LITMIR.BIZ

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back one of the stools for Dany, who grinned into his glare as she pushed herself up onto the purple seat. “I remember.”

      A little Mari, a sprinkling of Clarice...and a whopping big dollop of Dany. Why women did not rule the world was beyond imagination...

      “You really wish to stay, my lord?” she asked, already depositing her reticule on the countertop. “Well, I suppose if this clerk here will deign to be more forthcoming...”

      “I don’t know the man by name, my lord, that being one of the questions you don’t ask a moneylender.”

      Moneylender? Oh, this was getting interesting!

      “I understand,” Coop said. “He was here to sell the garnets?”

      “That he was. We, um, we accommodate him from time to time. His, um, customer used it to pay a debt, or at least that is my understanding. I believe you know the rest.”

      Dany signed theatrically. “How very boring. And here I thought there would be a good bit of gossip to be had, but apparently not.”

      “Never say gossip, miss,” the proprietor begged as his eyebrows nearly crawled onto his forehead. “Buying as well as selling is my business, but I would never buy anything I recog—that is, I only buy very sparingly.”

      “How reassuring,” Coop said, taking a seat beside Dany. “My fiancée, Miss Foster, and I are here to select a betrothal ring. One with a new stone, one that has never seen another setting.”

      “Yes, my lord, your mother’s note this morning was quite specific. Um,” he added quickly when both Coop and Dany frowned, “lovely woman, your mother. Quite...quite a presence about her. She established an account for you just yesterday. But wouldn’t you care to step back into one of our private viewing rooms?”

      “I like it here,” Dany said, only because she was still feeling contrary, if no longer invisible.

      “We’ll remain here, Birdwell,” Coop said. “Miss Foster becomes light-headed in small rooms.”

      Dany gave him a sideways kick, which was the least he deserved.

      “Very well, my lord. I will get you a selection of my finest rings.”

      “Don’t ask,” Coop said as the proprietor walked away, shooing one of the guards ahead of him.

      “I’m sorry, but I fear I must. Your mother?”

      “Embarrassing, I know. I’ll explain another time.”

      “Yes, you most certainly will. You did promise to introduce me to her.”

      “I know. I also promised myself I’d read the book on beekeeping she presented me with, but sadly, I don’t keep all of my promises.”

      “Really? I’ll have to remember that. So, our blackmailer is in debt to a moneylender? That is worrying, as it must make him even more desperate.”

      “Our little man didn’t say that, not precisely,” Coop corrected. “He assumed your grandmother’s garnets were used to pay a debt. It’s just as possible the blackmailer made an outright sale to the moneylender— Wait. How do we know, how does the proprietor know, that the man we just saw is a moneylender at all? No names were exchanged. Damn. We may have just seen the blackmailer. If he’s paid in jewels, he then sells them.”

      “I suppose that’s possible. I didn’t see his face thanks to you pushing me behind your back. Did you get a good look at him?”

      “No. He was angrily jamming his hat on his head as he passed by, his arm fairly well covering his face. Upon reflection, that may have been deliberate, if he’d recognized me. Tall, but not as tall as I, well dressed, but not remarkably so. And we didn’t hear him speak. In other words, he could have been anyone.”

      “Yes, but you said tall. That would mean tall enough to reach the knothole. Doesn’t that prove that we’re dealing with more than one person?” Dany felt excitement, but only for a moment. “That doesn’t really help us, does it?”

      “Probably not, no. Oh, and by the way, my compliments on your clever handling of Birdwell.”

      “He deserved it, assuming I was your light-o’-love, or some such thing.”

      Coop shook his head. “Damn, I was hoping you hadn’t noticed. I told you I’m new to all of this, so I apologize for bringing you in here. Clearly, choosing betrothal rings are the duty of the groom.”

      “I don’t see why. The groom doesn’t wear the thing.”

      “True, but we won’t point that out.”

      “Or ask costs.”

      “With my betrothed present? No, I—we—definitely will not ask costs.”

      Dany couldn’t help herself. She laid her hand on his forearm and batted her eyelashes at him, just as Mari did from time to time with Oliver. “As true love has no price. Aren’t you a dear.”

      Coop shifted rather uncomfortably on the stool. “Are you done?”

      “I don’t think so, no. Do you think it’s the red hair? Dexter’s said more than once that redheads are often mistaken for females of negotiable affections. Birdwell may only have been making a natural assumption.”

      “Can we possibly have this conversation another time? Or are you getting some of your own back for something I did?”

      “I’m not quite sure. I’ll have to think about that. It may just be that otherwise I’d feel rather overwhelmed in such stuffy surroundings. Either that, or I’d enjoy seeing Birdwell’s eyebrows climb his forehead like bushy black bugs a few more times. I do know I’m enjoying myself. Are you enjoying yourself?”

      “More than I’d believe, yes. I’m nearly on the edge of my seat, wondering what you’ll do next.”

      “Well, I could be good. But what fun would that be?”

      “No fun at all, I agree. Ah, and here comes our smugly smiling proprietor, followed closely by a parade of clerks toting drawers undoubtedly filled with gems and rings. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but let the bug crawl begin.”

      She watched as the drawers—she counted seven in all—were reverently placed on the countertop at exactly the same time, the purple velvet cloth covering each just as reverently removed, one after the other. The pompous precision of the thing nearly caused her to giggle.

      The clerks stepped back, actually clicked their heels and then turned as one, retreating, leaving behind only a man nearly as large as a mountain. He took up a position behind the diminutive Birdwell that seemed innocuous enough, but warned that there would be no pilfering going on as long as he was around or else there would be a cracked head in someone’s near future.

      “My lord, for your kind consideration,” the proprietor intoned importantly, sweeping a hand over the assembled glitter and glory. “My very best, at your disposal. Diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls, aquamarine, topaz.”

      Dany wanted to scream, laugh, jump down from the padded tool and dance about in a circle. She’d never seen so much marvelous all in one place. She was having trouble controlling her breathing; swallowing was definitely beyond her, blinking out of the question.

      Yet once again the proprietor was ignoring her, selecting rings and presenting them to Coop, just as if she wasn’t there.

      “No,” she heard herself say as the jeweler held out a heavily engraved gold band encrusted with diamonds, the center stone so immense as to seem unreal.

      Both Coop and the jeweler turned to look at her, which was when Dany realized she’d spoken.

      “You don’t care for it, Miss Foster?” Coop asked, clearly inviting her to do mischief.

      Wasn’t he a sweetheart!

      “Assist me,” she said

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