“He has to come with us,” Diana finished. “For his own good.”
“He’ll be less angry if you tell him why we’re doing this.”
“Can’t risk it before we set sail. When he’s calmer, there’s a better chance he’ll believe me.”
“And what about San Genaro?”
Diana hesitated. “When it’s safe, I’ll tell him.”
Amelia remained quiet as she ran the length of her finger along the velvet seam of her sleeve in a rhythmic motion. Their schoolmistress had rapped Amelia’s knuckles countless times, but it hadn’t curtailed the habit.
“Is anything else bothering you, Amy?”
“We’re not putting Ian at more risk by taking him with us, are we?”
The same thought had chased Diana all the way from London. “The emeralds have nothing to do with our mission to protect women. Someone in our organization is using the necklace as a pawn to entrap criminals who want to claim it. And Ian can’t extricate himself from the chase.” She dropped her voice. “I think the Stags want him to become collateral damage.”
Diana wouldn’t allow it. And she’d never forgive herself if her efforts to capture the traitors in her own organization jeopardized him.
“Then I shall interview Mr. Holt about his interest in the ship,” Amelia resolved. “Let’s hope he has enough sense to pass inspection.”
Compared to London’s docks, Bristol’s floating harbor was practically quaint.
It made Ian’s skin crawl.
The narrow lanes and hundreds of workers employed in various ends of the shipping trade made for a densely populated square mile along the riverfront. As he strode along the docks, more than a few heads turned in his direction.
In London, he was used to people staring at him. On the occasions he found himself in a packed ballroom, or on the streets in Mayfair, the olive shade of his skin and the thick, dark hair and eyes that he’d inherited from his mother made him stand apart. But in his corner of the docklands, people knew him. He’d taken the security of that infamy for granted.
He ducked into the narrow alleyway between two large warehouses belonging to Rives Shipping. Thankfully, he did not have to wait long before Hepburn made his way through the sea of bodies. Revulsion painted his features as he picked through the crowd to meet Ian.
“I packed the essentials.” Hepburn handed him a saddle valise. “Did you figure out which ship it is?”
“There’s only one moored at the pier. Everything else is in dry dock. It has to be that one.” Ian nodded to the nearest ship in the distance. “I take it the harbormaster did not confirm a sailing?”
“Nothing filed. But he said if it’s a commission from the Royal Navy, they wouldn’t alert them until after they set sail. The lad pulling pints at the Angler’s Arms was much more forthcoming.”
“Barmen usually are.”
“There’s talk at the tavern that a new ship pulls out tonight, at midnight. And not everyone’s happy about it. Apparently, the captain’s selective about who they take on as crew.”
“The smith in the yard said the same.”
If Diana wanted Ian to follow her, he wouldn’t stroll onto her ship easily, which he appreciated. It made it feel less like a trap.
More like a lure.
A little like a seduction.
“There are some letters I need you to attend to.”
Ian withdrew a stack of notes from his pocket and handed them to Hepburn. Even if he retrieved the emeralds from Diana quickly, he wasn’t returning to England. He buried the thought that if things went poorly, he’d never see its shores again.
“The first one is for Henry Eden. He’s in desperate need of a valet, although he will never confess it. Don’t worry, he’s got plenty of money to pay your demanding salary. It will benefit both of us to have you placed in his household.”
It would provide Ian with a back channel for Henry’s legal counsel, should he need it.
“The second note is for Mrs. Turner.” The carefully worded missive informed Jared’s housekeeper that Ian had been called away on urgent business and instructed her to send word through Henry if there was any change in his brother’s condition.
