The glittering look in Rutter’s eyes revealed his panic. “Mind yer own business.” He eased to the back of the room then thrust open the door and rushed through it. The slam of it reverberated through the room.
Nathaniel hurried forward and tried the door but it was locked. “Damn.”
Tristan waved aside his brother then kicked just below the knob. After two strikes, the wooden jamb splintered. The door led to an empty back room and yet another door.
“Want me to kick this one?” Nathaniel offered.
“No.” Though he knew his brother would be annoyed, he couldn’t help but be protective of his bad leg. Tristan checked the knob, which turned easily in his hand. He swung open the door, revealing a dirty alleyway, glaringly empty.
“Damn.” Nathaniel glanced up and down the alley. “No sign of Rutter, and few places to hide.”
Tristan walked into the muddy, filthy area and squatted down, retrieving a trampled piece of paper.
“Is it one of Rutter’s?” Nathaniel asked.
“I believe it is.” Tristan studied the sealed envelope with an address that matched one from the advertisements he’d compiled. “It appears as though we at least have a clue to follow.”
Nathaniel smiled. “I will send a message to Langston. He’ll be pleased to hear that.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“They [roving vagabonds] are like cholera or plague, and have their seasons of sloth, and again of general prevalence and virulence.”
~The Seven Curses of London
Grace accepted the steaming cup of tea that Julia poured her, complete with a dollop of cream, and glanced around the elegant drawing room with interest. “Thank you for inviting me. You have a lovely home.”
Julia had invited her to tea, along with Viscount Frost, Lettie, Captain Hawke, and Tristan. The men had yet to arrive, which had Lettie glancing at the clock every few minutes.
Julia’s father, the Earl of Burnham, had joined them as well. He frowned at his daughter. “I thought you said Frost was coming.”
“He is. Apparently, the men are running late.” She glanced at the clock herself as though anxious for their arrival.
“Nathaniel is never late,” Lettie offered as she sipped her tea. “I think it is because of his time in the Navy.”
“Something must have come up that delayed them,” Julia added. “At any rate, I thought this would be a way for us all to converse without public scrutiny.”
“And allow us to avoid running into those we don’t truly want to see,” Lettie added with a smile.
“Exactly.” Julia nodded. “I am sure the others will be joining us soon.” She handed her father a plate heaped with biscuits and sandwiches.
“Are you trying to fatten me up?” he asked with a smile, his blue eyes an older version of Julia’s.
“You don’t eat nearly enough.”
Lettie reached out and squeezed Grace’s arm for a moment. “I hope you don’t mind, but Julia told me of the unfortunate encounter with your husband’s cousin the other night.”
“I truly detest that man.” Grace shook her head at the helplessness that always flooded her at the thought of Charles, let alone when she was in his company.
“I can understand why,” Julia added.
“He sounds truly horrible.” Lettie set her tea on the low table before them.
“The worst was how he tried to sound logical, as if he was making excuses for Grace’s behavior rather than being embarrassed that she had dismissed him. He’s a weasel.” Julia scowled.
Lettie leaned forward. “The problem with someone like him is that if you are in his company for long, you start to believe it truly is your fault, that you’re in the wrong.”
Grace set down her teacup as tears filled her eyes. She blinked rapidly. The support and understanding from Julia and Lettie caused a well of emotion to rise within her.
“Do you have something in your eye?” the old earl asked as he studied her.
Julia gasped as she caught sight of Grace’s tears. “I am so sorry. What did we say?”
Grace waved her hand in the air. “No, no. It is nothing like that. I am simply overcome by your kindness. The idea that you’ve taken my side in this when—”
“What other side is there?” Lettie asked, raising her chin. “There is only right or wrong in this matter. No sides. Of course we support you. I am only sorry you’ve had to deal with him on your own for so long.”
“No doubt it has worn on you,” Julia suggested.
Grace debated telling them the full truth of Charles’s behavior. Would they believe her when they’d only known her for such a short time?
“What is it?” Lettie asked.
“You can tell us.” Julia put another biscuit on Grace’s plate as if it would help bolster her courage.
“Charles has done all he can to put my son in harm’s way.” She braved a look at each of her new friends to judge their reaction. When she said it aloud, it seemed too farfetched to believe.
“How so?” Julia nibbled on a sandwich as she studied Grace, her expression unreadable.
Grace recounted Charles’s suspicious behavior, ending with the story of Matthew lost in Hyde Park.
“That is outrageous.” Lettie shifted in her seat as though too upset to remain still.
“It sounds as if you should get the local magistrate involved,” the earl suggested as he stared at his empty plate.
Grace shook her head. “I have no true evidence to support my claim. It seemed easier just to leave so I could keep Matthew safe.”
“But now he has followed you to London.” Julia pursed her lips. “Something has to be done about him.”
“I watch over my shoulder constantly if I leave the house,” Grace confessed. “Matthew can no longer go into the garden by himself, and all the servants have been instructed to watch every entrance. I can’t bear the thought of Charles bothering us again.”
“That is not fair. Why should you have to curtail your activities because of him?” Julia’s outrage on her behalf made her smile.
