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Richard smiled. “I missed you, too.”

Her eyes softened. “I am glad to see you here. Not the least of the reasons is because…” She leaned forward and whispered, “I think someone is following me.”

Richard frowned, his senses sharpening. It was a good thing he’d come to see her then. He rapped on the roof of his carriage and the vehicle jolted to a start. “Did you see who it was?”

“Where are we going?” Jo asked, worrying her lower lip.

“Home. My home. We can speak there more freely. Especially if you’re being followed, I think it is essential to leave this area. So… did you see who it was?”

She nodded and then shook her head.

“Which is it?” Richard narrowed his eyes, his heart racing. If someone was pursuing Jo, wouldn’t Garret tell him? Unless it started just today and the footman simply didn’t have the time to report.

“I did see a man… But I could not make out his features. He was tall and was wearing dark clothing. I noticed him at the theater first, and I thought he was one of the guards, but then he was following me out on the street… What?” she asked, noticing his grimace. “What is it?”

Richard felt a sense of shame. “Was he wearing a black cloak and a tall hat?”

“Yes,” she answered cautiously.

“About six feet tall?” Richard held out his hand to his brow to show the approximate height.

She nodded.

“It might have been my footman, Garret,” Richard confessed with a grimace.

“Your—” Jo paused as she visibly tried to make sense of it. “No, he wasn’t wearing your livery.”

“Yes, I know. I thought it would be too obvious—”

And then it finally dawned on her, because her features darkened as she accused, “You had him follow me!”

“Of course.” He scoffed.

“Why?”

Why? Why was she so surprised? He hadn’t meant to frighten her, but surely she knew he wouldn’t leave her unprotected. “Do you think I would have let you saunter around on your own after what I witnessed in the theater? Did you think I would be sleeping soundly knowing that that monster was still out there? No.” He shook his head and rested against the carriage seat.

“But… why didn’t you tell me?” She still looked quite confused.

He sighed. “You were all about independence when we spoke after that. I wasn’t going to try your patience with this nonsense.”

“So you went behind my back?”

“What did you want me to do?” Richard imploded. “Argue with you about it? Or let you walk around unprotected? If you think that I shall stand passively by while your life is in danger, you’re dead wrong.”

“I was terrified!” she cried. “And not of Mick, but of the man you had following me for weeks!”

Richard’s face heated. “He was supposed to be discreet. But he is just a footman, not a private investigator. Next time, I’ll hire one of those.”

“Next time?” Jo let out a nervous laugh, although she looked as if she wanted to cry. “This is how it’s going to be with you, isn’t it? You will just decide that something is better for me and do it whether I approve or not.”

He didn’t answer.

She raised a brow.

Richard let out a weary sigh. “I am not a man to leave the people I care about to their own devices. Whether you like it or not, whether you think it’s warranted or not… If it’s a matter of your safety, I shall be taking precautions.”

Jo let out a pained breath. She swallowed, her delicate throat working, drawing his attention. Then she looked down at her hands. “Fine.”