After a Fashion (A Class of Their Own #1)(75)
“She’s a very disturbed woman, Oliver. It wouldn’t be fair for me to continue on with you. Jane has information about me that she won’t hesitate to use against you if she comes to the realization I’m not going to be giving in to her demands in the end.”
The sheen of tears now present in Harriet’s eyes almost undid him. Taking her hand in his, he brought it to his lips, a flash of satisfaction flowing over him when the tears immediately disappeared as her eyes widened and he heard her take a swift intake of breath.
“I think you’re forgetting one very important fact,” he said quietly.
An arch of her delicate brow was her only response.
Lowering her hand, even though he longed to kiss it again, he smiled. “I, my dear—and you’ll notice I didn’t call you ‘my pet’—am Oliver Addleshaw. I can guarantee you I’m far more dangerous than your aunt, and I am your best chance of getting away from her. I promise you, here and now, that I will protect you, along with your friends, and if Jane so much as looks at you in a threatening manner, I’ll see to it that she never looks at you again.”
“What’s wrong with you? Why wouldn’t you get yourself as far away from me as possible?”
Before Oliver had a chance to answer, the sound of someone shouting reached them, someone who sounded exactly like Mr. Blodgett.
“Oh no, he’s lost the cat,” Harriet exclaimed, snatching her hand from his before she jumped to her feet and raced out of the room.
It took Oliver only a few seconds to catch up with her, and when he did, the sight that met his eyes had him grinning. Mr. Blodgett was standing inside the private elevator Oliver’s architect had convinced him was not a luxury but a necessity in a house so large, his wrinkled face pressed against the closed metal gate. The cat was sitting directly in front of the gate, licking its paw in what appeared to be a very satisfied manner, as if she’d personally been responsible for the troubling situation at hand.
“Good heavens, Oliver,” Harriet exclaimed, scooping up Precious and earning a purr in the process, “I didn’t know you had an elevator.”
“It wasn’t my idea.” He grabbed hold of the lever that opened and closed the gate and gave it a good shove, but after the gate opened, Mr. Blodgett refused to get out.
“There’s something wrong with that cat, and I’m not getting out of here until it’s gone from this house,” Mr. Blodgett said, backing slowly away until he came to a stop against the elevator wall. “In fact, perhaps it would be for the best if you sent me up to the fourth floor until that vindictive creature is gone.” He held out a hand. “It tried to bite me when I was feeding it fish, and then it chased me here when I stopped feeding it.”
Harriet hugged Precious to her. “She probably just smelled the scent from the fish on your gloves and thought you had more to give her, but if either of you knows who Mrs. Fish is, I’ll take Precious back to the woman right this minute.” She smiled. “That’s why I thought it would be a good idea to feed her fish since her human mother is named Fish.”
“You have a very unusual mind, Harriet,” Oliver said.
“Yes, yes, Miss Peabody is extraordinary,” Mr. Blodgett said, “and Mrs. Fish lives over by Mrs. Hart on Washington Square. So you can just drop the little darling off on your way home.” The butler pressed more tightly against the back elevator wall. “Now, if someone would be so kind as to close the gate, I’d like to put a bit of distance between myself and Precious.”
Oliver grinned and closed the gate, but before Mr. Blodgett pulled up the lever, he took a step closer to the door. “I almost forgot. Silas was watching the house earlier, sitting on his horse across the street. I was going to summon the authorities to run him off, but then Miss Peabody arrived. When I went back out to check on him, he was gone.”
“Was the carriage I came in gone as well?” Harriet asked, a distinct note of hope in her tone.
“It was,” Mr. Blodgett replied. “And while I’d love to know what’s going on at the moment, I fear my nerves aren’t what they used to be, so I’ll bid both of you good day.” With that, he shoved up the lever and the elevator began slowly ascending.
“Was Mr. Blodgett talking about Silas Ruff?” Harriet asked after Mr. Blodgett disappeared from sight.
“I’m afraid he was, but Silas isn’t anyone for you to worry about. He and I had words this morning and decided to discontinue our association. Since he’s watching the house, it’s clear he’s still bearing ill-feelings toward me, but . . .” Oliver shrugged. “You and I were discussing our association, and I’m hopeful you’ll come to the realization that you’ll be safest with me, and that I truly will make certain your aunt can’t hurt you.”
“I’m not worried about her hurting me,” she muttered.
“And that right there is why I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe.”
Hugging Precious closer, Harriet looked at him for a long moment, and then, to his relief, she nodded.
“Wonderful.” He moved to take her arm but stopped when Precious let out a hiss. “Shall we get you back to Mrs. Hart’s house so you can begin getting ready for our night out at Delmonico’s?”
“I forgot all about that.”