“Out with friends,” he said, glancing back to make sure his landlady was witnessing this reunion. “I would’ve been home early if I’d known you were coming.”

“And spoil the surprise? I didn’t mind waiting. I brought a book.”

She’d brought more than one, actually, probably her schoolbooks. He should pretend to be a bit solicitous of his sister, he figured. “Did you have supper? Can I get you something to drink?”

“My hostess has been taking very good care of me,” she reported, gesturing to a tray bearing the remains of a pot of tea and some cookies.

The landlady made a huffing sound and retired back to her apartment. Jake sighed and moved into the parlor. Freddie sat down on the sofa and he sat beside her. “What are you doing here?”

“Maybe I wanted to see you.” She was still grinning like the cat who ate the canary.

“Why would you want to see me?” he asked suspiciously. They were speaking softly, in case the landlady hadn’t completely lost interest in them.

She frowned her disappointment. “You underestimate your charms, Jake, if you can’t imagine why I’m here.”

He knew exactly how charming he was, and he hadn’t made any effort at all to charm Frederica Quincy, so he really couldn’t imagine why she’d sought him out. “Does Anna know about this?”

“About us, you mean?” she asked coyly. “She may suspect.”

Jake didn’t understand this at all. He could have sworn that she was in love with Anna. And Anna was clearly in love with her. How could he have been so wrong? And what on earth was he going to do about it? “Look, Miss . . .” He caught himself and glanced over his shoulder to see if his landlady was anywhere in sight. “Look, Freddie, I don’t know how you got the idea that I’d be interested in you but—”

“Oh, I think you’ll be more than interested in me. I think we’ll have a torrid love affair.”

Jake ran a weary hand over his face. He should have stayed longer at the pub.

—

On Tuesday afternoon Waterson stopped at the front desk of his hotel to pick up his key, and the clerk handed him a message along with it. He didn’t bother to read it until he got up to his suite and poured himself a stiff drink. This business was getting too complicated. Anytime you got lawyers involved, it was time to pack up and move on. He’d have to point that out next time he spoke to his partner. They’d done well enough in New York. There were plenty of other cities ripe for the picking. No sense in being greedy.