In the Barrister's Chambers by Tina Gabrielle Page B

this Simon?”
    â€œSimon Guthrie is Randoph’s close friend and another Oxford Fellow. Simon is the one who delivered the note requesting us to meet at the Cock and Bull.”
    Jack glanced down at the now-crumpled note on the desk. Throughout his career he had met with clients in all types of establishments throughout the underbelly of London, but never had he been responsible for the welfare of a lady accompanying him.
    And the Cock and Bull was a rowdy, bawdy tavern, in the center of the Billingsgate fish market. Part of the London docks, the place swelled with sailors, dockworkers, fishwives, buyers, prostitutes, thieves, and smugglers on a daily basis.
    It certainly was no place for a lady.
    Jack could blend in at the Cock and Bull if need be, and if by chance he was recognized, many of the tavern’s patrons would look upon him as a hero from the Crown’s overly aggressive prosecutors.
    But to take Evelyn to such an establishment?
    Unthinkable.
    His eyes raked her face. Her golden hair was pulled back into a bun, but the severe style only served to emphasize her exotic cat-shaped eyes, which now flashed a glorious shade of blue.
    Anger toward Randolph Sheldon—the man she intended to marry—escalated to a heightened pitch.
    â€œI insist on traveling alone,” Jack said. “I will tell you everything upon my return.”
    Evelyn sat forward in her chair, her spine visibly stiffening. “No. I will go with or without you.”
    â€œI am not offering a choice, Evie.”
    She met his hard eyes without flinching. “You must know that I do not take well to unreasonable orders, Jack. I intend to see Randolph no matter the risk.”
    No doubt, he thought. Evelyn would put herself in danger to aid her man. A foreign ache sprang up in the center of Jack’s chest. No woman of his past acquaintance would ever jeopardize her safety on his behalf.
    Could he be jealous?
    Nonsense. In the cold, selfish world in which he practiced criminal law, he was merely unnerved by her loyalty.
    She must have sensed he was debating whether to capitulate to her demands because she leaned across the desk and touched his sleeve.
    â€œPlease understand, Jack. I don’t believe it to be a great risk. Not with you, Simon, and Randolph present.”
    Jack looked down to where her slender fingers rested on his arm. She would do it, he knew. She would go alone and the chances of her escaping unscathed without his protection were slim.
    â€œI’ll agree,” he said, “but only because I don’t want your father to become ill should anything untoward happen to you should you venture there on your own.”
    She removed her hand, and a secretive smile softened her lips. “Everything will be fine, Jack. You’ll see.”
    His gaze dropped from her blue eyes to her full, bottom lip, curved now in a sensual smile, and his heartbeat hammered in his ears. Not for the first time, he wondered what he was getting himself into.
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    The most difficult part was slipping out of the house undetected. Evelyn had announced she wasn’t feeling well and sought to retire for the evening after an early supper. Having long ago sent away her maid, Evelyn now restlessly paced her bedchamber.
    The closed curtains shut out the late-afternoon sun, and a solitary candle stood lit on a nightstand. As she moved about, shadows loomed over the cream-colored walls like eerie ghosts.
    The household routine was like clockwork as her father ordered his life with military precision. A familiar creaking of the wooden floorboards drew her to a halt, and she listened to her father’s heavy footsteps first on the landing, then moving down the grand staircase. Lord Lyndale was headed for his library office where he would immerse himself in scholarly volumes, have his evening meal delivered on a tray, and remain until midnight. The servants, including Mrs. Smith, Janet, and Hodges, would perform their