One Taste of Scandal Read Online Free PDF Page B

I found her delightful.”
    “Leave off, Gawain,” said Lewis Noble, coming toward them now that he’d finished fiddling with his machine. He held a large toolbox. The muscles of his forearm corded with sinew, and his bicep bunched under his striped linen shirt. “It was only Uncle Bartley who didn’t pay fairly.”
    “And Alys.”
    “Alys did not call me for help, not once. We never discussed my fee. I imagined she had found someone else to fix the appliances.”
    “Wonderful machine, old man,” Judah said. “I hope you will explain it to me when our immediate crisis here is averted.”
    Meanwhile, all the workers nearby had moved away, clearly concerned that the horseless carriage would blow up. He wondered if that said something for Lewis Noble’s other inventions.
    Noble grinned and stuck out a grimy hand. “You’ve made yourself a friend, Captain Shield.”
    “Good man. First, I know I need to get the bakery machines fixed. What do you think is a fair fee for this visit?”
    Redcake set his jaw. “Eight shillings.”
    “Done,” Judah said, fishing in his pocket. “I’ve got two half crowns—no wait, three. And a few pennies here.”
    Noble sighed and took the money. “I am sorry for this embarrassment. My cousin is very money minded.”
    “It is only fair. I’m sure we have a petty cash box somewhere. I’ll get you the rest.”
    “This is close enough,” he said, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “You’re mixed up in an old problem and I’m sorry for it.”
    “So am I, but we’ll pay you fairly. I don’t want to lose the business while the family is gone.”
    Noble shook his head and turned away. Judah frowned. He didn’t know much about the family but knew he was missing some details that were important to running this business.
    “The marchioness seemed a fair-minded lady,” he said to Redcake.
    “She’s as flinty as Father ever was,” Redcake retorted. “And given that Lewis was in love with her for years, she could have used him just as shamefully.”
    Ah, now he thought he understood. “But she did not.”
    “No, but I have to say she has no other model than Father.”
    “I can understand why you do not trust her with your cousin, but I assure you I will care for him as tenderly as a mother tends her infant. I need that equipment fixed.”
    “You do not want to play the fool for your brother.”
    Judah laughed harshly. “Not any more than I have to. He’s a sharp businessman, these days.”
    Redcake snorted. “I understand you received some shocking news upon your return.”
    So the sergeant had become a gossip? He lowered his voice, refusing to be shamed, but not about to share his news with the world, either. “No, I received it when I was still in India. That is why I returned, but I was only chasing bones.”
    Redcake looked away. “I am sorry for the loss of your mother.”
    “Neither she nor my father were ever much a part of my life. Now I know why.”
    “I am sorry. You had more nobility in you than most officers.” He cleared his throat. “I was most surprised to hear the rumors about you and Lieutenant Cross. Well, less so about him, given his proclivities.”
    “We were doing reconnaissance. I cannot imagine how we were reported dead.”
    Redcake nodded. “The army never admits they’ll use men as spies.”
    “I wish I knew what happened to Cross since. Met his sister yesterday and she said the family has heard nothing from him.”
    Redcake tapped his cane on a cobblestone. “I have a trader associate, Zahir Khan, who ran across him again recently. If you want to know about Cross, I can tell you.”
    “Come inside,” Judah said. “We had better speak about this privately.”
    Upstairs, they traversed Ewan Hales’s territory, heading to the office. Redcake took off his bowler and flung it into the air. Despite his having only one good eye, it fell directly upon the hook on a stand and vibrated against it. With a smirk at Hales, he stomped