He found the countess standing with one hand on the banister of the stairs and the other waving the morning paper.
“My lady?” He let down the candlestick.
She lowered her voice. “Fenton, thank god you are here.”
Fenton’s eyes widened, but his tone was as reserved as usual. “How may I assist, my lady?”
It was the first time she’d seen surprise on his face and it almost made her smile, but she returned to the issue at hand. Several maids and the cook peeked around doors and down the steps. She shouldn’t have raised her voice, but she was so shocked by what the paper said, she’d lost her temper. What was Daniel going to think? “I need a word with you in his lordship’s study, please.”
Fenton followed her and gave the other servants a stern look as he closed the doors.
She still waved the paper around. “We have a snitch in the house, Fenton.”
“A snitch, my lady?”
“Yes. Snitch, informant, you may call it what you want, but someone who was in this house yesterday told the newspaper the story I have just read. Though I cannot tell you if they gave only half truths, or the reporter took some license with the facts. I do not approve of my personal life being fodder for the gossips, Fenton. I charge you with finding out who did this and I expect they will be dealt with accordingly.”
“I’ll see to it, my lady.” Fenton sounded even graver than usual.
She leaned over the desk while attempting to work out the details. “Fenton, is his lordship a good employer? I mean to say, is he good to those who work for him? Does he pay well?”
“His lordship is a fair man, as his father was before him.”
“Then why would someone do such a thing?”
Fenton spoke evenly. “For some, the lure of easy money is too great to resist.”
She stood straight and looked him in the eye. “Find the culprit and deal with this, Fenton. I entrust the task to you. I’ll not be afraid to speak in my own home. It is one thing to gossip with the servants in other homes, but this is quite another. This story made the paper in a matter of hours. Someone here, in this house, sold the story to a reporter. I want to know who.”
Fenton bowed stiffly and left the room.
Sophia collapsed into the nearest chair and rubbed the side of her head, which was now pounding. Why had Daniel not come home? Where was he? She was determined to handle his having a mistress, but he must not be so indiscreet as to not come home. God only knew what would be in tomorrow’s paper.
* * * *
At one minute before eleven in the morning, Anthony and Thomas arrived at Fallon House. Sophia had expected to see Anthony, but Thomas’s presence was a surprise. Janette and Cissy had left for the country only an hour earlier so Sophia was alone.
The two men looked so grave, panic built in the pit of her stomach. “Tom, what’s wrong? Has something happened?”
He was about to answer, but she held up a hand. “Let’s talk in the study.”
“What was that all about, Sophie?” Anthony demanded as soon as the study door closed behind them.
“Have either of you read this morning’s paper?”
Thomas frowned. “I have. You suspect one of your staff?”
“I have Fenton looking into the matter.”
Anthony looked from one to the other. “What was in the paper? What do you suspect? What is going on?”
“Calm yourself, man,” Thomas said.
Sophia retrieved the newspaper from the desk and handed it to Anthony.
Anthony frowned and slapped the paper against his leg. “None of this is true.”
“And yet, none of it is false either. I did rush from here, you did arrive just before and there was a fight. As you can see, the story holds facts but little truth. That is the way of these things.”
She took the paper back and threw it on the desk. “What are you two doing here? What has happened to Daniel?”
Thomas’s eyes were ringed dark and his shoulders slumped. “The truth is, I’m not sure, Sophia. I cannot find him.”
Hating her thoughts, she turned away. “There was that opera singer…” Most women would never admit their husband was having an affair. Such things were known, but never discussed. Sophia was tired of lies. They had only made bad situations worse.
“I already went to see her. She has not seen him since the night of the theatre. That was quite a bit before your marriage.”
Relief washed over Sophia, but panic overshadowed it. “Then, where is he, Tom?”
“I do not know, but it is not like him to just disappear. I know him, Sophia. He is prone to run when things are bad, but he would not go without saying so. He would not worry his family.”
Thomas looked away rubbing his neck. “I’m worried.”
She didn’t know what to say or do. She wanted to scream, but it would do no good and it was unlikely to make her feel any better. She preferred thinking he was an unfaithful husband over the possibility he had met with an accident of some kind. “Perhaps there is another woman whom you do not know about.”
“I’ll look into it. I shall call in some additional help and we will find him.” His voice rang with intensity and determination. Daniel was his friend and his interest in finding him was personal. It had little to do with her.
Still, she worried. She was not entirely convinced he’d met with some kind of trouble. It was possible, tired of waiting for her, he found a more willing woman. Perhaps once he found her, he saw no reason to return home.
Thomas and Anthony discussed how to proceed.
She lost the thread of the conversation. There was nothing for her to do but wait and worry. The room wavered and she closed her eyes willing the dizziness away. “I’m going to rest.”
“Are you ill?” Anthony took her arm.
She patted his hand. “No, just tired. I didn’t sleep well last night. You will contact me if you have any information?”
Thomas bowed, his face a mask of concern and perhaps disappointment. “Of course.”
She was used to disappointing those around her. After excusing herself, she went up to her room.
