The housekeeper sniffed at the idea. Lady Serenity, however, looked very much comforted. Mrs. Right took her by the hand and walked her back to the house.
Roland sprang into action. He hurried Havoc home and directed Quinn to see to the advertisements himself. It was to be a large ad, run in all the major newspapers regardless of the cost, and offer a thousand pounds. It would catch the attention of every person who picked up a newspaper.
While that was being done, he ordered his horse saddled. He would tour the neighborhood, attempting to discover if anyone had seen the dog. He would discover if anybody had seen anything at all.
As he waited for his horse to be brought round, Havoc stared dolefully at him, no doubt wondering why they’d not gone on a walk. Roland could not help thinking of poor Nelson. He could not help thinking of what his own feelings would be if it had beenHavoc. It was precisely what he had feared when Havoc had been small enough to take.
He willed himself to stay in control, but it was just the sort of thing that set him off. A poor animal taken from his home. The little dog must be terrified.
Who would take him? For a brief moment he wondered if somehow whoever was responsible for sending his stablemaster and his grooms on a goose chase to the Wapping high street and Nelson gone missing were connected. He could not see how it made sense though.
The only idea that did make sense was that somebody had taken Nelson in order to ransom him back. The duke was known to have deep pockets, making him a target for that sort of thing. Roland was in no doubt that somebody would come forward to collect the reward. Likely with some ridiculous story of finding the dog on their doorstep and kindly taking him in from the cold out of Christian charity and a pure heart.
“Your horse is out front,” Quinn said. “I’ll take a hackney to Fleet Street, it will be faster than waiting for the horses to be hitched to the carriage.”
Roland nodded. He could not say much, as his feelings were teetering on the edge regarding Nelson’s current situation.
“You are sure? You will offer a thousand pounds?”
“Very,” Roland said, striding out of the house.
Roland rode round the square, questioning passersby. When that did not lead to any information regarding the whereabouts of Nelson, he expanded his search to nearby streets. Then, finally, the park.
Nelson was nowhere to be found. Nobody knew anything about it. Whoever had taken him had been careful he was not observed. Nelson must have been hidden from view in some way. Anybody who’d even glanced at that dog would remember him. He had a very original appearance. Nobody had seen him,though. The reward was the only thing that would bring Nelson back.
He reluctantly turned his horse and headed for home. He must at least confirm with Quinn that they’d made the deadline for an advertisement. That was the only hope for Nelson now.
*
Mrs. Right waswell used to dealing with an upset from one or another of her girls. Not since their mother died, though, had the roof been raised in such a manner. And even then, Valor had been an infant and Winsome and Verity still too young to really take it in.
Notes had been speedily sent to the three eldest sisters to relay the unfolding emergency and they had all three made their way to the house with alacrity. So now, on top of Serenity, Winsome, Verity, and Valor weeping, they had added in Felicity, Grace, and Patience.
The duke had been called back from his club, and he did do his very best to comfort his girls. But what was one man to do with seven crying daughters?
Mrs. Right had finally, in the late afternoon, put Serenity to bed with a bit of laudanum. The girl really did need to calm herself and sleep for a few hours, else she would make herself ill.
As the rest of the girls consoled one another in the drawing room, Mrs. Right softly knocked on the library door. The duke had taken a momentary refuge there to regroup.
Summoned in, the duke said, “Still hysterics in the drawing room, I imagine?”
Mrs. Right nodded. “Aye, they’ll be drained of all tears by the end of it.”
“I hope the end of it is we get that dog back,” the duke said. “He’s an odd little thing and awful to look at, but he’s grown on me.”
“I am certain things will come right,” the housekeeper said, though she was not certain at all.
“I expect so, the reward is big enough. I’d like to know who would look at Nelson and then think about becoming a thousand pounds richer and have things come down on Nelson’s side. Very gracious of Thorpe to offer such a sum. I expect a proposal is in the offing.”
Mrs. Right did not quite know what to do with that statement. The duke would allow Lord Thorpe to propose? Was there some scheme here she could not see?
“A fourth daughter wed, and Lady Misery had no faith that I could do it. Hah! The jest is on her.”
“You mean to allow it to go forward, then?” Mrs. Right asked. She could hardly believe it to be true, but what else could she think?
“Why shouldn’t I? Thorpe is an upstanding sort of man and he’s a marquess. Serenity likes him and she will be a duchess someday. Good all round, I’d say.”
“But Your Grace! Do you not fear—” Mrs. Right did not finish that sentence, as she did not exactly know how to mention that she’d read the duke’s correspondence.
