away. She had no sooner crossed the threshold of the department than a hand reached out and grabbed her arm.
“I’ve been waiting here for fifteen minutes!” Lettice snapped. “I thought if I lost myself you’d come looking for me.”
Jill laughed. “Great minds think alike. Let’s go.”
Rick crumpled the note and gazed around the store, then refocused on the woman who’d just brought him the note. She looked half-scared.
“How long ago did they leave?” he asked, furious that he had been engaged in discussingkitchenware while his grandmother and Jill decided finally to go sight-seeing. The note directed him to meet them at Madame Tussaud’s in two hours. He’d kill Grahame when he got home.
“They left a little bit ago, sir,” the clerk said. “I’m very sorry—”
“Right.” He spun on his heel and headed for the door.
“I saw them get into a taxi,” the girl called after him.
Rick bit off an angry curse and kept on walking. He’d allowed himself to be taken in by a wry wit and a soft smile. And a great body. His grandmother was making a monkey out of him too. If he had thought he’d been imagining that the two women were up to something, he’d just had the truth confirmed.
He’d be at Tussaud’s early. Very early. Something about the location bothered him. He dismissed it for the moment, deciding he couldn’t wait to hear Jill and his grandmother wiggle out of this one.
“Well done, Jill,” Lettice said, smiling in satisfaction when they finally caught a taxi.
“Not really,” Jill said, immersed in a deluge of guilt. She hated running out on Rick like that, but what choice had she had? His intense look had been making her increasingly uncomfortable, and she’d been half-tempted to confess her deception. Lord, but he would have made a great interrogator. Women probably fell at his feet under that Valentino stare of his. She knew she wantedto. She wanted to feel his kiss again, his hands caressing her skin.…
Jill hauled back her straying thought, because it was straying into territory better left untouched. She had a great new job to go home to, and a great new life ahead of her. She wasn’t about to ruin everything by indulging in a vacation fling. Even if she could. Rick had said it wouldn’t happen again. She believed him. Already, she’d come to realize he was a man of honor.
More guilt washed through her, and she bit back a groan. “Do you think that clerk gave him the message we left?”
“Of course,” Lettice said. “She looked young and honest, and I tipped her ten pounds. By the way, what did you write in the note?”
Jill watched the crawling traffic with a heavy heart. What should have been a twenty-minute walk to Whitehall would be a forty-five-minute ride. They’d never get there in time. “Just that we were going on since he was busy with his own shopping, and he could catch up with us at Madame Tussaud’s at three.”
“All the way over there?” Lettice exclaimed.
Jill flushed. “It was the only place I could think of that wasn’t remotely near Havilan’s office.”
Lettice smiled. “I haven’t been to Madame Tussaud’s in thirty years. It might be fun.”
“If we live that long,” Jill muttered with great foreboding.
Four
“There you are! Why aren’t you in line getting tickets?”
Fury ripped through Rick at his grandmother’s greeting, and he decided she had flipped her silver rinse. “Where the bloody hell have you two been?”
His grandmother raised an eyebrow. “Do not take that tone of voice with me, Roderick Kitteridge. You had shopping to do, and we had sightseeing to do. So we have been sight-seeing. Right, Jill?”
“Right.”
Jill’s monotone caught his attention. He peered at her and was surprised to see how deflated she looked. It was as if someone had drained her of her vitality. Something had happened while they were gone, something that had upset her. His anger eased, and he glanced around at the crowds of
“I’ve been waiting here for fifteen minutes!” Lettice snapped. “I thought if I lost myself you’d come looking for me.”
Jill laughed. “Great minds think alike. Let’s go.”
Rick crumpled the note and gazed around the store, then refocused on the woman who’d just brought him the note. She looked half-scared.
“How long ago did they leave?” he asked, furious that he had been engaged in discussingkitchenware while his grandmother and Jill decided finally to go sight-seeing. The note directed him to meet them at Madame Tussaud’s in two hours. He’d kill Grahame when he got home.
“They left a little bit ago, sir,” the clerk said. “I’m very sorry—”
“Right.” He spun on his heel and headed for the door.
“I saw them get into a taxi,” the girl called after him.
Rick bit off an angry curse and kept on walking. He’d allowed himself to be taken in by a wry wit and a soft smile. And a great body. His grandmother was making a monkey out of him too. If he had thought he’d been imagining that the two women were up to something, he’d just had the truth confirmed.
He’d be at Tussaud’s early. Very early. Something about the location bothered him. He dismissed it for the moment, deciding he couldn’t wait to hear Jill and his grandmother wiggle out of this one.
“Well done, Jill,” Lettice said, smiling in satisfaction when they finally caught a taxi.
“Not really,” Jill said, immersed in a deluge of guilt. She hated running out on Rick like that, but what choice had she had? His intense look had been making her increasingly uncomfortable, and she’d been half-tempted to confess her deception. Lord, but he would have made a great interrogator. Women probably fell at his feet under that Valentino stare of his. She knew she wantedto. She wanted to feel his kiss again, his hands caressing her skin.…
Jill hauled back her straying thought, because it was straying into territory better left untouched. She had a great new job to go home to, and a great new life ahead of her. She wasn’t about to ruin everything by indulging in a vacation fling. Even if she could. Rick had said it wouldn’t happen again. She believed him. Already, she’d come to realize he was a man of honor.
More guilt washed through her, and she bit back a groan. “Do you think that clerk gave him the message we left?”
“Of course,” Lettice said. “She looked young and honest, and I tipped her ten pounds. By the way, what did you write in the note?”
Jill watched the crawling traffic with a heavy heart. What should have been a twenty-minute walk to Whitehall would be a forty-five-minute ride. They’d never get there in time. “Just that we were going on since he was busy with his own shopping, and he could catch up with us at Madame Tussaud’s at three.”
“All the way over there?” Lettice exclaimed.
Jill flushed. “It was the only place I could think of that wasn’t remotely near Havilan’s office.”
Lettice smiled. “I haven’t been to Madame Tussaud’s in thirty years. It might be fun.”
“If we live that long,” Jill muttered with great foreboding.
Four
“There you are! Why aren’t you in line getting tickets?”
Fury ripped through Rick at his grandmother’s greeting, and he decided she had flipped her silver rinse. “Where the bloody hell have you two been?”
His grandmother raised an eyebrow. “Do not take that tone of voice with me, Roderick Kitteridge. You had shopping to do, and we had sightseeing to do. So we have been sight-seeing. Right, Jill?”
“Right.”
Jill’s monotone caught his attention. He peered at her and was surprised to see how deflated she looked. It was as if someone had drained her of her vitality. Something had happened while they were gone, something that had upset her. His anger eased, and he glanced around at the crowds of
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