“I’ll give you that. I felt their eyes on me the entire night.” He took a step toward her. “How’s this, then? You are going to the penny gaff alone. I, however, have decided I’m in the mood for some entertainment this evening and am going as well. Not with you, of course. But as we’re heading in the same direction, I daresay space will be available on the seat in your cab, so where is the harm in our sharing the ride?”

There was harm aplenty within the small confines of the hansom cab, he realized when her thigh was pressed up against his, when the rocking motion of the conveyance occasionally caused the side of her breast to rub up against his arm. She seemed unaware of the touch whereas his body reacted as though she’d climbed into his lap.

Leaving her shop earlier, he’d felt rather like an arse for not accommodating her request, even as he justified his reasons for avoiding her. Then on his way to the pub, he’d been taken aback by the joy that had spiraled through him when he’d rounded the corner and caught sight of her in a modest deep buttery shaded frock with a square neckline that revealed the hollow at the base of her throat and an inch or so of skin below it. He’d been dazzled and unable not to think about dipping his tongue in that provocative spot in the center of her collarbone. Which was no doubt the reason he’d been so damned reluctant to part ways and was now accompanying her on her adventure. Lust was once again driving him to make stupid decisions, and yet he couldn’t seem to find it within himself to regret the choice he’d made.

She’d instructed the driver to take them to the Devil’s Door. He wasn’t familiar with that particular establishment but was rather confident as to what he would find there since he’d visited other gaffs in his youth when he and his friends had been in the mood for ribald entertainment. “How did you even hear of this place?”

“When I was twelve or so, a lad who lived near us invited me to go with him. I asked Gillie what I should wear”—she slid her gaze over to him—“and that put an end to that. She explained that it wasn’t the sort of place a proper lady would ever frequent. But I’ve thought about it over the years and decided before I truly become proper, I should have a night of being improper. So here we are.”

“What became of the lad?” He wondered if she’d loved him, retained a tender spot for him in her heart.

“Six months later, he married another lass who lived in the area.”