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She mentally scowled at her stupid self before carrying on. “But Lord Beath has nothing to do with this particular issue. The board is the roadblock in this case.”
“Have you ever thought about hiring an inquiry agent to investigate?”
The question caught her off-guard. The reality was, she and Donny were acting in that capacity. Samantha knew beyond doubt that they would do a better job of searching for the missing childrenandhunting for Roger’s killers.
“Lady Samantha?” Kendrick prompted.
“Oh, sorry. Arthur has also used his connections in the legal community to make enquiries. Unfortunately, they’ve not born fruit. Of course, we hear rumors about gangs who recruit children, but nothing has come of them, I’m afraid.”
Kendrick looked thoughtful. “Several years back, one of my brothers rescued a pair of children from a gang.”
That piqued her curiosity. “Really? How did he manage it?”
He waggled a hand. “Very carefully. Lady Samantha, with your permission, I’d like to write my brother for his opinion.” He flashed a brief smile. “Graeme was an inquiry agent for some years, and a very good one.”
Oh, blast.
The last thing she needed was a professional man poking about. Still, to refuse would likely sound downright suspicious.
“Of course, doctor. I would be most grateful.” She made a point of glancing at the ormolu clock on the mantel. “Now, if you will ex—”
When the door opened and Felicity hurried into the room, Samantha all but bit her tongue. Could this morning get worse?
Mrs. Johnson followed hard on the girl’s heels, looking grim. “I’m sorry, my lady, but Miss Felicity heard that the doctor was here, and she wondered if he could look at Hercules.”
In other words, Felicity had slipped past Mrs. Johnson’s guard.
Felicity lugged her big gray cat over to Kendrick. Hercules was probably the most ill-tempered feline in Edinburgh, but he’d been a present from Roger, and Felicity adored the old grump. For her sake, the entire household ignored scratched furniture, ripped upholstery, and the occasional dead bird Hercules proudly brought into the house.
Normally, Samantha would do anything to soothe Felicity’s worries, but this situation had the makings of an epic disaster.
When Kendrick stood and gave Felicity a warm smile, the girl gave him a quick, head-to-toe perusal before carefully depositing the cat at his feet. Looking at Samantha, she tapped her right fist on her left palm, and then pointed at Kendrick.
Can he help?
The doctor’s gaze flickered over to Samantha and then back to Felicity.
A fraught silence settled over the room. Felicity tapped her foot, impatient for an answer, while Kendrick waited patiently for someone to do something.
Meanwhile, Samantha once again found herself trying to think through a panicky, exhausted haze.
Felicity tapped two fingers to her lips and then mouthed a word.Please?
Samantha mentally shook herself. There was nothing to do but play it out, and hope Kendrick didn’t make the connection.
She dredged up a smile. “Dr. Kendrick, this is my sister-in-law, Miss Felicity Penwith.”
Felicity mustered an awkward curtsy, while Kendrick executed a faultless bow.
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” he said, speaking clearly to Felicity.
The girl shyly smiled and waved hello.
Kendrick returned the smile and touched a finger to the side of his mouth. “Do you read lips?”
Felicity nodded.
Hell and damnation.
