The door to the inner office rattled.
He tensed, bracing himself. “If they find us, I will throw the first punch to disarm them. But if I can’t—”
“Knives, then pistol,” Diana finished.
An inelegant clatter arose in the front office.
“What’s going on here?” a familiar voice echoed loudly. “Who are you?”
A muted exchange followed. Furniture thumped and doorknobs rattled.
Then silence descended.
Diana’s arms trembled around him.
“Hello? Miss Rives? Mr. Holt? If you’re here, it’s safe to come out. They’ve gone now.”
Ian relinquished his hold on Diana. He flung back the curtain and yanked open the door. “Hepburn.”
“Are you well, sir?”
Diana gave a startled laugh. “Your timing was exquisite.”
“The intruders skived off. They claimed they were with the police.” Hepburn’s lip curled as he took in the mess they’d left.
Ian searched the tumbled outer office for an indication of exactly how much trouble they were in. “What did the fake coppers claim they were looking for?”
“You, sir.” Hepburn nodded at Ian. “Two more came to the house. They must have been watching and followed you here.”
“Did they take anything?” Ian asked.
“Doesn’t appear like it. But they made this place a disaster, the filthy cretins.”
“Everything important is in the safe,” Diana said. “Did they say why they were looking for Mr. Holt?”
“Allegedly, someone saw Mr. Holt at a tavern that was the scene of an exchange of knives and counterfeit notes.”
The odds of the Metropolitan Police Constabulary working that quickly to track them down were as probable as Ian inheriting the throne. The Skinner’s Lane Lads had sent the men.
It wasn’t anything Ian couldn’t handle. But he’d manage it better knowing Diana was out of the fray. She had to leave London tonight.
Hepburn left to summon the port-side guards while Diana surveyed the ransacked room. She shook her head. “Jared is in more trouble than either of us suspected. And if it slipped past both of us, some clever people are manipulating him.”
Although she’d included herself in the blame, the observation landed like an admonishment.
“I’ll take care of it,” he clipped.
“You shouldn’t handle it alone.”
“Is that an offer?”
Her blush deepened; she hadn’t expected he’d call that bluff. Or perhaps she colored because, despite his indifferent tone, he regarded her more openly than he’d ever allowed himself to in the past.
The very act of trying to conceal it seemed ridiculous at this point. Their remaining time together would be measured in minutes.
He was suddenly angry he’d spent their brief interlude in the cupboard terrified for her safety and overwhelmed by holding her. If he had acted more like thescoundrel everyone thought he was, at least he could have touched and tasted her the way he dreamed about.
In a hushed voice, Diana asked, “Do you want me to stay?”