Page 38 of The Duchess He Couldn’t Resist

Marigold stood by his side and looked upon the patchwork that he had created on the wall. Now that she was really studying the chaos, she could see that there was a pattern behind it, many years’ worth of work and painstaking information that he had acquired.

“So this is all I have,” the Duke said.

“Most of your information is correct,” Marigold said as she read and followed the yarns, “but incomplete.”

“So that is why you are here.”

“For instance, the Dog Rats down in Wapping,” she pointed at the map. “Of course, you would know them as Murphy & Jones.”

“They are supposed to be respectable merchants.”

“They are merchants. Their merchandise is simply stolen. They are fencers and thieves, and they move goods for Johnny.”

“How about the gambling houses?”

“The only one I know of connected to Johnny is the Knuckle Club. I was once mistaken for a lady who had gambled there and owed Johnny money. And the Rag Fair Boys answered to him.”

“The pickpockets?”

“Yes, children, most of them. Though Johnny and his men keep mostly in the Mint, they have a bigger reach, and one reason is the Rag Fair Boys. They are clever, quick with their hands, and they can gather information as well as your wallet. Poor little kids. I fed them a few times.”

The Duke looked down at her with astonishment. She looked up at him, not understanding what made him so bewildered.

“And you walked around these areas alone, defenseless?”

“Well, I didn’t really have an option, did I?” Marigold kept looking at the map. “You have no notes about the brothels.”

The Duke choked on air.

“The what?”

“The brothels. They are one of Johnny’s main incomes.”

“You know what a brothel is?”

“I have been in two of Johnny’s establishments.”

“Excuse me?”

“Yes, here and here.” Marigold pointed to the map. “You might need a few pins and yarn for that.”

“After I get over the fact that my wife has visited brothels.”

“I did not exactly visit them. More like dragged to them.”

The look the Duke gave her was almost deadly. Marigold realized the change in his disposition and looked up at him, only to see him glaring at the two pins she had placed. His face was dark, his jaw tightened, and his eyes seemed to swallow the light from the room.

“Who dragged you to them?” His voice was barely above a whisper, but it echoed against the walls.

“Donny liked to show me,” Marigold said quietly. “He would give me the tour of what he said would soon be my working environment.”

“He threatened you.”

“It gave him great pleasure to see me frightened.”

The Duke let out a low growl, and Marigold focused on him for a moment. His whole body was rigid, his hands clenched at his sides, and the cords in his neck stood out. His jaw tightened before he opened his mouth to speak.

“Did he…?” He sighed before finishing the question, realizing he was being too menacing in addressing her. “Did he ever touch you?”