Marie helped her to remove her dress and she sent the maid away.
She padded across her room and for the first time went through the adjoining door to Daniel’s room. She stood in the open doorway and stared at the large bed.
Heavy blue drapes were drawn back across the dark wood canopy revealing the high, down bed. She ran her hand over the bedding, pulled back the covers and climbed in. Warm familiarity surrounded her in Daniel’s bed. She snuggled in deeper. Even with the sunshine streaming into the room, exhaustion overcame her.
* * * *
Thomas sat behind the desk and penned notes to Michael, Markus and a third to police detective Hardwig. James Hardwig had been a comrade a few years ago when they were both on the continent working for the king. He’d kept in touch and Thomas had no doubt he would be of assistance.
Thomas called a footman to dispatch the messages then turned to the young man sitting across from him. “Your sister does not believe anything is amiss. I think she is quite certain Marlton has taken a mistress.”
Anthony shrugged. “It’s not an unlikely scenario. Many men do take on a paramour.”
“Not Marlton, not after his marriage.” Thomas was certain he was right.
Anthony cocked his head to one side. “I hope you are wrong. I fear if you’re correct then your friend is in serious danger.”
“That is my fear as well.” He paused to think. He was still calculating several different scenarios.
“I may need your sister’s help at some point. I hope her low opinion will not sway her ability to assist.”
Anthony screwed up his mouth. Thomas had learned in the last few hours, this meant he was thinking something through. “I think she is in love with her husband. She will help if she believes it will bring him home.”
“I ho
pe it will not be necessary to employ her in our endeavor.”
Chapter 19
It was Thomas’s first visit to James Hardwig’s office. It retained the thick odor that comes from years of cigar smoke. The wallpaper peeling and the rug worn, the man himself was in similar condition. His brown, thinning hair looked as if it hadn’t been washed in weeks.
James desperately needed a shave, but his brown eyes lit up at the sight of his old friend in the doorway. He came around his desk, hand outstretched and pumped Thomas’s hand vigorously. “Got your note, Wheel. No idea what to make of it. But it is good to see you, old man. How are you? Not married yet, I know. I always check the banns to see who’s gone to the gallows.”
“Good to see you, Hardwig. I have a problem and I need your help.”
James had put on weight since Thomas had last seen him and his belly hung unceremoniously over his trousers. He went back around to his chair offering Thomas the small wooden chair in front of the desk. “What’s the trouble, then?”
“I’ll need this to be kept quiet.”
James grinned and rubbed his belly. “Just like old times then, Wheel. Everything on the hush-hush.”
“Just like old times, James.” Except, this time the outcome was personal.
Once he’d explained the entire story of Daniel’s disappearance, he waited while James thought it all through. He’d worked with James enough to know, while he was a clever man, he took his time to process information. When they were in France, the waiting had driven Thomas crazy. However, James’s careful thought process had saved them more than once and he had learned patience. The office was sparse with no furniture besides the desk and chairs.
The detective cleared his throat. “Could have got himself a new mistress.”
“No. He is in love with his wife,” Thomas said firmly.
Hardwig nodded. “Could be on a drunk and does not want to be found.”
“That would be quite out of character for his lordship. He is a man of moderation. He is also quite reliable. I knew something was amiss as soon as he missed our appointment.”
James scratched the shadow of a brown beard on his cheek. “This Pundington fellow, you say he attacked the wife and you foiled his plans. Could be he is involved, if he has a grudge against the family.”
“Daniel was investigating him. He was sure Pundington’s business was illegal, immoral or both. He told me he was going to meet with someone who had more information.”
“Did he say who?”
Thomas shook his head. “No. I wish I had asked.”
“No use kicking yourself. Were you also gathering information for Marlton?” James tapped the worn top of his desk. “It is your specialty, old man. What did you expect me to think?”
“It was my specialty. Now, I manage my lands, my businesses and generally do no information gathering. However, when my friend asked for a favor, I did make a few inquiries.” He hated to admit that James was right.
“And what did you learn?”
“Pundington is up to something. His shipping business is legal on paper, but I did not discover what it is he’s been shipping. All the loading and unloading logs I found said he is moving coal and spices, but I found no buyers for his deliveries.”
“You think the manifests are falsified.”
“I’m sure he is not moving coal or spices. I have been on one of his ships. Though it was empty, both coal and spices leave their mark on a vessel.”
James leaned forward with interest. “What is your instinct?”
“At first, I suspected he was smuggling absinthe, but the odor of the ship was pungent, though not of spices,” Thomas said.
“What was it?” The detective was more enthusiastic by the second.
Thomas suspected his old comrade had pushed more paper than criminals since leaving France. “Human, I think.”
James pounded his fists on the desk and shot to his feet. “You think he is trafficking in slaves?”
“I cannot prove it, James. I only suspect it.”
“What kind of a man is this Pundington?” His face turned bright red.
“The kind who attacks a young newly-married woman in her own home after her father, his oldest friend, has died,” Thomas said bitterly.
James paced fisting his hands. “But, slave trading. Why would he come to England? He cannot sell his cargo here?”