“Hiding is not the answer,” Lettie said firmly. “We will have to come up with a plan of some sort.”
“Have you mentioned your latest encounter with Charles to Adair?” Julia asked.
“I don’t want to burden him with anything more. He has helped Matthew and me so much already.” Not to mention that he needed to keep his distance from her in public. She didn’t want to put him in a difficult situation.
“I think you should tell him. I’ll advise Nathaniel as well.” Lettie held Grace’s gaze. “The men will want to help.”
A sliver of unease chased down Grace’s spine as the memory of Lady Samantha staring at Charles filled her mind. Perhaps the time had come to go on the offensive with Charles. She’d grown weary of having the threat of him hanging over her constantly. But how?
Lettie bit her lower lip as she rearranged the sandwiches and biscuits on her plate. “I have no doubt we could chase him away somehow, but it would be easier with the help of the men.”
Julia leaned toward Grace. “Lettie is excellent at forming a plan of action. If anyone can strategize for us, it’s her.”
“I will take that as a compliment,” Lettie said, “though my mother would be appalled at your observation.”
“What observation is that?” Captain Hawke entered the room followed closely by Frost and Tristan.
“Where on earth have you three been?” Julia asked as she rose to greet her fiancé.
Lettie leaned forward for her captain to kiss her cheek. Grace couldn’t help but smile at the sweet gesture.
Her own stomach filled with a flurry of butterflies as Tristan bowed then took a seat beside her on the couch. The heat in his eyes as he studied her expression brought an answering heat to her cheeks. The room suddenly felt overly warm.
The new arrivals greeted the old earl, who took another plate of food from Julia, settling back in his seat to eat.
“Ter
ribly sorry we’re late.” Tristan’s gaze held hers.
“Why are you late?” Lettie asked Hawke as he sat beside her.
“My brother decided we needed to stroll through the East End this morning.” Hawke filled a plate with food as though starving.
“I still think it was rude of you to venture there without me.” Frost took the tea Julia poured for him.
“This has something to do with The Seven Curses of London, doesn’t it?” Grace asked as she handed Tristan a plate.
He glanced up, his grey eyes wide with surprise. “You know of that book?”
“I have been reading it ever since Julia and Lettie insisted I obtain a copy. It is both fascinating and appalling.”
“Isn’t it though?” The light in Lettie’s eyes as she warmed to the topic had Hawke placing a hand on her arm.
“No need to lecture us on the problems, my dear,” Hawke said with a smile. “We are well aware of them.”
Her shoulders sagged as she closed her mouth, her enthusiasm briefly snuffed.
Hawke patted her arm. “We all feel the same as you on the topic, don’t we?” He gave a meaningful glare to his friends and they immediately chimed in.
“Absolutely.”
“Terrible. Simply terrible.”
“Only wish we could do more about it.”
Hawke appeared pleased with their comments when Lettie nodded.
“Which brings us back to our outing,” Tristan said. He retrieved a soiled letter from his inside breast pocket. “We have another clue on the trail of professional beggars.”
“How can beggars be professional?” Grace asked as she frowned at the tattered envelope.
“You haven’t read that far yet,” Lettie said. “The author says it’s not an uncommon occurrence for beggars, or one might more aptly describe them as thieves, to make a living by placing advertisements in the news sheets. They describe some unfortunate circumstance that has temporarily set them back and request funds be mailed to them if anyone has the means to do so.”
Grace was appalled. “Advertising to receive charity? That is ridiculous.” She gasped, as a recent memory rushed to mind. “My cousin, Molly, was accepting letters for a man who claimed to travel too much to receive his own mail. He paid her for her trouble, but one of the letters came open and she discovered money in it. The message included with it made no sense until now. Could that be part of this?”
“If she still has any of the letters, I would like to see them,” Tristan said. “We could compare them to the one we found.”
Hawke nodded. “Tristan came upon an old friend of our father’s who was taken in by such a scheme and so decided action was needed.”
“It is the least I can do after all you and Frost have accomplished. Putting Smithby in jail was no easy feat and certainly more dangerous than what I am attempting.”
Hawke raised a finger in the air. “I would’ve agreed with you until today.” He turned to Frost. “You will never guess who was at the address noted in several of the advertisements, opening envelopes filled with money.”
“Not Smithby.” Frost sat forward in alarm as though prepared to take action.
“Culbert Rutter.”
Lettie’s gasp had all eyes swinging to her. “Did you catch him?”
“He slipped out the back,” Tristan answered. “But we gave his whereabouts to the police with the hope they will be on the watch for him.”
The conversation swirled around Grace with her only understanding bits and pieces of it. She couldn’t help but look at each man with admiration. Not just gentlemen of leisure but men of action. If only more men did things like that, the world would be a better place. Those like Charles were a waste. Why couldn’t he worry over issues such as this rather than harassing her and Matthew?
“What is it?” Tristan asked quietly.
She glanced up to see him watching her closely. “Nothing.”
“I can see something is bothering you. Tell me.”
Grace’s heart pounded. Should she? She had no doubt Tristan would do something, but would that worsen Samantha’s animosity toward him?
