He rushed ahead, thinking to wrap her in his coat or give her his hat. Anything to hide her identity. Fortunately, he didn’t need to. They’d come to Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s parlor and were bid to enter.
They entered together because he’d caught up to her. And they both stopped short when they saw that Mrs. Dove-Lyon was not alone.
“Reuben!” Aaron said in surprise. “Whatever are you doing here?”
“Been here all night. It’s one of my favorite places in London,” he said with a wink to Mrs. Dove-Lyon.
As she was wearing her typical widow’s weeds, Aaron couldn’t see if the mischievous expression pleased her or not. But he did see her gesture to the chairs set in a circle for their use. Aaron was quick to hold Lilah’s seat for her as she settled. Then he found his own and gratefully accepted a cup of tea. Given that Reuben was here, he gathered he was going to need his wits about him.
“How are you feeling this morning?” Mrs. Dove-Lyon asked once they were all settled and drinking their tea.
He knew the question was directed at Lilah, so he remained silent.
“I am well,” Lilah responded. “Chastened, but not harmed. And newly committed to never gambling again.”
“Yes,” responded Reuben dryly. “If people failed so spectacularly on their first foray into a den, many estates would be the better for it.”
She nodded but didn’t respond, so it was left to Aaron to try to move things along. “I should like to get Miss Rees home immediately. It does no good to keep her here while the rest of the world wakes.”
“On the contrary,” Mrs. Dove-Lyon said sternly. “I should like her to remain here for the day at least.”
“Unacceptable!” Aaron said as he set down his tea. He would not allow her reputation—whatever was left of it—to be further damaged. But before he could say more, Lilah set aside her own tea and folded her hands in her lap.
“What do you want?” she said.
“We want to employ you,” said Reuben, his tone jovial. “And not at all in the fun way.”
Mrs. Dove-Lyon waved a dismissive hand at her companion. “You left last night before the rest of the show,” she said gently. “So you are unaware that all of Mr. Palmer’s debts were called in.”
“I saw that,” Aaron said. “Her money went to pay them off before the man could even touch the purse.”
“Yes,” Mrs. Dove-Lyon said. And this time he could see her grin.
“But there were more, weren’t there?” Aaron asked, his mind already working out the financials. He looked at Reuben. “You bought up the rest of his debts, didn’t you? I wondered why you were there.”
Reuben grinned at him. “You’ve always been clever. Deadly dull, but exceptionally clever.”
Given what Reuben liked for entertainment, Aaron took that as a compliment.
Meanwhile, Lilah looked back at him, clearly confused. “I don’t understand,” she said.
“Reuben did what you couldn’t. He bought Mr. Palmer’s business.”
“More accurately,” Reuben said, “I bought off his debts while you set the public display to make him pay. When he couldn’t, I took the forfeit you had already forced on him.”
“His registry business,” Mrs. Dove-Lyon said. “My part was to enforce it. So an hour past midnight, Mr. Reuben Bates became the new owner of London’s most used registry office.” She leaned forward. “I own a small part as well,” she confided. “Especially as I am giving you a room on the main floor of this building to teach employment classes.”
“What employment classes?” Aaron pressed.
Mrs. Dove-Lyon turned to him. “Well, she already agreed to that yesterday. She’s to teach my ladies how to become proper housekeepers—”
“Maids and footmen,” Lilah corrected.
“Or better,” Mrs. Dove-Lyon said. “Depending upon their abilities.”
“Depending,” Lilah echoed. Then she twisted in her seat, adjusting herself so she faced Reuben directly. “Why would you do this?”
“Do you think you’re the only one who can see a good opportunity? Miss Rees, I know you wanted to keep all the profits for yourself, but you have no experience in running a business. Mrs. Dove-Lyon and I do. This way, you can do what you do best—teach servants how to do their jobs well. And we can—”