"Could you pass the vinegar, m'dear."
She looked for the cruet set only to see Demon lift the bottle from the tray further down the table. He offered it to her; she took it-her fingers brushed his. A sharp shock lanced through her. Startled, she nearly dropped the bottle but managed to catch it in time. Carefully, she handed it to the General, then picked up her knife and fork and looked down at her plate. And breathed slowly in and out.
She felt Demon's gaze on her face, on her shoulders, then he turned to the General. "The Mighty Flynn's shaping well. I'm expecting to have another two wins at least from him this season."
"Indeed?"
The General was instantly distracted; Flick breathed a touch easier.
Demon kept the conversation rolling, not a difficult task. Much more difficult was keeping his gaze from Flick; his attention, of course, remained riveted. Ridiculous, of course-she was twenty, for heaven's sake.
But she was there, and utterly fascinating.
He told himself it was the contrast between Flick the righteous, who dressed as a stable lad and single-handedly set out to expose a race-fixing syndicate, and Felicity, the delicate and determinedly proper Botticelli angel.
It was a contrast designed to intrigue him.
"Perhaps," he said as they all stood, the light luncheon disposed of, "Felicity would care to take a turn about the lawns?"
He deliberately phrased the question to give the General an opening to support him. He needn't have bothered. Flick's head came up; she met his gaze.
"That would be pleasant." She glanced at the General. "If you don't need me, sir?"
"No, no!" The General beamed. "I must get back to my books. You go along."
He shooed them toward the open French doors; Demon caught his eye. "I'll drop by if I have any news."
The General's eyes dimmed. "Yes, do." Then he glanced at Flick and his smile returned. Nodding benignly, he headed for the door.
Leaving Flick by her chair, staring at Demon. He raised a brow, and gestured to the French doors. "Shall we?"
She came around the table but didn't pause by his side, didn't wait for him to offer his arm. Instead, she walked straight past, out of the open doors. Demon stared at her back, then shook his head and followed.
She'd paused on the terrace; as soon as he appeared, she led the way down the steps. With his longer stride, he easily caught up with her as she strolled the well-tended lawn. He fell in beside her, sauntering slowly, trying to decide what gambit would work best with an angel. Before he could decide, she spoke.
"How am I supposed to hear any comments or see anyone approaching the riders in your stables when I barely spend a moment in them?" She cast a darkling glance his way. "I arrived this morning to discover The Flynn already saddled. Carruthers sent me straight out to take The Flynn around for an extended warm-up"-her eyes narrowed-"so he wouldn't still be restless at the end. And then you bundled me out of the stable as soon as I rode back in."
"I assumed you would need to get back here." He hadn't, but it was a good excuse. He slanted her a mildly questioning glance. "How are you covering your absences early morning and afternoon?"
"I often go riding first thing in the morning, so that's nothing unusual. If Jessamy's missing from the stable, everyone assumes I'm somewhere about, enjoying the morning. Just as long as I'm back by lunchtime, no one would think to worry."
Slowing as they passed into the shade of the old trees edging the lawn, Flick grimaced. "The afternoons are more difficult, but no one's asked where I ride off to. I suspect Foggy and Jacobs know Dillon's not off with friends, but somewhere close-but if they don't ask, then they can't say if questioned."
"I see." He hesitated, inwardly debating whether to take her hand and place it on his sleeve, forcing her to stroll with him rather than lead the way. But she'd tensed when he'd taken her hand before, and she'd nearly dropped the vinegar. Suppressing a grin, he opted for caution. "There's no reason you can't loiter around the stables after the morning gallops. Not having any chores should give you a freer rein." He had no intention of rescinding the orders he'd given Carruthers. "However, there's no sense in dallying after afternoon stables. At that time, most of the jockeys and hangers-on retire to the taverns."
"There's no reason I can't slouch about the stables until they leave."
Demon inwardly frowned. There was a mulishness in her tone, a sense of rigid purpose in her stance; both had been absent earlier. Earlier in the dining room, when she'd been Felicity, not Flick. Flick was the righteous crusader, Felicity the Botticelli angel.
Slowing, he considered a swath of daffodils nodding their trumpets in the breeze. The odd bluebell and harebell were interspersed, creating a spring carpet stretching under the trees and into the sunshine beyond. He nodded toward the show. "Beautiful, aren't they?"
An angel should respond to natural beauty.
Flick barely glanced at nature's bounty. "Hmm. Have you learned, or heard, anything yet?" She looked into his face. "You did go into town this morning, didn't you?"
He suppressed a frown. "Yes, yes and yes."
She stopped and looked at him expectantly. "Well?"
Frustrated, Demon halted and faced her. "The Committee is waiting for Dillon to return to have a quiet word with him over a number of races last season where the suspiciously priced crowd-favorite didn't win."
Her face blanked. "Oh."
"Indeed. The slumgudgeon didn't even realize that, as he hadn't made a habit of hobnobbing with the riders before, people would notice when he suddenly did."
"But…" Flick frowned. "The stewards haven't come asking after him."
"Not the stewards, no. In this instance, they weren't required-any number of the Committee have probably called on the General in the last weeks. Easy enough to learn whether Dillon is here or not."
"That's true." Then her eyes flew wide. "They haven't said anything to the General, have they?"
Demon glanced away. "No, the Committee sees no reason to unnecessarily upset the General, and as yet, they have no proof-just suspicions."
He looked back as Flick sighed with relief. "If they hold off until Dillon can return-"'
"They'll hold off as long as they can," he cut in. "But they won't-can't-wait forever. Dillon will have to return as soon as possible-the instant we get enough information to prove the existence of the syndicate."
"So we need to make headway in identifying Dillon's contact. Are the rumors of race-fixing widespread?"
"No. Among the owners and trainers, yes, but amongst others, less so. Some jockeys and stable lads must have suspicions, but they're unlikely to voice them, even to each other."
Flick started to stroll again. "If there's no open talk, no rumors abounding, it's less likely someone will let something slip."
Demon didn't reply; Flick didn't seem to notice. Which, to him, seemed all of a piece. Right now she didn't seem aware of him at all-she seemed to regard him as a benevolent uncle, or some creature equally benign. Which was so far from the truth it was laughable.
It was also irritating.
The Botticelli angel of the dining room, the one who had delicately shivered at his touch, and trembled when his fingers brushed hers, had vanished.
She glanced at him. "Perhaps you could start with the jockeys whose mounts failed last season. I assume, if they've taken a bribe once, they'll be more likely to be approached again?"
"Ordinarily, yes. However, if they've been questioned, however elliptically, by the stewards, one can guarantee their lips will be sealed. With a license in the balance, no jockey's going to incriminate himself."