course, you dreadful man! If you had fallen….”

She shook her head, her voice trembling, but Louis had no time to discover what she might have felt if he had fallen before Aggie grasped his hand.

“Oh, Monsieur, it was marvellous,” she said, staring up at him in wonder. “Everyone was dumbfounded. Every woman in the place has fallen head over ears in love with you, I promise.”

Rather than being pleased by this revelation, Louis grimaced. There was only one woman he’d put on that ridiculous show for, and he wanted to know if she had felt anything beyond concern for a friend. He was pathetically desperate to get her alone. A frail hope.

“Wherever did you learn to do such a thing?” Evie demanded of him, having recovered her composure. “You never hesitated, just like a cat. In fact, I believe you climbed as quickly as the monkey did.”

Ah. He ought to have prepared a response for such questions.

“Oh, monsieur loved to climb trees as a boy, didn’t you, monsieur? He has told me many times,” Aggie said brightly, chattering away and saving him by changing the subject. “I hope the marchioness was appreciative for your efforts at retrieving her jewels?”

Louis sent her a grateful smile, for Aggie knew of his rather peculiar past, or a little of it at least, and would never give him away.

Mr Lane-Fox laughed. “She was so appreciative I feared the comte would not escape with his life intact. Or his virtue,” he added in an undertone.

Aggie appeared a little perplexed, but Evie flushed and looked rather indignant. Louis experienced a tiny flicker of hope that perhaps that was a touch of jealousy and felt somewhat better.

“She did seem rather—er—pleased, oui. Except then I rather spoiled things for her husband by letting the cat out of the bag,” he replied, unable to hide a grin. “The marquess must have pawned her rubies to pay his gambling debts and replaced them with paste.”

“No!” Evie said in wonder. “Oh, monsieur. You could tell such a thing?”

Louis nodded, realising he ought to have had an explanation for that too. Not everyone could tell genuine jewels from excellent copies. Would she tell her father of what had happened today? Would he explain what Louis could not? Too distracted to answer at all, Louis wondered what her father would say if the man knew of his intentions towards his daughter. Gabriel knew too much of Louis’ past to be sanguine about the match, even if Louis ever persuaded Evie he was the husband she wanted. Her father knew about his years as a jewel thief, knew a little about the abuses he’d endured as a child, and about the circus. Perhaps he didn’t know everything, but enough to damn him if he revealed his past to Evie before Louis did it himself. Gabriel might have supported the marriage of Bedwin’s daughter to Louis’ brother, Nic, but his own daughter would surely be another matter. Mr Knight had instructed her not to dance with him so often. Evie would ignore that, he felt sure, but then what? Would he try to keep them apart? Ought he to tell Evie everything, as he had once urged Nic to tell Eliza? But Eliza had been in love with Nic, and Evie….

“But how could you tell? Monsieur?”

Louis snapped out of the increasingly anxious thoughts circling his mind at the sound of Evie’s voice.

“Oh, I could tell by the colour. Even inferior rubies have a warmth and depth of colour that fakes do not. They were too light, and a necklace of that quality of design would have used nothing but the best stones.”

“How clever of you,” Evie said admiringly. “But wherever did you learn such things?”

Louis shrugged, uncomfortable now. “Oh, one picks up such information here and there….”

Like from the fences who took the jewels he’d stolen and sold them on.

“He must have been furious,” Miss Anson said, looking thoroughly delighted by the prospect.

“We can only hope,” Mr Lane-Fox said, winking at her.

“I suspect so, though presently running scared from his wife and desperately trying to think of a good explanation for the loss of her jewels,” Louis added.