The Detective's Dilemma (21 page)

But then Brennan found her and said that a knock she’d heard on the kitchen door hadn’t been from the grocer’s boy, but Detective Walker.

She left Peter with Isabelle and hurried through the house before she found Caleb in the kitchen, not the sitting room. He perched on the same stool he’d used the day before. He rose to his feet as she entered.

He wore the same suit but was freshly shaved. She’d touched his face before, felt the soft rasp of whiskers. Now his skin might be smooth under her fingers. She folded her hands to stop herself from reaching for him, because now she saw that his expression seemed solemn. Her smile faltered. “Why are you down here?” she asked brightly. “I expected to find you upstairs.”

“It’s comfortable here. As a policeman, I’ve grown used to kitchens.” He fiddled with the brim of his hat, the first sign of awkwardness she’d witnessed. He must be ready to say something unpleasant. Good-bye, for instance. Or perhaps he’d changed his mind about helping put her father-in-law in prison. She supposed she couldn’t entirely blame him if he backed out. Any action he took would blight the career he loved.

“It’s all right,” she said softly. “I’m still grateful. I’m so glad to have met you.” He’d helped her end a threat, and he’d rekindled fires she’d lost years ago—desire and hope.

“I’ve come to see if you’re all right,” he said.

“Yes. Last night I slept better than I have for weeks, even months.” She dragged a stool so she could sit at the corner near him—crowding him as he’d crowded her in the bad restaurant.

“Mr. Winthrop is in trouble. I read the newspaper article this morning. Is the trouble he caused for me really over?” she asked.

He nodded. “I think so.”

“Is your situation as well? Has it been settled?”

“That, I’m not as optimistic about.”

“What will you do?” She leaned over and touched his arm, then wondered at the peculiar heat on her fingertips. She tried to move from that surprising sensation, but he caught her hand and kissed it.

Oh my. She’d been wrong. He did want her too. The heat intensified, and then, when he turned her hand over and pressed his lips to her palm, she gasped. He must have interpreted the sound as protest, for he let go.

He said, “I was going to go see my father, but I stopped here first.”

“That’s not what I meant when I asked about your plans. But why?”

“I haven’t been to see him in about a year.”

She laughed. “Again, not what I meant, but I can tell you’re an expert at evading the question. All right, tell me, why did you come here first?”

“I told you, I wanted to see you, make sure you’re all right.”

“And why have you put off seeing your father for such a long time?”

She thought he wouldn’t answer or just give another flippant response, but he frowned and said, “I think my father and brother disliked the fact that I’ve helped support them. Their resentment is why I’ve avoided them.”

“Why do they feel that way? Because they don’t approve of your work?”

“Yes, and they don’t like being beholden to me. But I recently got a letter from my brother, who says our uncle has taken an interest in him. My uncle hired him, and he works in an office. I’ve been informed they didn’t need my support anymore.” He shrugged. “If they have more money than I, then life will be back to normal, the correct balance. I’ll be the black sheep again instead of the provider.”

“That’s so odd.”

“Every family is odd,” he said.

“Would you like…” she started, but then realized he’d hear the sympathy in that request, and his slightly prickly manner told her he might not want that. “Would it be all right if I accompany you to visit your father and brother?” she finished.

He gave her one of his funny, frowning smiles. “Ha. You’re volunteering to come along to lend me aid.”

“Nonsense. I’m only curious to meet them.”

His grin widened. “I should be polite and refuse, but I don’t think I want to. Is there anything I can do for you? Are there dragons I might slay for you? Any more rotten relations or in-laws to vanquish?”

“I have a note asking me to visit with Mr. Sawyer this morning. I’d rather not go see him alone again.”

He rose to his feet. “Good. I’m going there anyway. We’ll brave a visit to him together.”

She excused herself and hurried upstairs to tell Isabelle she’d be out for a while. She gave Peter a huge hug, taking a full minute to rock him back and forth until he wiggled free of her. She went to her room and, feeling slightly guilty about making Caleb wait, found a pretty hat and clean gloves. No more running out of the house half-dressed and sloppy.

As she joined Caleb at the front door, she said, “I’m surprised you came here today. Yesterday started in this very foyer, and it seemed to go on forever.”

He put a hand on her shoulder and gently turned her to face him. “Yesterday was one of the most interesting days, one of the best days of my life and that’s because of you. I’d be a fool to stay away.”

“Oh.” She wondered if he spoke of the encounter in Mrs. Calder’s apartment. Could that eager lustful moment be more than a single incident set apart from their lives? And was that what she wanted?

Her heart beat faster, and her mouth went dry. Humor might push the anxiety away. She said, “We have established that you have a strange sense of excitement.”

She expected her light response to his declaration might annoy him, but he grinned. “So says the woman who claims she wants to meet my family. Though, come to think of it, they’re usually pleasant to outsiders. I should be worried. Now that my brother has a bright future again, you might consider him as a match.”

“No, thank you. I am not looking for a husband, remember?”

He leaned close and brushed his cheek against hers. “And yet you found one,” he murmured and moved back before she did.

They’d reached the bottom of the stairs before she felt able to speak again. “I’m certainly not going to marry a man I’ve known only a day and under such extraordinary circumstances.”

“I can wait,” he said.

His mood grew somber as they left the hansom to walk up the stairs of a very fine town house. Close to the house, she could see that the door needed a coat of paint and the stone balustrade was chipped and badly repaired. The small marks of shabbiness echoed the evidence she saw in her own life, too much house to maintain without servants or money. Truly, she and Caleb’s family seemed to march along similar paths.

“When did your family lose its money?” she whispered.

“My father never held a job, he was a gentleman after all, and the money gradually ran out.”

Their backgrounds weren’t so similar after all. Her parents had gone from wealthy to indigent nearly overnight and only a few years ago.

