“Are you finished for the day?” Theodora glanced at the ornate clock on the mantel, and then at the late Lord Templeton’s two secretaries, who were on the point of leaving the room. Mr. Kemp and Mr. Sever were sticklers for punctuality and routine, which Theodora grudgingly approved of, even if they were leaving too early in her opinion.

Mr. Kemp, the elder of the pair, nodded. “Our workday ended at three o’clock. It is quarter past the hour now.”

“Oh, I see.” Theodora exchanged a glance with her mother, who had kept them all quiet company from her spot by the window all day, leaving only long enough for Soot to be walked when she needed to go out. “Very well. Well, good night, Mr. Kemp and Mr. Sever.”

She reached for another file and flipped open the cover to read the first sheet. It was a contract to purchase a property in St. James and, according to the note, no income was derived from the tenant for the last six months. She frowned at it, wondering who the late earl had liked enough to allow them to live there rent-free. The late Lord Templeton was hardly known for his charity.

Sever turned back at the door. “You’re not done?”

“No, and not for several hours, I expect.” Theodora copied the particulars of the property into a small notebook, ready to pass along to Quinn when he had time to investigate the anomaly. She’d begun keeping records of her own as soon as she’d uncovered a dozen odd things among the late earl’s papers. “I will see you both in the morning.”

There was a lengthy silence after their departure before Mama spoke. “I think you just put two grown men to shame. It is not a good idea to alienate secretaries who would replace you.”

“I know, but I learned early that to work meant I must toil harder than any man. Besides, the late Lord Templeton’s affairs are rather complicated. If I kept to their hours, I might never understand before my hair was streaked with gray.”

Her mother stood and drew close. “Just don’t stare at that chicken scratching pretending to be handwriting for too long. You’ve barely glanced out the window today.”

Theodora sat back immediately and glanced up at the ceiling, then left and right, with only her eyes. If she worked for too long in one stretch, her vision had the troubling habit of becoming blurred by the end of the evening. “Thank you for reminding me.”

She stood and stretched, moving to the front windows to peer out. “Another carriage is leaving.”

Soot began to bark and whine when the door opened behind her.

Her employer slipped into the room, frowning as he shut the door behind him to keep Mama’s dog from running off into other parts of the house.

“Captain William Ford called again and stayed a while,” Quinn advised after greeting the dog. He joined Theodora at the window.

Theodora smiled at her employer but noted he wore an unusually guarded expression. “The captain is your cousin, is he not?”

“First cousin,” Quinn nodded, drawing near. “We are close.”

Theodora returned to the desk, sidestepped the enthusiastic puppy who wanted her to play, and drew out her personal journal. She made a note for herself to learn everything she could about Captain William Ford. Quinn relied on memory in general, but with his added responsibilities, there likely would be a great many small matters unintentionally forgotten. Family affection should not be a casualty of his elevation.

He followed her, his fingers discreetly skimming her arm, out of sight of her mother. “How are you surviving here?”

Her senses tingled. Lusting after her employer wasn’t the done thing, but she had to admit it was a splendid way to pass the time. Quinn’s presence always put her in a good mood. “Very well, although I think Mama found today very dull.”

“Not dull at all. I’ve had the advantage of watching two grown men try to make sense of my daughter. I don’t think they’ve ever seen a woman so interested in legal documents before.”

“I’m glad one of us is.” He sighed, moved to a sideboard. “That is what my future will be. Dull and tedious paperwork and parliamentary debate for years on end.”

“Fascinating.” Theodora crossed the room and immediately took the decanter from his hand. “Don’t drink from this one. Move the five books to the right on the bookshelf beside you. I believe your father kept the best brandy stashed away, out of sight of visitors.”

Quinn grunted and shifted to the side. He moved the fake books aside and uncovered a decanter that matched the ones on display. “Typical of him. How did you discover this little secret?”

“Mr. Kemp sampled a glass from there after luncheon, and made certain to hide it again as I returned. He then pretended to top up his glass from one of the displayed bottles, and I concluded he wanted to try to keep it a secret still.”

“He will underestimate you at his own peril, my dear.” He smiled suddenly. Quinn moved the good brandy to the sideboard and switched the previously displayed one into the secret hiding place. He glanced her way, eyes dancing with mirth. “A little fun.”

Theodora nodded encouragingly, glad to see a spark of mischief in her employer’s eyes. He might be an earl now, but there was no reason he needed to be serious all the time. He shouldn’t have to change his nature. She liked him just as he was. “Here, my lord, come and look at this.”

“If there is nothing else I’m needed for, my lord, Theodora, I should like to retire upstairs for a while,” Mama interrupted, Soot tucked firmly under her arm.

Theodora smiled at her mother, pleased she’d remained downstairs so long. She had taken Quinn’s request very seriously to act as chaperone, and to be visible about doing so, until now. “Of course, thank you for your company today, Mama.”

