“Yes? It’s Bricks, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir. I saw you leave with the Duchess, but I was hoping you were coming back because Grove would like to speak with you.”
“Of course.” Nathan shook himself and tried to gather together the fragmented pieces of his brain. He’d almost entirely forgotten about Grove, Reed, and the mess with Lord Redfield after all the drama with Lord Cain and Rosalie, but they must still be waiting for him to return.
“Grove is now in the Viscount’s study,” Bricks said. “He, Lord Redfield, Captain Reed, and the Viscount are expecting you.”
“Very good. Are you coming as well?”
“I’ll stay here, Your Grace, in case Lord Cain tries to leave by the front door. It’s unlikely, but just in case.”
Nathan’s heart sank. “So, you still haven’t found him?”
“Unfortunately not, Your Grace.”
Nathan nodded then hurried up the front steps, through the entrance hall, and into the Viscount’s study where, indeed, Redfield, Reed, Grove, and Carfield—looking baffled at thepresence of Bow Street RunnersandScotland Yard at his ball—were waiting for him.
“Ahh, Your Grace.” Grove nodded at him. He was smoking a cigar, but he placed it in an ashtray when Nathan appeared, as if ready to get down to business. “There you are.”
“My apologies,” Nathan said. “I had to find my wife before Lord Cain could corner her. Unfortunately, he already had.”
Viscount Carfield gave a start. “Is my cousin unharmed?”
“She is unharmed,” Nathan assured him. “I sent her to the Duke and Duchess of Eavestone’s for now for her own protection.”
“Very good, very good,” Carfield murmured.
“And what happened to Lord Cain?” Grove asked, his eyes probing. “Did he escape?”
“I believe so,” Nathan said heavily. “He slipped away when I was speaking with my wife, but I haven’t had a chance to search for him yet. It’s possible he’s still somewhere in the house. He knows this place well, I imagine, because of his many dealings with the previous Lord Carfield.”
“Then it’s possible he knows a way out of here that none of us do,” Grove observed, sighing and shaking his head. “We have long suspected that the last Lord Carfield built secret ways in and out of the house in order to help with his smugglingventures. And, of course, in case he ever needed a quick getaway.”
“I know nothing of secret ways in and out of the house!” thenewLord Carfield squawked.
Grove shook his head. “They would be well hidden. But with your permission, we will search the house starting tomorrow and try to locate them so that nothing of this nature can happen again.”
“And what of Lord Cain?” Lord Redfield asked. “Were you able to get a confession out of him, Carramere?”
“Between my wife and me, yes,” Nathan said. “He seems to have plotted the whole thing as an elaborate ruse to try and get the Duchess to fall in love with him and run away with him.” His hand tightened into a fist at his side. “Of course, it never would have worked as the Duchess despises him. But he is obsessive, and that obsessiveness is highly dangerous. I fear very much for her safety. We must ensure that Lord Cain is caught right away.”
“The Bow Street Runners will be on it!” Captain Reed piped up at once. “We will search day and night if we have to to bring this man to justice.”
“Scotland Yard will also be on the case,” Grove assured Nathan. “You have my word. He is our top priority, not least of all because of his opium-smuggling ring which must be shut down at once.”
Grove turned to Captain Reed and held out his hand. “What do you say that we do a better job of sharing information this time around so that we can be sure to capture this villain?”
Reed hesitated then grinned and shook Grove’s hand. “I say that’s very wise.”
“Then we will begin looking at once,” Nathan said. “And none of us will rest until the man is behind bars. I am ready for this entire criminal organization to be behind bars. I thought it would have stopped by now with the arrest of the previous Lord Carfield and the late Lord Redfield. The fact that Lord Cain is still free and threatening my wife is unacceptable. We must put a stop to him.”
“Yes, we must,” Lord Redfield agreed. “The empire my father started with Jebediah Crampton must be thoroughly eliminated from the world so that no traces of it can continue to pollute our fair country.”
Nathan nodded. A wave of exhaustion was threatening to overcome him. He could feel his legs beginning to shake, his eyes heavy and ready to close. He needed to sleep or at least to get away from everyone. The break with Rosalie was like a hole inside of him that was sapping him of all energy and joy. He needed to rest, or he might fall apart completely.
At the same time, he was afraid that if he let himself rest for a moment, the despair at having lost her would consume him.
He turned to Lord Carfield. “Let’s start tonight.”
