Darcy met his gaze. “No.”
The boy nodded once, shoved the coins into his coat, and slipped back into the dark.
Fitzwilliamwasstillpullingon his shirt in response to Darcy's knock when he opened the door. He blinked blearily at Darcy, then snorted, rolling his eyes as he stepped aside.
“Of course. I could not be set upon by a proper burglar at one in the morning. No, no, it must be my wretched cousin. Why not?”
Darcy pushed past him without preamble, stepping into the sitting room. “I need you to take over the investigation.”
Scratching the back of his head, Fitzwilliam gave a long-suffering sigh. “And good evening to you as well.”
Darcy turned, his expression like flint. “Alice is missing.”
Richard had been fumbling with his dangling cravat but paused mid-motion. “Who?”
“Lady Elizabeth’s maid.”
His brows drew together, confusion flickering across his face. “Ah, yes. No doubt dismissed over that unfortunate fire in the chambers.”
“No. I was told she ran off.”
Fitzwilliam’s head tilted slightly, curiosity sharpening. “Oh?”
“She left without her belongings. No farewells. The servants are being given the report that she eloped, but no one believes it.”
That got his full attention. Fitzwilliam straightened fully, fatigue vanishing. “How do you know this?”
Darcy did not immediately answer.
Suspicion narrowed Fitzwilliam’s gaze. “Do not tell me you have been paying off the kitchen maids for gossip.”
“A stable boy.”
A quiet curse slipped from Fitzwilliam’s lips. “Of course you have.” He ran a hand over his face, shaking his head. “So, you have been keeping tabs on her household?”
“Would you not?”
Grumbling under his breath, Fitzwilliam gestured vaguely. “Not through a bloody stable boy. You need someone who works in the house.”
“Best I could get.”
Fitzwilliam grunted. “This does not mean she has been silenced.”
Darcy’s gaze darkened. “No, but it is the likeliest explanation.”
The timing was too perfect—too convenient. The execution had come and gone. The dust was beginning to settle. Loose ends would need tying.
Fitzwilliam let out a heavy breath. “Blast it.” He grabbed his coat. “You are leaving, then?”
“At first light.”
One arm through his sleeve, Fitzwilliam hesitated. “You have not told me where you put her. Something about Hertfordshire, but that was the best I got from your mutterings.”
Darcy said nothing.
A dry laugh. “Naturally. I imagine His Highness himself asked you outright, and yet you still managed not to answer him. Why should I expect any better?”
Darcy merely lifted his coat from the chair and shrugged into it.
