AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He would make no such promise. “I take my leave of you, sir,” he said instead, bowing shortly.
As he sat in the carriage on his way back to Leicester Square, Percy’s thoughts returned to Eden’s unfinished question. What had she been about to ask him? He determined to find out.
He knew exactly why Ravenwood had singled Eden out for his bride. Ravenwood believed if Society saw him steal her from under his nose, they would never suspect him of having a penchant for buggery. Quite the contrary; they’d applaud him for wresting the rakehell’s crown from its current holder.
Me.
If the man were discovered, he would be hung. God only knew how he’d force Eden to continue the charade once she learned the truth. Ravenwood didn’t have a reputation for violence, but the threat of death had a way of making men do things they wouldn’t normally consider. Eden was in danger of more than just a case of the pox.
When he arrived home, it was to an urgent summons from Loxdon. Turning around, he strode right back out the door and bellowed for his driver to wait.
“What news?” he demanded upon entering his friend’s messy office.
Loxdon smiled without cheer, his eyes hard. “Rowell has returned. According to Nick, he looked none too well. Has a limp now.”
“Any luck finding the girl?”
“No, not yet. But something else of interest happened. Within an hour of his return, he had two visitors. One was received, the other was not. My boy Nick had them both followed.” He lowered his voice. “The one that wasn’t allowed in departed in a right temper and went straight to the bawdy house we spoke about last time you came to see me, the one Ravenwood frequents. He was overheard complaining about not having been paid yet. I reckon that’s worth looking into a bit. I’ve taken the liberty of placing a watch on the fellow.”
“Good. Let me know if anything comes of it. What of the other one?”
“That one managed to give us the slip. We suspect Rowell warned him he might be followed.”
“Damn,” Percy breathed. “If Rowell learns who it is watching him…”
“My men are the best in the business,” said Loxdon. “They know to check their arses for a tail, and they know every bolt-hole and burrow in this town. They’re trained to hide and lay quiet several times on the way back to be sure they aren’t followed.”
“And if they are?”
Loxdon’s mouth compressed into a thin line. “Depends. If there’s a real danger in it…” He made a slicing motion with his hand. “If not, the rabbit gets to pass and our man doubles back to return by another way. Then he gets reassigned so as not to be recognized by our mark.”
Percy nodded. “You really ought to be in the king’s service, you know. I think I’ll just suggest it when next I see him.”
“Bah!” Loxdon scoffed, his jovial manner returning. “Then I’d have to follow all sorts of rules that’d just get in the way of the job. Most times the crown’s enforcers take too long to bring to justice those as deserve it anyway—if they ever manage to collar the culprit. This is better.”
Percy supposed it was. “Do you think she’s still alive?”
The other man chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment before nodding. “Rowell, as far as we know, hasn’t been in the business of killing any girls.” He squinted. “I also suspect he’s not our direct link to the buyer, but a middle man. Bastard knows someone’s on to him, so he wouldn’t have come back to his lair if he didn’t think it was safe. I’ll wager he delivered the girl to the next in the chain right after giving us the slip.”
“And how do we find out who that is now that Rowell has no further need to contact him?”
“That other fellow we’re watching, the one who was so put out Rowell hadn’t paid him yet? Rowell himself is likely waiting to get paid in order to satisfy that debt. We’ll watch all his visitors and have them followed. If after any one of them the other fellow comes back to Rowell looking for his money, I think we’ll have learned who it was took the girl and from where. If it is that particular bawdy house…”
“You think the madam brought Abigail there to lay low after disappearing with her?”
Loxdon nodded. “It’s a possibility. If so, then the end buyer has to be one of the clientele. Has to be. The madam wouldn’t have sold the girl to one of her old regulars for fear of word getting out where she’s hiding. We know she owed several people money. The sale of the girl is likely her only means of getting the funds to quit London.”
Ice clawed its way through Percy’s veins. “If the buyer is one of that clientele—”
“Then God help her.”
“Watch him, then. Watch them both. If the man shows up again, I want to know within the hour. And I want a client list for that bawdy house.”
“I’ll see it done. I may not be able to provide a full list, but even a partial list will give us somewhere to begin.”
“All it takes is one,” Percy muttered. “The right one. If we can get him to talk—and we will—he can give us the buyer. Keep me informed.” Taking his leave, he returned home to ponder the situation over a glass of sherry.
Abigail had been missing now for many weeks. That they’d been unable to locate her disturbed him. Until now, it had been relatively simple to track down those reported missing. There was always someone willing to talk, and he had ears all over London.
