The Daring Exploits of a Runaway Heiress by Victoria Alexander Page B

shabby, faded velvet drapes of a nondescript hue that had long hung on the tall windows at the front end of the room had been replaced with fabric of a rich wine color. The rug on the floor was either new or had been thoroughly cleaned. Regardless, it did not look the same. Indeed, there was much more floor to be seen, which in and of itself was shocking as Phineas’s reading materials, research, and collections of whatever struck his fancy, along with everything else he happened upon, were usually in disorganized drifts piled here and there. In spite of the fact that Phineas had a woman, a Mrs. Wiggins, who came in daily to clean and cook, she was forbidden to touch anything in this area. The room had always looked to be exactly what it was—the domain of an unencumbered bachelor who was more concerned with comfort than appearance. The very fact that Cam was now able to pace without dodging constant impediments should have signaled something out of the ordinary had taken place, although Cam was too caught up in his own problems to notice. At once the answer struck him. “And where is the lovely and charming Miss West today?”
    “You mean the meddlesome, annoying, persistent creature I have been so foolish as to allow into my life?” Phineas snorted. “I’ve gotten rid of her, but only for the moment.”
    “She doesn’t strike me as either meddlesome or annoying. And persistence can be something of a virtue.”
    “One would think,” Phineas muttered.
    “One would also think persistence is a good quality to have in a partner.”
    “She’s not my partner,” Phineas said a bit quicker and sharper than was necessary. “She is more in the manner of, oh, an employee, I would say.”
    “An employee who has invested in your business, who is not paid unless you are, and receives a percentage of your fees rather than a specific salary sounds very much like a partner to me.”
    “I’m still not sure how that came about,” Phineas said under his breath.
    “Would you like me to remind you?”
    “As the fault can be placed entirely at your feet, that’s neither necessary nor desired.”
    Cam bit back a grin. He had been looking into a story about an alleged haunting and had met Miss West, a friend of the owner of the building in question. At Cam’s suggestion she had then engaged Phineas’s services. While the two strong-willed individuals had clashed immediately, they had also found a commonality of purpose and an odd meshing of their intellects. In fact, they had worked surprisingly well together. Phineas said Miss West had one of the finest minds he’d ever encountered—male or female. The rest of her, Cam had pointed out, was every bit as impressive as her mind. A detail that Phineas appeared to ignore.
    Cam wasn’t entirely sure what had transpired between them, but the next time he visited his old friend, he found Phineas’s enormous, beloved, battered desk had been replaced by something more in proportion with the room, a second desk installed, and Miss Clara West diligently examining and reexamining Phineas’s haphazard records. She was apparently quite good with figures. That was several months ago, and it seemed the lovely and clever Miss West had proven helpful to Phineas on every investigation he’d undertaken since then. He may deny that the woman was his partner all he wished, but the simple fact of the matter was that they made an excellent team. And Phineas knew it.
    Now it appeared she had been setting to rights more than his receipts and records but this room and possibly the rest of his life as well. Interesting, as Phineas did not like change, and one did have to wonder why he was permitting it. In spite of his complaints about Miss West, if he didn’t want her around, she wouldn’t be. His old friend might well be smitten with the lovely blonde but, as Cam had never seen Phineas smitten with any woman, it was hard to tell. He would wager Phineas had no idea either.
    “On a case, is