“No, not on this soil, but I would hazard to guess he makes a few deals here in London. I would not put it past him to pick up a few extra bits of cargo as well.”
“You think he’s taking his majesty’s subjects and selling them as slaves?” Hardwig’s face paled, eyes widened and he gripped the edge of his desk. He collapsed back into his chair. “This is big, Wheel.”
“If I’m right.”
“You are rarely wrong.” James took a deep breath and straightened in his chair. He put his elbows on the desk and leaned forward before speaking in a conspiratorial voice. “What do you need?”
“I need to find The Earl of Marlton. I have exhausted most of my own resources. If you can help me locate him without society finding out he is missing, then Marlton and I will help you catch Pundington and no one need know you had any help at all.” Thomas sat back and watched James process the information. He had no qualms about helping Hardwig’s career. He was an honest man who was always on the side of right even in the face of temptation. He’d saved Thomas’s life on two occasions and his soul on another.
“Give me a few hours, Wheel. I’ll see what I can find. I’ll have to do most of it myself if it’s to be kept on the hush. I have a few men who can be trusted in delicate matters. It will not be too hard to keep Marlton’s name out of it as long as we find him quickly.”
“I do not have to tell you that any delay might lead to disaster.”
James nodded.
They shook hands and agreed to meet at Thomas’s house that evening.
* * * *
Having no idea how long he’d been unconscious, Daniel waited with his face on a hard floor while waves of nausea roiled his stomach. He held his pounding head and sat up allowing the queasiness to fade by degree. Inventorying his limbs, he confirmed them all present and none broken or injured beyond repair. It was also evident, by the large lump on the back of his skull, he’d been knocked unconscious. He must have been hauled around as if he were a sack of flour since every inch of his body was battered and bruised.
When he was able to lift his head from between his knees without everything spinning, he took his first look at his surroundings. The small room was empty save for a rusted chamber pot. There was one window, but it was near the high ceiling and no light shone in, so he surmised it must be night. There was only one door. The room must have been a storage locker of some kind. The window let in the drone of people and carts, but it was far away and he doubted calling out would help him. He smelled the dank filth of the river and knew he must be near the port.
Struggling to his feet, Daniel walked the perimeter of his prison and shoved hard against the door without success. The memories before he lost consciousness remained hazy. A smoke-filled bar and two men was all he conjured. He sat back down on the cold floor and waited for the jumble of thoughts to sort out. Eventually, his meeting with a Frenchman in a red waistcoat came back to him. The meeting was about Pundington’s import business.
Daniel had posed as a potential client for white slaves to be delivered to the West Indies. Everything was going well. The Frenchman’s name was Jean LeBute. He had two associates who stood nearly a foot taller than Daniel, but the Frenchman was a slight man with large eyes and a hooked nose. They were just about to arrange a meeting with his associate when the hair on the back of Daniel’s neck stood on end followed by a sharp excruciating pain and then nothing until waking up on the hard floor.
A wave of dizziness forced him back to the floor. When he heard the door creak open, he kept his head down glancing up only enough to
see the fine shoes of the man who entered the cell.
“I’m pleased to see that you are not dead, Marlton,” Alistair said.
Daniel looked up. “Why?”
His captor laughed. “You have an amazing ability to keep cool even when your own life hangs in the balance. I like that in a man I’m going into business with.”
“What happened to your face?” Daniel asked.
Pundington’s eyes had black circles under them and his nose had swelled and twisted to the left. “A small accident.”
“Why would I enter into any agreement with a man who had me abducted?” His voice was still unaffected.
A young, shabbily dressed girl walked around Pundington. Daniel thought he noticed her cringe a little when she passed him. Fear or disgust, he couldn’t tell. She carried a tray, which she placed on the floor a few feet away from Daniel.
Daniel noted the food on the tray. “Thank you.”
The girl looked up with wide, gray eyes but rushed from the cell.
“There are a number of reasons why you will go into business with me, Lord Marlton. Would you like to hear about them? You may even enjoy the benefits of such an association. I saw the way you admired Susan. I can arrange to have her placed here for your amusement if you cooperate.”
Daniel pushed himself up to a standing position and one of the large guards from the previous evening entered. “I’m not accustomed to doing business in this way, Pundington. If you wanted to enter into a contract with me why didn’t you just make an appointment to see me?”
Alistair laughed again and smoothed his mustache. The sudden guffaw caused him to touch his nose and cringe. “Don’t toy with me, Marlton. You have been investigating my business dealings. I have not been fooled for one moment. I knew each and every time you made a pathetic attempt to ferret out information. What was your plan, to ruin me? All that trouble because your wife is a whore.”
It was not easy, but Daniel didn’t wish to be killed on the spot and the giant still stood next to Pundington. He kept his anger in check and only allowed his eyes to narrow in response to the obvious attempt to bate him into losing his temper. “I’ll ask you again, why would I help you? I abhor everything you do and stand for. Do not suggest I’m interested in that child you have enslaved. I do not believe you knew about all of my research, or I would never have been able to gather quite so much.”
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