Page 90 of The Unfortunate Debutante
“I know you will, but…”
Benedict cut her off, his eyes never straying from her. “I love you, but sometimes you make our assignments too easy by shooting everyone.”
Eliza let out a small laugh. “That’s my intention.”
“We’ll bring Emma back,” Benedict said, earning a nod from Eliza.
The look of love was undeniable as Eliza stared back at Benedict. “You must come back to me,” she murmured, her voice holding a slight plea.
“Always,” he replied before kissing her on the lips.
Jonathon cleared his throat. “If you two lovebirds are finished, we should probably go rescue Emma from Lockhart.”
“That sounds like a reasonable plan to me,” Adrien quipped from next to him.
Benedict kissed his wife again before he stepped back. “I’ll see that the coach is prepared,” he said, walking out into the entry hall.
“By the way, Bow Street Runners aren’t completely useless,” Jonathon expressed, turning his direction towards Simeon. “Pembrooke stopped me outside with an address to a cottage that Lockhart recently rented under an assumed name.”
“How did he come by that information?” Simeon asked.
Jonathon shrugged. “He didn’t say, and I didn’t ask.” He turned on his heel and followed Benedict.
As Simeon watched Jonathon walk away, he knew he would do whatever it took to get Emma back. And then he prayed that she would agree to his courtship. But he had a sinking feeling in his stomach that he wasn’t good enough for her.
16
“That plan is truly awful,”Simeon declared as they stood in a field of bluebells and hazels on the outskirts of a densely woodland area.
Adrien shrugged, unperturbed. “It’s worked before.”
Simeon gave him a look of disbelief. “You want me to just walk up to the cottage, knock on the door and ask to speak to Lockhart.”
“Yes. By doing so, you’ll distract Lockhart while we take out the guards,” Adrien pressed.
“That plan is suicidal.”
Benedict chuckled. “We thought so as well, but it did work out splendidly. Although, Adrien was almost shot when he attempted to rescue his wife.”
“No plan is without some risk.” Jonathon shrugged.
Simeon frowned. “I am not going to walk up to the cottage and let Lockhart shoot me.”
“Pity,” Adrien joked.
“How are you agents still alive?” Simeon asked with a shake of his head.
“Agents aren’t afraid to take risks, but Bow Street Runners are quite timid,” Jonathon said matter-of-factly.
“You say ‘timid’, but I saynotidiotic,” Simeon remarked. “Your last plan got me shot.”
Benedict grinned. “That’s because you jumped in front of Emmett in an attempt to win Martha’s affections.”
He grunted. “Regardless, I propose we come up with a new plan.”
“We could proceed and improvise as we go along,” Adrien suggested.
The sound of someone approaching through the trees had everyone reaching for their pistols. A lone figure emerged, but they immediately relaxed when they recognized the form of Mr. George Larson appearing between the hazel trees.
