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Chapter Eight
Bertram stepped out of the drawing room, his face a picture of pique. He was in the middle of delicate negotiations. He did not need his own servants interrupting him.
“What is it?” he snapped.
“It’s Miss Strange, Your Grace. We cannot find her.”
Bertram glared at the hapless man. “What do you mean?”
“I mean she is nowhere to be found.”
Bertram expelled air through his nose. “Do not tell me she slipped away from right under our noses.”
The footman hesitated, as if he did not know whether to confirm the Duke’s words or obey them.
Bertram made a sound of annoyance. “I want you to gather as many men as you can. Institute a search. Shemustbe found.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” The footman turned smartly and hurried off. Bertram watched him go, his eyes narrowed, before taking a deep breath and heading back to the pirate.
“I apologize for the interruption. Sometimes it feels as if nobody can do a thing without my input.”
Thomas waved his hand dismissively. “The joys of dukedom I suppose. Now you were saying…?”
Bertram took a deep breath and prepared to lay his proposal out for the pirate.
* * *
The kitchen was in uproar when Letty walked into it.
“Where could she have gone? She was right here, making desserts not a few hours ago,” Mrs. Gendry exclaimed.
“Aye, well, now she’s nowhere to be seen,” a tall, thin footman with long, queued brown hair said. “And the Duke says it’s imperative we find her.”
“Who are you looking for?” Letty asked.
Mrs. Gendry screamed in surprise. When the footman saw her, he clenched his jaw determinedly. “The Duke has asked me to detain you.” He said, striding towards her.
She quirked an eyebrow. “Why?”
He grabbed her hand, clasping it painfully tight. “That’s for him to know. Come with me.”
He pulled her along roughly, and she tripped on the uneven cobblestones as he propelled her to the house.
“Oy! No need to be so rough!” Mrs. Gendry called, sounding affronted on her behalf. Letty appreciated the sentiment but she was quite used to coarse treatment and this, in comparison, was nothing.
“Where are you taking me?”
“I am detaining you until such a time as His Grace is ready to contend with you.”
“Detaining me? Why? What have I done?” She made sure to sound outraged and mystified. The Duke could prove nothing, all he had was conjecture and conclusions.
All I have to do is admit nothing.
But then she remembered the conversation she’d overheard, and the fact that not only the Duke’s but his son’s life was in danger. She could not stand by and let harm come to them even though she understood on an intellectual level that having them eliminated might be good for France.
Not at this cost.
The footman shoved her into a windowless room, and slammed the door behind her. There was no light or heat in the room and by the size of it, she suspected that it might be a storage space.
