Reaching the end of the passage, she swung around the corner.

Straight into a wall of muscle and bone.

He caught her in one arm, steadied her against him. Not trapping her, yet…she couldn’t move.

Couldn’t even blink as she stared into his eyes, mere inches away. In daylight, they were an intense dark blue, but it was the intelligence she knew resided behind them that had her mentally reeling.

That, and the fact she’d stopped breathing. She couldn’t get her lungs to work. Not with the hard length of him against the front of her.

Had he seen? Did he know?

“Yes, I saw which house you left. Yes, I know whose house it is. Yes, I remember what goes on in there.” His gaze had grown so sharp it was a wonder she wasn’t bleeding. “Are you going to tell me what you were doing in the most notorious fishermen’s brothel in Fowey?”

Damn! She realized her hands were lying boneless against his chest. She pushed back, dragged in a breath as he let her go and she stepped back.

Having air between them was a very good thing. Her lungs expanded; her head steadied. Grabbing up her skirt, she stepped past him. “No.”

He exhaled through his teeth. “Penny.” He reached out and manacled her wrist.

She halted and looked down at his long tanned fingers wrapped about her slender bones. “Don’t.”

He sighed again and let her go. She started walking, then recalled the Essingtons and walked faster. He kept pace easily.

“What could you possibly want from Mother Gibbs?”

She glanced briefly at him. “Information.”

A good enough answer to appease him, for all of six strides. “What did you learn?”