"Her ladyship is a woman of impulse," Gabriel said through set teeth. "Which is precisely why I hired you to look after her. You came highly recommended from Bow Street. I was assured I could entrust my wife's safety to your care, and now you tell me you could not even keep up with her on a simple shopping expedition?"
"Well, no offense, m'lord, but it weren't exactly a simple shoppin' trip," Stinton said. "I'm proud to say I kept up with her in the Arcade and managed to hang on to her in Oxford Street even though we was all over the place. The last stop was a bookshop. It was when she came out of there that she up and bolted like a fox runnin' from a pack of hounds."
It took every ounce of willpower Gabriel possessed to keep a grip on his temper. "Do not ever again refer to Lady Wylde as a fox, Stinton."
"Right ye are, yer lordship. But I got to say I never seen a lady move that fast. Fast as any pickpocket I ever chased into the rookeries around Spital-fields."
Gabriel was feeling more uneasy by the minute. "You are quite certain you saw no one else around her?"
"Just her maid, the footman, and the coachman."
"And when she disappeared, she was in her own coach?"
"Yes, sir."
"There was no sign of anyone else following her?"
"No, yer lordship. Just me. And, quite frankly, if I couldn't keep up with her, no one else could, either."
"Damnation." Gabriel's imagination was already conjuring up a hundred different calamities that might have befallen Phoebe. He reminded himself that she was not alone. She had her maid, a footman, and the coachman with her. Nevertheless, all he could think about was the fact that Neil Baxter was out there somewhere, no doubt plotting revenge. Lancelot to his Arthur.
Stinton cleared his throat. "Beggin' yer pardon, yer lordship, but will you be wantin' me to continue followin' her ladyship around?"
"I'm not sure there is much point." Gabriel was disgusted. "Not if you cannot keep up with her."
"Well, sir, as to that, next time I'll stay a bit closer. Now that I'm on to her tricks and all, I won't be surprised the way I was today."
"My wife does not play tricks," Gabriel said grimly. "She is merely somewhat high-spirited and impulsive."
Stinton coughed discreetly. "Yes, sir. If you say so, sir. Seemed a bit tricky to me, though, m'lord, if you don't mind my sayin' so."
"I do mind. I mind very much, as a matter of fact. Stinton, if you intend to keep on in this post, you had better stop making insulting statements about my wife."
A commotion in the hall interrupted Gabriel before he could get around to wringing Stinton's scrawny little neck. A wave of relief went through him as he heard Phoebe's voice.
The library door was flung open and Phoebe rushed in, bonnet strings flying. She was carrying a package in her hand. The muslin skirts of her bright green-and-yellow-striped gown swung around her small ankles. Her face was alight with excitement.
"Gabriel, we have had the most amazing adventure. Just wait until I tell you about it. I believe we were very nearly followed home by a thief. He might even have been a murderer. But we foiled his plans quite brilliantly, I must say."
Gabriel got to his feet. "Calm yourself, my dear."
"But Gabriel, it was very odd. There was this little man in a green hat." Phoebe came to an abrupt halt as she caught sight of Stinton. Her eyes widened. "Good heavens, it's him. It's the man who was following us."
"Didn't do too good a job of it," Stinton said. He smiled with approval, displaying several gaps in his yellowed teeth. "Must say, yer ladyship managed to slip away with the sort of skill I usually see exhibited by professional villains."
"Thank you." Phoebe gazed at him with intense curiosity in her eyes.
Gabriel swore and turned on Stinton. "Kindly refrain from drawing comparisons between my wife and members of the criminal class."
"Yes, sir," Stinton said politely. "Didn't mean no offense, yer ladyship. You was right clever, you was, ma'am."
Phoebe gave him a pleased smile. "Yes, I was, wasn't I?"
"Almost caught up with you after that first turn, but I never stood a chance after you had yer coachman make that second turn."
"I plotted it all out quite carefully," Phoebe assured him.
"Like I said, it was real professional," Stinton said.
Phoebe smiled warmly. "I must admit, I had a bit of luck. After the third turn we were in strange territory. There's no telling where we might have ended up if the coachman had not been familiar with the streets."
"That," Gabriel interrupted, "is quite enough from both of you." He glanced at Stinton. "You may go."
"Yes, m'lord." Stinton rotated his green hat in his hands. "And will ye be needin' me in the future?"
"I suppose I have no real alternative. God help us, I'm told you're the best that's available. You will report to work tomorrow morning when Lady Wylde goes out."
Stinton grinned. "Thank ye, yer lordship." He clapped his hat on his head and walked to the door with a jaunty step.
Gabriel waited until he and Phoebe were alone before he pointed to the chair across from his desk. "Sit down, madam."
Phoebe blinked. "Gabriel, what on earth—"
"Sit."
Phoebe sat. She put her package in her lap. "Who was that little man, Gabriel? What was he doing following me today?"
"His name is Stinton." Gabriel sat down and folded his hands together on his desk. He would stay calm and rational about this if it killed him, he promised himself. He would not lose his temper. "I hired him to follow you about when you went out."
"You hired him to follow me?" Phoebe's lips parted in amazement. "And you did not tell me?"
"No, madam, I did not. I saw no reason to alarm you."
"Why should I have been alarmed? Gabriel, what is going on here?"
Gabriel studied her for a moment, wondering how much to tell her. The problem was that she was now aware of Stinton. He had no real choice except to explain the rest. She would pester him about it until he did. "I have hired Stinton to make certain you do not have any problems with Baxter."
Phoebe looked at him in stunned silence. Her hands clenched around the package in her lap. "With Neil?" she finally managed, her voice sounding half strangled.
"I think it very likely Baxter will attempt to contact you at some time when I am not around."
"I do not understand, my lord."
Gabriel felt his grip on his temper start to slip. "I fail to see why it isn't perfectly obvious, Phoebe. Baxter is a danger to you because he hates me. I have already told you that. I am merely taking prudent steps to be certain he does not get close to you."
"You're afraid that I'll believe whatever he tells me, aren't you?" Phoebe's gaze was suddenly shrewd. "You don't trust me to accept your version of events out there in the islands."
"I'm not going to take any chances." Gabriel surged to his feet and stalked over to the small table where the brandy sat. "I know Baxter too well. The man is a consummate liar."
"But it does not follow that I would believe his lies."
"Why not?" Gabriel swallowed brandy and slammed the glass down on the table. "You did once before."
Phoebe got to her feet, clutching her package to her breast. "That's not fair. I was a much younger woman then. I had not had the experience of the world that I have now."
He swung around to face her. "Experience of the world? You think you have enough experience of the world to deal with men like Neil Baxter? You are a reckless, naive, impulsive little fool. Believe me when I say you're no match for the Baxters of this world."
"Do not talk to me like that, Gabriel."
"I will talk to you any way I wish."