“Valiant at last! Reggie and I are pleased to hear it. What do you say to accompanying my husband and me to a fancy little party? Our friend James whipped up a last-minute party at the auction house tonight to celebrate the arrival of Doyle’s private papers. They’ll be bid upon tomorrow evening, and all of London is clamoring to see them early. There will be alcohol!”
I turned on Abe’s lap until we could make eye contact. “James… Patrick? The man who runs the auction house?”
“The one and only,” Humphrey said. “It’s open to the public, and you know the Society will be out in full force, possibly dressed as the esteemed detective. Which reminds me, I shall bring you hats.”
Yes, Abe was mouthing. I tapped my lip, nodding in agreement. This event was a fucking windfall. Not only would we see our favorite Sherlock Society suspects, but we’d be able to scope out the entire venue, investigate all of its entrances and exits, its security weaknesses.
“We’re in,” I said. “What time should we meet you?”
“Eight, and it’s a date,” Humphrey said. There was grumbling in the background, and it sounded like Reggie and Humphrey whisper-arguing. “Listen. I’m going to come clean and tell the two of you what’s been going on. I cannot abide secrets.”
“And what’s that?” I asked, voice tight.
“It’s Eudora again.”
Eudora had the power now. She’d attempted to blow our cover last night. “What’s going on with our favorite president?”
Abe glanced at the clock, muttered something. He stood and began gathering his clothes, a sexy body in sexy motion.
“She’s focused all of her earthly ire on the pair of you,” he said. Abe was sliding a crisp white button-down over his shoulders. He paused, mid-motion, at Humphrey’s words.
“Well, no shit,” I said. How far had our covers been blown?
“No shit. You slay me. And, to be abundantly clear, any person that angers the head dragon is a friend of mine. Do you remember how you insulted her sensitive ego?”
Abe shook his head at me while his fingers moved over buttons. “I met her for tea earlier this week. And Daniel and I bumped into her at this cocktail bar last night. Midnight Apothecary.”
“Bernie’s favorite bar,” Humphrey boomed. “Do not fret. Her temper exists on the world’s shortest hair trigger. As well as her grudges. They’ve been known to take a second to form and a lifetime to endure. I wouldn’t worry. However, I didn’t want you receiving any strange looks tonight and not understand why. Especially you, Ms. Atwood. The Society has been charmed to death by your visit to our fair shores.”
“Always happy to hear it,” I said. “And thank you for both the invitation and the warning.”
“I won’t have you stay home when you could be enjoying a night out on the town with an elite literary circle,” he said. “Reggie and I will see you at the auction. Make sure you put your Mr. Fitzpatrick in his most dapper evening attire.”
When I hung up the phone, Abe was already tightening his cufflinks and slipping on pants.
He nodded again at me while grabbing a suit jacket. I watched him smooth down his hair in the mirror. “I see you’re already heeding Humphrey’s request to look dapper.”
He caught my eyes in the mirror. “Codex will be here shortly. They expect a certain debonair look from their leader.”
I tossed my hair in an ineffectual attempt at hiding my nerves. “So. We’ve got a date tonight, and Eudora Green is starting shit.”
I finally climbed out of bed and pulled Abe’s faded Quantico sweatshirt over my head, inhaling the scent of aged whiskey and mahogany. Came to sit on top of the very same dresser I’d recently been ravaged upon. Next to me, Abe was buttoning the final two buttons of his shirt.
“Somehow, Eudora’s been tipped off that you and I are private detectives,” he said. “I’d love for that to be Bernard, but how or why they’ve connected those dots I have no idea. At the very least, it’s obvious she thinks we’re investigating something we shouldn’t.”
“She didn’t tell Humphrey, or the Society, her full suspicions though,” I said, biting the tip of my thumb. “Telling people to avoid us but not that we’re liars.”
He peered at me. “Perhaps she’s actually protecting the person who suspects us.”
My stomach hollowed out with a burst of excitement. “Then we’re getting closer to Bernard. We have to be.”
“That we are,” he said. His face changed when he lifted his hand from his suit pocket—and held a small note between his fingers. The note I’d stolen from Eudora. In the intense activity of the fire and moving rooms, its existence had slipped my mind.
“Remember this?”
I snatched it from his fingers. “JP is a yes. Irene says we are a go.” I tilted my head, a light bulb flicking on in my brain. “James Patrick?”
“The man we’re going to see tonight?” Abe asked—elation curving around each word.
“You’re goddamn right we are,” I replied. Slammed the note on the dresser and drummed my fingers on it. “It would be a curious thing indeed if the man responsible for auctioning off these papers was going to have a hand in getting them stolen.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” he said. “We’ve worked a few cases tying thefts back to auction houses. I can’t parse who ‘Irene’ is or what she’s giving a go. If we have a fancy party tonight, good thing our team arrives in twenty minutes. We need to get Codex up to speed on everything, plan for tonight, and pin down the best strategy for being Humphrey’s guests while avoiding Eudora, and any Dresden guards, as best we can.”
He looped a tie around his neck with practiced motions. I hooked my finger into his belt loop and dragged him in front of me, joining my legs around his waist.
“Let me,” I said, starting to tie his tie. Abe Royal went still as a statue. When I finally allowed myself to peer up at him, the naked affection in his face stilled my fingers.
“This is very domestic,” he said softly.
“I’ll be nagging you to organize our basement in no time,” I said. He leaned in, kissed my forehead. I resumed my motions yet glued my eyes to his. A sense of peace infused my very being—one I’d never felt before.
“I hope you like being grilled by a team of highly trained professionals,” he said.
“I know a thing or two about withstanding pressure,” I smirked. “I’ll be okay.”
“They’ll ask if we’re…” He paused. My fingers paused too.
“What?” I knew what. I just couldn’t discern his feelings yet, or my own.
“They will tease us endlessly about our romantic situation. And our obvious gap in ages.”
“Obvious?” I grinned.
“What’s a decade, after all?” he said softly.
“Ah,” I said. “How would you describe this situation, Mr. Royal?”
A smile tugged at his lips. “You go first.”
I gave his tie a well-timed yank and his smile grew devilish. “We are enjoying each other’s company right now.”