They all sat very still until they heard the front door open. At once, there was the sound of men talking over each other. Then there was a short silence. Finally, they heard footsteps approaching the parlor.
The door swung open, and Mr. Cain walked in, followed closely by Nathan.
“Your Grace,” Mr. Cain greeted, bowing stiffly to James.
He looked very tired. There were dark circles under his bloodshot eyes as he glanced around the room, his gaze lingering a little bit too long on Rosalie.
“I know where your wife is, and I’m going to help you get her back.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Tell me where she is,” James snarled.
It was taking every ounce of his strength not to leap across the room, seize the man by the scruff of the neck, and shake a response out of him. The only reason he didn’t was because there were ladies present.
“Tell me where she is right now, and I might not sue you for abduction to the full extent of the law.”
“Abduction?!” Mr. Cain tried to laugh but failed. His expression then became obsequious. “There is no need for such theatrics, Your Grace. I’ll tell you where she is. I’m on your side. You have to believe me—I would never do anything to harm any member of Miss Rosalie’s family.”
That was met by sullen silence. Rosalie stared at Mr. Cain stonily, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. Lady Carfield put herarm around her daughter as if protecting her. James’s eyes also narrowed.
Is he seriously trying to make it seem like he is a good guy?
“Where is she then?” he prompted, his patience almost nonexistent.
“She is in Wales,” Mr. Cain replied. “The small village of Barry, to be exact.”
“And you took her there yourself?” James demanded. “How did you come back so soon?”
“No. I left her in Reading with Lord Carfield.”
“I am Lord Carfield!” Niles said indignantly.
Mr. Cain sneered. “I meant the previous Lord Carfield. Jebediah Crampton.”
Although James had already known this, hearing it confirmed sent a shiver of dread up his spine. “And why did you drop her off with her father, knowing what he is capable of and that she could come to harm?”
“Because my family is deeply indebted to him,” Mr. Cain explained. “My father borrowed money from him and couldnever pay him back at his steep interest rates. He threatened to kill my sister if I did not help him get his daughter to Reading.”
James clenched his jaw. He didn’t care. He didn’t want to hear about this man’s woes. “And what is he doing with her in Wales?”
“He plans to marry her off to Lord Redfield. In exchange, Lord Redfield will provide him with forged documents that will allow him to leave England under a new identity and sail to America, where he will begin a new life. Lord Redfield has also promised him a small sum of money in exchange for Her Grace’s hand in marriage.”
Lord Redfield.He should have known. The man her father had tried to marry her off to months ago.
James’s hands curled into fists—the strength that was keeping him from pummeling Mr. Cain where he stood was quickly waning.
“How could you help him do that?” Rosalie blurted out before he could say anything. She was staring at Mr. Cain with horror and disgust. “That man is despicable! He is the last man on earth whom my sister would ever want to marry!”
“Not to mention she was already married,” James snarled. “To me.”
“He was able to procure the annulment papers from a solicitor who also owed him money,” Mr. Cain explained, before turning his stricken eyes to Rosalie. “And I can promise you, Miss Rosalie, that I didn’t want to help your father. I was scared for my sister’s life, so I went along with it, but I always planned to find out exactly where he was taking your sister before coming to warn His Grace.”
“Why didn’t you tell me what was happening sooner?” James demanded. “I could have stopped this before it even happened!”
“I wanted you to catch him in the act,” Mr. Cain replied, but the way he said it reminded James of someone reading from a script. “And if I betrayed him earlier, he might have killed me. But he must be in Wales by now, and he can’t hurt me if I come to you.”
James wasn’t convinced. “How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” he asked. “How can I be sure that you’re not sending me in the exact opposite direction Jebediah and Violet went?”
