Page 54 of When You Rescued Me

“Because you have fallen in love with Mr. Ross and have yet to reconcile those feelings with what you now know of him,” Sophia said.

Hannah’s hand flew from her face. “Of course not!”

Sophia’s meaningful smile was enough to cause Hannah to disregard her clenched stomach and reach for a sandwich, just for a distraction.

“A sandwich,” she said, raising it so Sophia and Elinor could see it. “Once it is eaten, I only have one small cake remaining, and then you can leave.”

Sophia’s smile widened. Elinor’s mouth formed a perfect O. And in that moment, Hannah knew she was done for. Her sisters had uncovered something she had not been willing to admit—even to herself.

Chapter 21

The moment Samuel walked through the doors at Bow Street, Brogden jerked his head toward Sir John’s parlor.

“You’d better get in there,” he said. “We’ve just had a couple of deliveries by special courier, and Sir John’s been asking for you. Jealous is already inside.”

Samuel’s stomach dropped. Despite his best efforts and the passage of four days since his final interaction with Hannah, he was finding it exceedingly difficult to view life optimistically. That aside, it seemed to him that any news that arrived by special courier was more than likely to be both important and concerning. Wasting no time on conjecturing, he crossed to the parlor door, knocked, and walked in. Sir John was seated in his normal spot behind the desk. Jealous was across from him.

“You wished to see me, my lord?” Samuel said.

“Take a seat, Ross.”

Closing the door behind him, Samuel lowered himself into the chair beside Jealous and raised a questioning eyebrow at his colleague. Jealous’s only response was a tightening of his jaw.

“We have heard back from Clarke and Stephenson,” Sir John said. “Jealous read me their report not more than five minutes ago. Give him a summary, Jealous.”

“The naval warehouse in Portsmouth is a total loss,” Jealous said. “No official word on how much it will cost to replace what was destroyed, but Clarke estimates it will be close to 20,000 pounds.”

Samuel sucked in a breath. The figure was staggeringly high. “What of the ships at dock?” he asked.

“Thankfully, damage to the port itself was negligible, and no ships were involved.”

Relief filled Samuel. At least he now knew with certainty that his former crewmates were safe.

“Clues to the cause of the fire are few and far between. No one at the dock saw anyone suspicious, but as nothing flammable is allowed anywhere near the warehouse, Clarke contends that the fire’s origin is suspicious.”

“I believe he is correct,” Sir John said. “And to my mind, the second missive confirms it.”

Jealous reached for the second piece of paper on Sir John’s desk. “This just arrived from Mayor Andrew Pope in Bristol. He writes asking for immediate assistance from Bow Street in apprehending the band of saboteurs that set incendiary devices aboard three ships in the quay, with others placed near a couple of the warehouses closest to the densely populated part of the city.”

“Placed?” Samuel asked. “Does that mean they were unsuccessful?”

“Only one vessel burned,” Sir John said. “Which is fortunate, but still, one vessel too many. Thankfully, it means the other targets may yet yield evidence that will help us capture the man or men behind these heinous acts.” He leaned forward. “The navy is deeply concerned, and I share their unease. If this is some kind of conspiracy, we must stop it before they attack any other vessels or valuable supplies.”

“How would you have us proceed, m’lord?” Jealous asked.

“I want you and Ross to leave for Bristol immediately. There has to be someone at the quay who saw something that can lead us to our villain. Visit every site targeted and discover what you can about the method used to ignite the fires. God willing, we shall have no further incidents, but in order to beat this arsonist at his game, we must act with all haste.”

Jealous was already on his feet. Samuel followed.

“What of Lady Telford’s ball, my lord?” Samuel asked.

“I spoke of making haste, Ross, and I meant it. You will return to London long before that event. Jealous has already procured a map of the house. If you and Clark have also done your parts, we shall be prepared to capture Grimsby when the time comes.”

Samuel had had four days to ponder any possible means of entering Telford House without accompanying the Denningtons, but he had come up with nothing. It was time to share his regrettable situation with Sir John. “The tailor will have my clothing ready next week,” he said, “and I have learned the cotillion’s basic steps.” He steeled himself. “But Miss Dennington recently learned of my objectionable past, and I think it unlikely that she will wish me to accompany her family to the ball.” It was the first time Samuel had spoken the words aloud, and he was unprepared for how deeply they cut.

“Her father has written to Lady Telford asking that you join them, I assume?” Sir John asked.

“That is my understanding, my lord.”