Caleb’s father answered his own door. He was tall, hawk-nosed, and thin. “Who is this?” he said, staring at Julianna. Gentleman, ha.

The visit didn’t improve after that. They followed him into a parlor that was as well-appointed as any she’d ever seen. The silver was in need of polish and a layer of dust muted the décor, but other than that, she couldn’t see any sign of poverty, no spaces on the wall where paintings had been removed to be sold—not like her home.

Caleb waited until she sat on a chintz-covered lady’s chair before taking the seat next to her. His father remained standing, hands behind his back.

“Why are you here?” he asked. “Did you wish to introduce me to Mrs. Winthrop? I’ve heard of her before.” His tone announced he did not like what he’d heard.

Caleb rose to his feet. “This will be a short visit after all. But please, Mrs. Winthrop, allow me to introduce you to my father, a man who was once the pattern of graciousness.” The acid in his voice surprised her. She hadn’t heard him use such a tone before. Of course, she didn’t really know him.

Julianna decided to ignore the tension between father and son, and smiled up at the older Mr. Walker. “How do you do?”

The older man turned red and murmured something about the pleasure to meet her despite all he’d heard.

“Shall we go?” Caleb asked Juliana. His cheeks flamed red with emotion, embarrassment or anger.

“Here now, there’s no need to get indignant,” his father said.

“No. No yet,” Julianna said.

“You’re truly all right?” Caleb asked her in a low voice.

She nodded, and Caleb sat.

“Where’s Justin?” He turned to Julianna and explained, “That’s my brother.”

“It’s a workday, so he’s at the office, naturally. Why aren’t you off walking the streets?”

Caleb’s mouth twitched. “That’s what I did all day yesterday.”

How astounding to understand he was amused by the question, not angry, not full of despair. His father’s unpleasant comments about her apparently bothered Caleb, but the ones directed at him didn’t appear to affect him.

The rest of the visit passed in a desultory fashion. They weren’t offered refreshments, so she couldn’t make complimentary remarks on food or occupy her hands. Caleb openly checked his watch several times, and his father’s attention was fixed on a large clock in the corner. She longed to know if they’d always disliked one another. Would Caleb turn into the sort of man who used silence and sneers as weapons?

During a particularly long silence, Caleb raised his eyebrows at her, silently questioning,
do you want to leave?
But she was determined to last as long as possible, so she shook her head no in answer.

He must have misunderstood her meaning, because he cleared his throat and said, “Mr. Sawyer is expecting us, so we should leave,” Caleb said.

“Bruce Sawyer?” his father asked, with something like interest. “Do you know him, Mrs. Winthrop?”

Julianna answered, “Yes, we’re going to go talk to him.”

“Mr. Sawyer is a fine man,” Caleb’s father said. “He is a fine professional man, a lawyer.”

Caleb tilted his head and scrutinized his father, as if expecting some sort of attack—which came.

“It’s unfortunate that he was detained a few years ago. Trumped-up charges,” Mr. Walker began. “He told me all about the shameful incident and I’m ashamed to think my own—”

Julianna gave up. She’d had enough. “You’re right, Caleb. We should go. We must get Mr. Sawyer’s help on your latest case.” She turned a bared-teeth expression she hoped resembled a smile toward Mr. Walker. “Detective Walker and Mr. Sawyer are helping me with a most troubling problem. I’m sure you’ve read about it in the paper? No?”

He frowned and opened his mouth, but she decided not to allow him to get a word in edgewise. “My poor late husband’s father, Mr. John Winthrop? You know of him?” She didn’t let Caleb’s father answer. “Well. It’s just terrible—what that awful man did, I mean. Caleb stopped him. You should be proud. I believe that protecting the public from criminals is a terribly important profession, don’t you? I so admire your son for being willing to take on dangerous and vital work.” She gathered her bag, made sure her hat was on correctly, and strode out of that house in a far from ladylike manner.

“I apologize for putting you through that,” Caleb said when he’d caught up with her.

“You have nothing to apologize for. That man…” She recalled one of her mother’s strictures: never speak ill of another’s family. Only family is allowed to disparage its members.

“He seemed worse today than usual,” Caleb said thoughtfully. “I’d thought if I brought company, he might be more welcoming, not less.’

She wanted to go back into the house and shake Caleb’s father until his teeth rattled. “You remained calm for most of that visit,” she said. “I’m not sure I could have.”

“Getting upset doesn’t help.” Caleb tipped his hat at a passing lady, who gave him a nod. “My father is not a happy man even at the best of times—not anymore. I used to get angry in response, but when I looked into a mirror, I saw his face glaring back at me. Now I only feel sad for him. When I visit him by myself, that is—but today, I got angry.”

She supposed Caleb to be a passionate, reckless person, but this collected response must have come after some reflection about his father’s situation.

After a few steps, she said, “My presence really didn’t help, then.”

“Ah well.” He gave her a sudden grin. “Best to get that part of the courtship out of the way. Meeting the family, I mean.”

She gave a small laugh because he seemed to expect it. But her true response was more like panic. Courtship? Her heart beat faster. But as she considered him, Caleb Walker, something inside her loosened though, a touch of hope.

He suddenly began to laugh too, but much harder.

“What’s so amusing?” she asked.

“Hearing you, of all people, speak of me as an honest cop. Defending me like that? I’ll treasure that moment forever.”

“I meant it. Every word.”

His smile made his eyes glow.

They stopped at the corner, and he pointed east. “Sawyer’s house is only a few blocks. Shall we hire a hack, or are you wearing sturdier shoes today? Shall we walk?”

“Let’s stroll.” Julianna automatically rested her hand on his arm, the proper position for a lady walking with a gentleman. She gave his forearm a squeeze and was reminded of his very un-gentlemanly muscles.