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He heard soe and realized it was the sound of his teeth grinding together They'd just passed Blooh Holborn

Devil take it, they were nearly in the City What in God's na to do in the City?

It was no place for a woman Hell, he hardly ever went there himself The world of the ton was farther west, in the hallowed buildings of St James's and Mayfair Not here in the City, with its narroisting, erous proximity to the teneressively lower as they rolled onand onand onuntil he realized they were turning down Shoe Lane He craned his head out theHe'd only been here once before, at the age of nine when his tutor had dragged him and Benedict off to show them where the Great Fire of London had started in 1666 Colin reuely disappointed when he'd learned that the culprit was a mere baker who'd not dampened the ashes in his oven properly A fire like that should have had arson or intrigue in its origin

A fire like that was nothing co to a boil in his chest Penelope had better have a da out here by herself She shouldn't be going anywhere unaccompanied, much less the City

Then, just when Colin was convinced that Penelope was going to travel all the way to the Dover coast, the carriages crossed Fleet Street and ground to a halt Colin held still, waiting to see what Penelope was up to even though every fiber of his being was screaht there on the pavement

Call it intuition, call it ht away, he would never learn of her true purpose here near Fleet Street

Once she was far enough away so that he could alightunnoticed, he jue and followed her south toward so cakewFor God's sake," Colin muttered, completely unaware of blaspheion, Penelope"

She disappeared into the church, and his legs ate up the pave only when he reached the front door He didn't want to surprise her too quickly Not before he found out what exactly she was doing there His earlier words notwithstanding, he did not for one moment think that Penelope had suddenly developed a desire to extend her churchgoing habits to midweek visits

He slipped quietly into the church, keeping his footsteps as soft as he could Penelope alking down the center aisle, her left hand tapping along each pew, al?

Colin frowned as she picked her pew, then scooted in until she was in the middle She sat utterly still for a moment, then reached into her reticule and pulled out an envelope Her head ht, and Colin could easily picture her face, her dark eyes darting in either direction as she checked the rooaze at the back, so far in the shadows that he was practically pressed up against the wall And besides, she see still and quiet in her h to see him behind her

Bibles and prayer books were tucked in little pockets on the backs of the pews, and Colin watched as Penelope surreptitiously slid the envelope behind one Then she stood and edged her way out toward the center aisle

And that hen Colinout of the shadows, he strode purposefully toward her, taking grim satisfaction in the horror on her face when she saw hirasping her arrip was firht irl that she was, she didn't even try