The River Knows Read Online Free Page A

but in my opinion, there is no substitute for facts regardless of the subject. Obviously, the more one learns about the criminal classes, the better equipped one is to protect oneself. Since you are clearly an expert, I am very grateful for any information you choose to provide.”
    “I must give some thought to my tutorial fees.”
    “What an excellent notion, sir,” she said, enthusiasm rekindling. “I am quite willing to pay for instruction in such matters. I would find it extremely useful.”
    He looked out the window into the night as though seeking answers from some metaphysical source. “Serves me right. I should have known better than to go down that path.”
    “I beg your pardon?”
    “Never mind, Mrs. Bryce. I am talking to myself. You have driven me to it.”
    She tapped a gloved forefinger on the cushion. Now that the initial shock of learning that she had been accosted by an armed man was fading, curiosity and excitement sparked. Why did Elwin Hastings feel the need to hire a pair of guards? It was a most intriguing question. Another question followed quickly on the heels of that one.
    She looked at Anthony. “How did you learn that Hastings had hired private guards and that they are armed?”
    Anthony pulled his attention away from the street scene. “Let’s just say that I pay close attention to Hastings’s affairs.”
    “Obviously. Well, what’s done is done. We must move on.”
    He seemed amused. “Is that all the thanks I’m going to get for rescuing you?”
    She smiled knowingly. “Let us have a bit of honesty here, sir. It was quite convenient for you to make yourself known at that particular moment, was it not?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “While I had an excellent excuse, we both know it would have been considerably more difficult for you to explain your reason for being in the hall. In fact, it seems to me that you should be thanking me for rescuing you from what would have been an extremely awkward situation.”
    She sat back, satisfied that she had turned the tables on him with that bit of logic.
    “Remind me to show my gratitude later,” he said. “To return to the subject at hand, I can think of only two reasons why someone would sneak upstairs during a ball. The first and most obvious is to engage in a tryst. Tell me, did you go upstairs to meet Hastings?”
    Startled, she could only stare at him in utter horror for a few seconds. Then she shuddered. “ No . As if I would ever form a liaison with a man of his vile nature.”
    Anthony stilled. “What do you know of him?”
    “Among other things, he is a recently wed husband who insults his wife behind her back by patronizing a notorious brothel.”
    “How the devil did you discover that?” Anthony said, sounding genuinely intrigued.
    She almost laughed. “It never ceases to astonish me that men are always so shocked when they discover that women are not as naïve as they assume. We have our sources of gossip, sir, just as you do.”
    “I do not doubt that for a moment. Tell me, if you do not approve of Hastings’s morals, why did you accept an invitation to the ball this evening?”
    She hesitated, not ready to confide in him. His aggressive questioning was causing her to have serious second thoughts about the wisdom of seeking his assistance.
    “Lady Ashton wished to attend,” she said smoothly. “She asked me to accompany her.”
    Anthony gave that a moment’s consideration and then shook his head once. “I’m afraid that version of events lacks the ring of truth.”
    The cool accusation sparked her anger. “That is unfortunate, because it is the only version that exists.”
    “If you did not go upstairs with the purpose of meeting Hastings, then I must conclude that you went into his bedroom with the intention of taking something.”
    She froze. “I do not see why I should answer your questions when you have failed to answer any of mine.”
    “Forgive me. Once I set out to satisfy my curiosity, I tend to