“Yes, thank you, Mrs. Dalton. I am sorry to have forced you into company during your mourning period.”

“I do understand.”

She left, speaking to Soot about rest time, using the servant’s entrance to move through the house instead of the main stairs.

Quinn drew another circle on Theodora’s upper arm. “Is she all right? Is she comfortable?”

“Yes, I think so. Soot has cheered Mama considerably, and I am glad she ventures from her room. She even conversed a little with Mr. Sever after luncheon.”

“I hoped as much,” he whispered. Quinn continued to tease her arm, gently skimming her skin the way he would often do at night when they lay sated in each other’s arms. There were still many hours until she would retire to bed, and she was suddenly restless. She should not think about intimacy so early in the afternoon.

“Now,” Theodora said, flourishing her journal before him. She discussed the day’s findings, her concerns that needed investigation, and waited for his response.

Quinn’s teasing touch fell away as he pointed to the St. James property. “I have a recollection of him directing his driver there a few months ago, as I left his carriage, but I’m not aware of who lives there.”

“Ah,” Theodora said carefully. She drew a breath, prepared to broach a delicate subject that had been on her mind the last few days. “I know this is an awkward topic but…what is to be done about mistresses? Did he have any that you know of? Do you wish to continue supporting your father’s, and your own, too?”

“There were no bequests left to any in my father’s will.” Quinn sighed. “Damn him for making me decide about them.”

She suspected Quinn would most likely pledge them some financial support or offer other help. She hoped his tender heart would not be too generous, though. “What did you do about Adele Blakely?”

“Nothing.” He turned back to the brandy and poured another glass for himself.

“She is currently living in your property, rent-free, and unencumbered by contract to you,” Theodora said quietly as she followed him. “If she takes up with another man, will you allow her to remain on your property?”

“No.” He raised his eyes skyward. “Why are you, of all people, forcing me to talk about her?”

Because she couldn’t stop herself. She did not like the idea of that woman living in Quinn’s home after what she’d done to him. “Isn’t it my job, as your secretary, to remind you of such matters and carry out your instructions? Even the unpleasant ones?”

Quinn lowered his face, searching hers. “You would have no trouble in speaking with her on my behalf, would you?”

Frankly, Theodora was dying to catch another glimpse of that fool again. She’d love nothing more than to give the actress a piece of her mind for her behavior. “None at all.”

“There’s nothing for you to worry about. Now I know Adele never cared about me, I find I am unable to summon the energy to see her again. She’s been replaced.”

Theodora leaned back, offended by Quinn’s description of the current situation. “I did not replace her. I’m not your mistress.”

He cupped her cheek, skimming his fingers into her hair to angle her face up toward his. He leaned closer, biting his lower lip as desire filled his eyes. “Aren’t you?”

“Never a mistress.” Theodora caught his wrist when his eyes widened, and she pulled his hand away from her face before he went too far. Anyone could burst in and see them together. Lady Templeton, for example, rarely knocked on doors before she opened them. No one would believe his caress innocent, which it certainly wasn’t. “I do not ask for jewels or gifts, I do not expect to be seen on your arm or to be entertained by you. I remain your secretary and temporary lover. Nothing more lasting than that exists between us.”

He stepped back, eyes narrowing, jaw clenching. For a horrifying second, Theodora saw that her words had hurt his feelings, but he quickly masked it, adopting an aristocratic hauteur so utterly wrong for him.

But the pleasure they’d shared in each other’s arms required no tawdry label. She hoped he understood the limits she placed upon their relationship were for the best possible reason. If he paid her for sex, the entire act of intimacy became a business transaction between them. A matter of commerce, rather than the pleasure it had always been. “My lord?”

A muscle ticked in his jaw before he spoke again. “As you wish.”

“I think it is best to keep our relationship on a professional footing as much as possible. Now, about the mistresses.” Theodora wouldn’t be giving a scheming tart two shillings more than necessary to make her go away. “They need to be dealt with soon.”

“Very well.” He smiled suddenly and Theodora grew warm all over. He went to his desk and wrote a few lines on a piece of parchment before handing it to her. “But first I have another matter that requires your expertise, my dear. I want you to find out if my family had any dealings with a man by the name of Roman Gently. This is an address in London where he might have lived for a while and his occupation too if that helps.”

She’d never heard or read the name before. “Who is he?”

“I’ve not the faintest idea.” He gestured to the room. “See if you can find him among all this, and question my father’s secretaries, too.”

“Of course.”

He bent to press a lingering kiss to her cheek and whispered, “Mother expects me in the drawing room now, but I’ll return as soon as I can or we can talk tonight in bed.”

Theodora watched him stride away, and then reluctantly returned to her work.