Darcy Branwyn

Deduction – A Regency Romance:

Liam tossed his coat at the cherry wood bench near the door in his rooms. His cravat followed. Becca picked up the coat and hung it by the door, his cravat followed.

“His landlady comes for his laundry and to bring him the occasional meal,” she said. “But he won’t let her touch his books and papers and experiments, so his lodgings are a mess.”

Liam shook his head at his sister as he proceeded silently into the next room.

“That’s why it’s such a pigsty,” Becca called loudly enough for him to hear. “But I’ll show you his mess anyway.” She looped her arm around Molly’s waist and walked her into the parlor.

Mess didn’t quite cover what faced Molly. This wasn’t the space of a careless bachelor as much as it was the life’s-work of an over-active mind. Books covered every surface; the twin settees, the chairs, the tables. Books were stacked on the floor and even on the mantel over the fireplace—where Liam was, bending down to stir the coal ash. He added fresh coal over the still glowing embers then moved on into the next room. She heard him fussing over another grate.

A stack of foolscap on a coffee table caught her attention and Molly pulled away from Becca to investigate. The pages were being held in place with a stag-horn knife sticking straight through them and into the wood…

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