“She ain’t that stupid.” Mrs. White sniggered. “She says anything, and they’ll come for her.”
Taking out his quizzing glass, Dom fixed it on the landlady. “Not if she’s under my protection.”
Pressing her lips firmly together, she fell silent.
Dotty stood. “Since there is nothing to be gained here, I’m going to talk to the girl.”
A tick formed in Dom’s jaw. “Alone?”
She nodded. “I’ll be fine. Roger will be with me. You need to remain here for the Runners. My lady?”
Her future-mother-in-law glanced at her. “Yes, my dear.”
“Could you search through all this stuff and find anything with initials or an engraving?”
Lady Merton grinned. “What a wonderful idea, I’d be happy to.”
Mrs. White started screaming and the major pulled out his handkerchief. “My lord, if you’ll give me yours, I’ll stop this caterwauling.”
When Dotty got to the hall, the maid was sitting on the steps with Roger hovering over her. She sat on the stair next to the girl. “Tell me your name.”
“Sukey.” A tremor ran through her.
“Well, Sukey. It seems as if there have been some goings-on here.”
The girl nodded. “Roger here says his lordship will take care of me if I talk to you.”
“Roger is correct.”
“What if they come after me?”
“Lord Merton will offer you employment in the country if you like. He has several estates. You will be perfectly safe.”
Roger took her hand. “That’s what you said you’d like. His lordship protects his own.”
She glanced up at the footman and nodded. “I’ve been here ’bout a year. The first couple of times I believed my mistress when she said the folk had just up and left. But then there was the time a lady drank the tea Mrs. White gave her and she died.”
Dotty bit down on her lip. “A lady?”
“Yes, ma’am. She was down on her luck, and Mrs. White took her in. I think she was breeding, but she had no ring.” Sukey looked at Dotty. “Like she weren’t married.”
Or the ring no longer fit. She signaled the girl to continue.
“About a week later a man came to the kitchen door. Mrs. White shooed me upstairs, but I hid behind the curve. “He’d come for the lady.”
Dotty shook her head a little. “What do you mean?”
“He was to take her to a place called Miss Betsy’s.”
Roger sucked in a breath.
Dotty turned to him. “Do you know what that is?”
“Yes, miss, but it’s not fit for your ears.”
Sukey continued her story about other ladies being carted off while they were asleep and children disappearing. Dotty didn’t have the experience to understand what all of it meant, but she was sure the Runners would know. At the end of Sukey’s tale, Dotty took the girl’s hands. “Thank you for your help. We will stand by you. I promise.”
Sukey glanced at Roger.
