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Lord Hawthorne’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were attempting to gauge her sincerity. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?”
“My friend went missing a few days ago, and her mother thought Eddy might have something to do with it since they owed him money.”
With a baffled look on his face, he asked, “Who is Eddy?”
Madalene tried to distance herself from Lord Hawthorne by taking a step back, but she was stopped by the wall behind her. “He is the man in charge of the gambling hall.”
“I see, and you just waltzed right into his office to accuse him of abducting your friend.”
Madalene winced slightly at the harshness of his words. “I did, but I ended up paying off her debts instead.”
“Why did your friend owe Eddy money?”
Clasping her hands in front of her, Madalene explained, “Edith’s father gambled all their money away and then died in debtor’s prison. Eddy refused to let the debt die and insisted that Edith’s mother pay back the money.”
“Was she able to?”
“Heavens, no,” Madalene replied with a shake of her head, “but Edith is working as the headmistress at my orphanage and has been paying Eddy back a bit at a time.”
“Pray tell, then what purpose would he have to abduct her?”
Madalene shrugged. “Mrs. Hardy thought it was a possibility, and I thought I should at least attempt to find Edith.”
“You are either incredibly brave or stupid, Miss Dowding,” Lord Hawthorne remarked. “And, frankly, I haven’t decided which one you are yet.”
“Do you intend to keep insulting me, or am I free to go?” Madalene asked dryly.
“You can’t keep going on the way you have been. You must think of your reputation.”
Madalene held his gaze in silent challenge for a long moment before saying, “I would rather risk my reputation than lose my friend entirely.”
Lord Hawthorne muttered something incoherent under his breath as he slowly shook his head. “I might regret saying this, but I am going to help you.”
“In what way?”
“I have a certain set of skills that will enable me to find your friend much more efficiently than you,” Lord Hawthorne answered.
“What kind of skills?”
“I am not at liberty to say.”
“And if I refuse your help?”
A cocky grin came to Lord Hawthorne’s lips. “That would be a rather foolish thing to do.”
Madalene considered the infuriating lord for a moment. She wanted to refuse his help, and wipe that smug smile off his face, but she was out of options. After all, she was no closer to finding Edith than she had been before. She needed help, but why did it have to come from him?
Forcing a smile to her lips, Madalene said, “I will accept your help.”
“Good.”
“But I have a condition.”
His grin dimmed. “Which is?”
She jutted out her chin. “I want to be involved in the investigation.”
“No.”
