“And a duel! That does sound rather…transporting. Even if you claim it never happened.”
“I make no claims at all.”
Blanche let that pass. “What takes you into town?” she asked.
“Business,” he said.
“What business do you have that Papa is not involved in?” she asked. “I thought you two had an…understanding.” The double meaning wasn’t lost on him. Of course Ainsworth liked the idea of marrying his daughter to a business partner to solidify the arrangement.
“Your father is hardly the only person I do business with,” he told her, hoping that she’d catch the implication that nothing was set in stone. “In fact, I have to speak to the magistrate.”
“Whatever for?”
“I have some questions about the smuggling going on around the area.”
She looked surprised, but then laughed. “Well, anyone can tell you that. Smuggling is barely smuggling around here! Look in any shop in Treversey and you’ll see.”
“You think it common?”
“Of course! Anything with a tariff will find its way to a beach in Cornwall sooner or later. Whiskey, wine, silk, lace…”
“Opium?”
She frowned at the unexpected item. “Well…perhaps. Why not? Nearly anything can be put on a ship.”
“You have a cosmopolitan view, Miss Ainsworth.”
“I am a very cosmopolitan woman, Mr. de la Guerra,” she said, with a suggestive smile.
Thank God, they reached Treversey soon after. He drove directly to the Seven Sisters, an inn at the center of town where all incoming coaches stopped. It had stables large enough to accommodate several carriages.
“Well, Mr. de la Guerra. Where shall we go first?”
Carlos shook his head. “I have no idea how long my task will take. You shouldn’t waste time on my account. I’ll let you take care of your errands, Miss Ainsworth, and I do hope that we’ll see each other soon after. Lunch, perhaps.” (In truth, Carlos fully intended to disappear from Blanche’s sights as quickly as he could. But he was too smart to tell her that.)
“What a lovely idea,” Blanche cooed, evidently thinking that she had him well in hand.
He pulled the gig alongside the inn. A young boy was already running out to take hold of the reins, and a footman was there to help Blanche step down. She alighted with perfect grace.
Carlos climbed out himself and surrendered the gig to the boy, offering a coin to him. Then he made a tactical retreat. Despite his hints that their marriage was far from settled, Blanche had not given up. He wondered if he could persuade Poppy to accept a proposal purely out of altruism.
Luckily, Carlos found the home of the magistrate quickly enough, just off the main thoroughfare on a tiny street called Bower Lane. Based on the furnishings he saw, he realized that the ground floor also served as a courtroom (a sign stated that court was in session two mornings every week). The magistrate lived above the space, though he didn’t own the building—room and board being part of his remuneration from the town.
He knocked at the door, which was soon opened by a middle aged woman with dark curly hair and a weary look on her face. “Yes, sir?” she asked, in the tone of someone very put out that her dusting had been interrupted.
“Good day, ma’am. I wish to see the magistrate. Mr. Armitage, I believe.”
“One moment, sir. I’ll see if he’s done with his cases.”
Carlos waited outside on the step, feeling very conspicuous. But within a few minutes, the woman returned to escort him up to the magistrate’s little working room. Several sets of law books were shelved behind him, and the magistrate himself sat at a desk covered in more books. He was a surprisingly vigorous-looking man, on the thin side, with distinctive red hair.
“Mr. Armitage?” Carlos asked. “My name is Carlos de la Guerra.”
“How do you do, sir,” Armitage said, rising to greet Carlos. He then gestured to a young man seated nearby, who appeared to be taking notes. “And this is my deputy, Rowe. What brings you to see me today? Some trouble? You’re not a local, are you?”
“Not at all. I hail from Santo Domingo. But I’m staying at Pencliff Towers for the summer.”
“Ah, the Towers do have so many guests,” Armitage said. “I trust you are enjoying your time there.”
