Affair by Amanda Quick

She had been dreading this meeting all day.
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    Dreading it and yet anticipating it with an inexplicable sense of
    ,what could only be termed morbid excitement.
    "Before I give you instructions regarding your initial duties, Mr. St. Ives, I shall have to tell you something that I never found it
    necessary to reveal to Mr. Marcle."
    Baxter studied her with an expression of polite inquiry. "Indeed - "
    "I must tell you precisely how I make my living."
    Baxter took off his spectacles and began to polish the lenses with a large white handkerchief. "That would certainly be of some
    interest to your man-of-affairs, Miss Arkendale." "Yes, I suppose so. But it is a little difficult to explain." "I see."
    "Some would say my career borders on the scandalous but I feel
    it is more in the nature of a calling." "Rather like becoming a nun, would you say?" Baxter held his eyeglasses up to the light, apparently checking for smudges. "Yes." Charlotte cheered slightly. "That is an excellent analogy. You see, Mr. St. Ives, I operate a very exclusive service. I cater solely to women who have come into a bit of money. An inheritance, perhaps, or an unusually large pension from a grateful employer." "I see."
    "Respectable ladies of a certain age who find themselves alone in
    the world, possessed of an income and who are considering marriage. "
    Baxter placed his spectacles on his nose with grave precision. His alchemist's eyes gleamed. "And just what sort of services do you provide for these ladies?" "I conduct inquiries for them. Very discreet inquiries." "Inquiries into what?"
    She cleared her throat. "Into the backgrounds of the gentlemen who wish to marry them."
    He gazed at her for a long moment. "Their backgrounds?" "It is my task, sir, indeed, my calling, to assist such ladies in 42                Amanda Quick
    ascertaining that the men who express a desire to marry them are not fortune hunters, opportunists, or rakehells. I help them avoid the perils and pitfalls such women inevitably face."
    An acute silence fell on the study. Baxter stared at her. "Good God," he said eventually. Charlotte bristled. So much for hoping that he would be favorably impressed by her unique career. "I perform a valuable
    service, sit.
    "What on earth are you playing at? Surely you do not imagine yourself to be some sort of female Bow Street Runner." "Not at all. I make the sort of extremely delicate inquiries that no Runner could possibly conduct. And I am proud to say that I have been personally responsible for saving several ladies from forming disastrous connections with men who would have ruined their finances."
    "Bloody hell. I begin to see why you might require the services of a bodyguard, Miss Arkendale. You must have acquired any number of enemies in your time." "Nonsense. I conduct my business affairs with complete confidentiality. My clients are cautioned to discuss my services only with other ladies who might be in need of them." "This is astounding, Miss Arkendale. How the devil do you proceed with your work?" "In addition to dispatching my man-of-affairs to collect certain types of information, I also have the assistance of my sister and my housekeeper. "
    Baxter gazed at her, bemused. "Your housekeeper?" "Mrs. Witty is very helpful when it comes to making inquiries among servants and staff. Such people often know more about their employers than anyone else. It has all worked very well until now. Charlotte got to her feet and went to stand at the window. She contemplated the small garden. "But something dreadful has happened. "
    '0(;1
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    "Something that makes you think that you need a bodyguard as
    well as a new man-of-affairs?" Baxter asked bluntly.
    -yes. Until recently, my clients have all been women of a certain station in life. Respectable but not wealthy. Governesses, spinsters, and widows from the gentry. But two months ago, I acquired a new Client, one who moved in Polite Circles. I was extremely excited because it meant