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Lord Windham’s tone turned oily. “Oh, Jane isn’t here.”
“Tell us where you took her,” Charlotte demanded.
“Like I said, she must have run away.”
Seth took two steps forward, spun the jackanapes around and pinned him to the wall. “Where is she?”
Lord Windham’s eyes went wide. But only for a moment. Then he laughed, a full-belly, nearly maniacal, laugh. “You don’t scare me, Mulgrave. You may be knighted now, but you weren’t born to it. You’re nothing but an upstart. You smell worse of the shop than the innkeeper I was speaking to today.”
He tried to push Seth off, but Seth kept him pinned.
“Tell us where the girl is,” Seth said, his words a growl.
Lord Windham stuck his chin out. “You don’t scare me. And you can’t scare the girl’s new employer, either. He could take you down, no problem. One good arm would be more than enough against the likes of you.”
The pieces snapped together in Seth’s mind.
He knew who had the girl.
Slowly, Seth smiled.
“If that’s all you have to say, sir,” he said, pushing away from Lord Windham, “I believe we shall bid you goodnight.”
Lord Windham tugged on his jacket, righting it. The smugness of his expression made it clear he believed he’d won. Perhaps he even thought Seth was frightened by this not-so-mysterious new employer who could supposedly take Seth down.
But Seth didn’t care—he knew where to find Jane, and getting to her now was far more important than seeing Lord Windham have his comeuppance.
Seth took hold of Charlotte’s hand and led her out the door and back into the night.
“But,” she said, close beside him, “you didn’t get the man’s name.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Seth said as he handed her up into the carriage. “I know where we have to go.”
It was a good thing they had fresh horses. It was not going to be a short trip. Seth gave their driver directions—the poor manservant was looking a bit haggard after all the driving about they’d done that day. But he was a good man and didn’t complain or shirk.
After that, Seth climbed into the carriage and sat once more beside Charlotte.
He didn’t wait for her to ask before he dove into his explanation.
“In Lord Windham’s haste to remind me that I ‘smell of the shop,’ as many people like to call it”—Seth had heard the term from far wealthier mouths than Windham’s—“he forgot himself. I’ve traded and done business with more men than the likes of Windham could ever imagine, and in that time, I’ve stayed at nearly every inn between London and three days’ journey from here in all directions. Ironic, actually.”
“I don’t understand,” Charlotte said.
Seth rested back and explained. “The first manservant we spoke with said Windham had been riding since about early afternoon today and had only gotten back not long before. That means we’re looking for a place between about five and six hours from here. Next, Windham mentioned talking to an innkeeper this afternoon. So, he probably left Jane at a pub or inn somewhere a half day’s travel outside London. Lastly, he said one good arm would be more than enough to take me down.
“About five and a half hours northwest of here is an inn called The Deer and Fox, which many travelers use when heading that direction, and it is owned by a one-armed man.”
Charlotte stared at him and then slowly a smile spread across her face. “Then you didn’t need him to tell you a name.”
“No,” he said, taking her hand. “I know exactly where we’ll find Jane.”