Tristan could see the war waging in Grace’s eyes as she debated telling him what was on her mind. He’d known the moment he walked in that something was amiss.
“Matthew is well?”
She offered a small smile. “Yes, thank you for caring enough to ask.” She glanced around at the others in the room, whether hoping for rescue from his question or privacy so they could speak freely, he wasn’t sure.
He reached out to take her hand. Her eyes went wide at his gesture, but he wasn’t concerned. His affection for this woman wouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone here. “What is it?”
She sighed heavily. “Charles and his wife made an appearance at the party last night.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
The anger, which had been nearly absent from his life of late, flooded him. He clenched his jaw in an effort to keep his emotions in check. “What did he say?”
“His usual unpleasantness.”
“The man must be stopped.” He wanted to throttle him for all he’d done to Grace and Matthew.
“Without knowing where he’s staying, we can only wait until he approaches me again.” She glanced at the others, but they were involved in their own conversations.
Tristan scowled. That wasn’t a satisfactory option. “I don’t want you going anywhere alone. I will accompany you to any event you attend.”
“That is far too risky,” Grace argued. “I don’t want you to anger Lady Samantha by watching over me.”
“What she, or anyone else, thinks doesn’t matter. I don’t trust Stannus.”
“Nor do I, but the lady could cause problems as well.”
“She is right, Tristan,” Nathaniel warned as he took a seat nearby. “Being dragged into court for breach of promise is nothing to take lightly. If you anger her overmuch, I am sure she could convince her uncle to do just that.”
“In order to do that, she would have to reveal that I ended it instead of her.” Tristan shook his head. “I don’t think she would risk the embarrassment.”
“Let’s not take the chance.” Grace laid her hand over his. “I promise to not venture anywhere alone if you keep your distance in public.” She held his gaze. “Besides, I am ready to stand on my own and make Charles see that he cannot manipulate me so easily.”
“I’m not certain that is wise.” He didn’t want Grace in the same room with the man let alone confronting him.
“Allow me to try. Please.”
Tristan scowled as he set aside his plate, his appetite gone. He needed to dig deeper into Stannus’s whereabouts and his past. They required leverage to keep him away.
But what truly worried him was Grace’s growing independence. He intended to keep her safe, yet he wanted to give her room to spread her newfound wings. How could he manage to do both?
Chapter Twenty-Two
“At this rate, ere two more years are elapsed, you may strip the rags from your last beggar’s back, and hang them on the city gate as a scarecrow and a caution against a revival of the detestable trade.”
~The Seven Curses of London
Grace braced herself as she entered the ballroom the next evening with Julia and Lettie. After much discussion, the three women decided to arrive prior to the men, with the hope that Charles might approach Grace so she could speak her mind. Matthew was tucked away safely with his nanny and the servants, all of whom were protective and watchful after he’d gone missing.
Tristan’s quarrel with Grace’s plan had only been calmed by Julia and Lettie’s promise not to leave Grace’s side. Julia thought it a terrible idea but, after making her concerns clear, agreed to come along anyway. Lettie seemed to understand Grace’s desire to attempt to resolve the situation with Charles and stood firmly beside Grace.
Nerves simmered in the pit of Grace’s stomach, threatening to erupt. But she held strong, reminding herself this was for Mat
thew. In many ways, her intent this evening was far easier than that terrible trip she’d made to London only a few weeks ago. She was warm, dry, and didn’t have hunger pangs scratching at her stomach.
Yet in other ways, it was far more difficult.
Confrontation was something she avoided at all costs. The idea of seeking it out in public made her positively ill.
“You remember what you are going to say?” Lettie asked. She’d insisted Grace rehearse it with Julia playing the role of Charles as they drove to the ball in Julia’s carriage.
“Yes.”
Lettie frowned at Grace’s tepid response.
Taking the hint, Grace drew a steadying breath and repeated her answer with greater confidence. “Yes.”
“That is better.”
“Remember you are a viscountess and no one with whom to be trifled.” Julia nodded as though to confirm her own words.
“Right.” Grace lifted her chin, as she realized both remembering that fact—and feeling it—were becoming easier. Whether the sensation was due to Tristan or her new friends or something deep inside herself, she didn’t know. But she liked it.
Despite her newfound confidence, Grace wanted this over as quickly as possible. Her friends promised to remain with her for however long it took. She could only hope Charles was in attendance. All her worry and fear might be for nothing.
“We will make a slow turn around the perimeter of the room and see if we can locate him.” Lettie’s determined gaze swept the crowd.
“‘Perimeter’? You sound like a soldier.” Julia’s words made Lettie smile. Obviously, Lettie took that as a compliment. “What are you looking for?” Julia added as she watched Lettie search. “You don’t even know what he looks like.”
“I am searching for any nefarious looking men who are watching Grace.”
Julia frowned. “What does a nefarious man look like?”
“Trust me. I’ve seen a few in recent months. I will know him if I see him.”
Grace appreciated their banter as it distracted her from the unpleasantness ahead. She glanced about but didn’t want to appear too obvious in her search. Somehow she was certain that he would take great pleasure in knowing he upset her.
Rescuing the Earl (The Seven Curses of London Book 3) Page 22