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Cautiously she accepted the ungainly stack “I believe it is a weekly publication of police news?”
He nodded “It contains descriptions of offenders at large and details of their crimes It is one of Bow Street’scriminals, particularly the ones who come fro has notices froland”
Sophia scanned the top few notes and read aloud“‘ Arthur Clewen, by trade a blacksh, with dark curled hair, effeed with fraud in Chichester… Mary Thoirl thin of fra murder in Wolverhampton…’ ”
“Those notes must be compiled and copied every week,” Ross said tersely “It’s tedious, and I have farmatters to attend to From now on, that will be one of your responsibilities” He pointed to a small table in the corner, every available inch of its scarred surface covered with books, files, and correspondence “You may work there You’ll have to share s stand, I’ations much of the time”
“You will hire me, then,” she said, her voice rich with satisfaction “Thank you, Sir Ross”
He slanted her an ironic glance “If I find that you are not suited for the position, you will accept my decision without protest”
“Yes, sir”
“One o to the prisoners’ van eachVickery will do it”
“But you said that it was part of your assistant’s responsibility, and I—”
“Are you arguing with me, Miss Sydney?”
She closed her mouth abruptly “No, Sir Ross”
He gave her a brief nod “The Hue and Cry o to Bow Street number four and find a dark-haired lad named Ernest Tell him where your possessions are—he will fetch them after he delivers the Hue and Cry to the printer”
“There is no need to o to the lodging house by myself at a more convenient time”
“You are not to walk anywhere in London alone Froo somewhere, you will be accompanied by Ernest or one of the runners”
She didn’t like that—he saw the resentful flicker in her eyes But she did not argue Ross continued in a businesslike manner “You’ll have the rest of the day to make yourself familiar with the public office and private residence Later I will introduce you to ues as they appear for their court sessions”
“Will I also be introduced to the Bow Street runners?”
“I doubt you will be able to avoid theht of the runners’ reaction to his fehten He wondered if that was Sophia’s land had s were fueled by the ha’penny novels that portrayed the runners as heroic men of action It was possible that Sophia wished to attract one of them If so, she would not have to try hard The runners were a randy lot, and all but one of them were unmarried
“By the way, I do not condone any romantic involvements at Bow Street,” Ross said “The runners, the constables, and the clerks are all unavailable to you Naturally I will offer no objections if you wish to carry on with someone outside the public office”
“What about you?” she startled hi softly “Are you unavailable as well?”
Perplexed, hungering, Ross wondered what kind of ga to play He kept his expression blank as he replied, “Naturally”
She shtly as she went to the small, overladen table
In less than an hour, Sophia had efficiently arranged and copied the notes in a neat hand that would delight the printer to no end She was so quiet and econootten she was there, except that her scent filtered through the air It was a tantalizing distraction that he could not disrance He detected tea and vanilla, blended with the elixir of warlances at her delicate profile, he was fascinated by the way the light moved over her hair She had small ears, a sharply defined chin, a soft snippet of a nose, and eyelashes that cast spiky shadows on her cheeks
Absorbed in her task, Sophia bent over a page and wrote carefully Ross could not help but iht feel on his body, if they would be warm or cool Would she touch a man with hesitancy or boldness? Her exterior was delicate, subdued, but there were hints of so provocative beneath… an intimation that she could be unh inside her
The conjecture caused Ross’s blood to stir faster He da so drawn to her The force of his unspent passion seee that the past months, years, of celibacy had been so tolerable until now Suddenly it had becoer for a woman’s soft flesh, his need for a tender sheath cla his kisses…
Just as his desire reached an excruciating pitch, Sophia approached his desk with the copies “Is this how you like it to be done?” she asked
He scanned the the neat lines of script With a cursory nod, he handed them back to her
“I’ll give the softly as she left The door closed with a quiet click, affording hi an explosive breath, Ross went to the chair where Sophia had sat, his fingers coasting over its back and ares, he hunted for any trace of warht have left on the wood He breathed deeply, seeking to absorb a lingering hint of her fragrance
Yes, he thought with purely
Although he was often tormented by his physical needs, Ross had too much respect for women to hire a prostitute He had become well acquainted with the profession froisterial bench, and he would not take advantage of such a woman Moreover, the transaction would be a mockery of what he had shared with his wife
He had considered the idea of ain, but he had not yet found a woistrate would have to be strong and independent And she would have to fit easily into the social circles his family frequented, as well as the dark world of Bow Street Most of all, she would have to be satisfied with his friendship, not his love He would not allow hiain, not as he had with Eleanor The pain of losing her had been too great, and his heart had been ripped in half when she died
He only wished that the need for sex could be dismissed as easily as the need for love
For decades, Bow Street No 4 had served as a private residence, public office, and court However, when Sir Ross Cannon had been appointed Chief Magistrate ten years earlier, he had expanded his powers and jurisdictions until it had been necessary to purchase the adjacent building Now No 4 served primarily as Sir Ross’s private home, while No 3 contained offices, courtroo rooated