Perception was all in the polite world.

But this was Anthony, and she loved him, and lately she found herself less and less concerned with being careful.

“Emeline,” he whispered against her throat. “What are we to do? I love you. Even when we quarrel, I want you.”

“I love you too.” She tightened her arms around his neck. “So very much.”

He raised his head slightly to look into her eyes. “I am not yet in a position to ask you to marry me. You know that. The sad truth is that I cannot yet afford to keep you in proper style.”

“How many times must I tell you that I do not care about the state of your finances?”

“I most certainly care. I will not ask you to marry me until I am in a position to establish a household.”

“You are too proud.”

“That may be, but it does not matter, because I have made up my mind on the subject. In the meantime, my great fear is that you will lose patience waiting. Some other man may come along who is financially secure, one who can give you everything.”

“Never,” she vowed. “I will wait forever, if need be. But I refuse to believe that two people as clever as you and I cannot find a way to be together sooner than that.”

He smiled slightly. “I hope that you are right.” He hesitated.

“Sweetheart, there is something I want you to know. I was not going to tell you, because things may not work out as I wish. But the truth is, I took the fees that I earned assisting Tobias in his last case and

“I purchased a share in one of Lord Crackenburne’s shipping ventures. It will be several months before I will know whether or not I shall see a profit, however. There is always a risk in that sort of investment.”

She smiled. “I, too, have a confession to make. Mrs. Dove invited Aunt Lavinia and me to invest in one of her building projects. The houses are to be completed within the next six months. They will be sold or leased. If all goes well, I shall have some money of my own before the end of the year. If we combine our incomes I’m sure we shall manage.”

“Speaking of houses, that is another problem. Even if we marry, we must find a decent place to live.”

“We can move into your lodgings.”

“Absolutely not. My rooms do well enough for a single gentleman such as myself, but I would not dream of taking you out of this very comfortable little house and installing you in Jasper Street.”

“I would not mind,” she said quickly. “Really, I wouldn’t.”

“Well, I would most certainly mind.” He scowled. “There is not even enough space for a housekeeper, always assuming we could afford one.” He groaned and folded her close. “Any way you look at it, we must wait months before we can even announce our engagement.”

He broke off abruptly, looking as though he had been struck by a sudden dazzling vision. “Unless…”

She heard the sudden change of tone in his voice and recognized it immediately. Pulling back slightly, she looked up at him. “I perceive that you have concocted a plan. What is it?”

“It is all a bit vague at the moment.” He spoke cautiously, clearly not wanting to raise her hopes at this early juncture. “It would require amp; great deal of strategy. I shall have to proceed carefully, but there just may be a way to move matters along a bit faster.”

She was torn between excitement and frustration. “You must tell me.”

“No. Not until I have some notion of whether or not it will work.”

“This is too much. You try my patience, sir.” She seized his lapels and attempted to give him a small shake. He did not move, but he did look amused.

“His hand closed over hers. You are not the only one who is impatient, my love. There are nights when I wonder if I will go mad with the waiting.”

“I understand.” Reluctantly she released him and smoothed the

lapels she had just crushed. “It is very odd, is it not? One would think that a few kisses now and again would serve to release the frustration. But for some reason, the more often we embrace, the more I wish to do so.”

He smiled a wicked, sensual smile. “Indeed, I have noticed the same strange effect.”

He bent his head to nibble on her ear.

She sighed. “Perhaps it would be best if we refrained from this sort of thing.”

“No more kisses?” He raised his head quite suddenly. “I would rather go mad, thank you very much.”

She started to laugh, but he found her mouth with his own and she moaned softly instead. He was right, she decided. Better to go mad than to deprive herself of his kisses.

His hand slipped to the back of her waist. He pressed her hips against his. She was intensely aware of the hard, bold contours of his aroused body. His kiss deepened.

A loud thud on the front step, followed immediately by the sound of a key in the lock, jolted her out of the sensual daze. Anthony stiffened and tried to step back. But the door opened wide before they could completely untangle themselves from each other’s arms.

She stared in amazement at the sight of Lavinia sweeping into the small hall. Her aunt was closely followed by Tobias, who was assisting a coachman with a large trunk.

“Home at last.” Lavinia jerked off her yellow straw bonnet and sent it sailing toward the nearest table. “Whoever said that life in the country was a soothing tonic for the nerves obviously did not have the faintest notion of what he was talking about.”

Mrs. Chilton bustled back into the house just as Tobias sent the coach away. Her basket was overflowing with garden produce. She gazed in surprise at the small crowd in the front hall.

“What’s this? Is something wrong? You weren’t expected home until tomorrow, ma’am.”

“Plans changed, Mrs. Chilton,” Lavinia said. “It is a long story.

“Meanwhile, Mr. March and I are famished. The food at the inn where we stopped for a meal was quite wretched. But, then, I suppose that is all of a piece with the entire, wretched trip.”

“Mrs. Lake is right,” Tobias said. “The food was, indeed, bad. I am feeling the pangs of hunger myself.”

Mrs. Chilton snorted. “I don’t doubt that for a moment. Very well, I’ll prepare a cold collation.”

“Thank you.” Tobias smiled deliberately at her. “Would you happen to have any of those extraordinary currant tarts on hand, by any chance? I have been dreaming about them since we stopped at the inn.”

“Mrs. Chilton gave him a beady-eyed look of disapproval. I’m surprised you’ve got the energy left to eat any currant tarts, sir, what with that long, exhausting journey and all.”

“Vale’s carriage was so nicely sprung I was able to get a bit of rest.”

Lavinia frowned at that blithely spoken untruth. Tobias had not slept a wink on the journey home. The two of them had spent most of the time plotting strategy and discussing the new case.

But Mrs. Chilton made a clucking sound with her tongue and shook her head. “I may have one or two tarts left over from the batch I made up for the basket you took with you on your trip to the country.”

“I am very much obliged, Mrs. Chilton,” Tobias said, a little too humbly.

Lavinia watched the pair closely. This was not the first time she had cause to suspect that she was missing some secret joke shared by the two. Tobias and Mrs. Chilton were not the only ones who appeared inexplicably amused. Anthony was examining the floor very intently, the corners of his mouth twitching. Emeline suddenly turned away to hang the yellow bonnet on a hook.

Lavinia had had enough. She planted her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at Tobias. “More currant tarts? Allow me to tell you, sir, that you have become obsessive about currants in recent weeks. You are forever requesting that Mrs. Chilton provide you with some delicacy made of currants. I vow, there have been enough currant jam, currant cakes, and currant tarts around here to feed an army.”