‘It’s him,’ Franklin confirmed, pausing to look at Travis, just visible beneath the glow of a gaslight dimmed by the fog. ‘Travis,’ he said, stepping forward. ‘Glad you came.’
‘I said I would.’
‘This is my employer,’ Franklin said, indicating Jake with a wave of one hand but not introducing him by name. ‘The gentleman I told you about.’
‘Do you know what happened to Mabel, or her pa?’ Travis asked without preamble, addressing the question to Jake. ‘Franklin said you had business with him.’
‘He did not appear to transact it.’ Jake ensured that his hat concealed as much of his face as possible. It would be hard for Travis to make out his features in the dark, with the fog enveloping them and only one street light in the area, but it paid to be cautious. ‘That is why I asked Franklin to make enquiries.’
‘Why would a gent of your standing put himself out for Lloyd?’ Travis asked, suspicion in his tone.
‘I am not at liberty to disclose the precise nature of our business, but I do have instructions to make that business known to the authorities should anything happen to Lloyd or his family. Since both father and daughter have disappeared it might be necessary to take that course of action.’
Travis shrugged. It was impossible for Jake to know if he was concerned for Mabel or trying to gain information for Armitage. ‘I gather you know you way around the glassworks,’ Jake said.
‘I should. I’ve worked there since I was twelve.’
‘Anything strike you as odd about the business of late?’
‘What’s that to you?’ Travis asked belligerently. ‘I thought you wanted information about Lloyd.’
‘You said you would be willing to help my employer,’ Franklin said, a threatening edge to his voice. ‘He has better things to do with his time than to waste it on you if you’ve had a change of heart.’
A woman whose scanty clothing made her occupation obvious wandered up to them, her breath reeking of gin. ‘You look like you need some company, my lovely,’ she said, sizing Jake up with a practised eye.
‘Go on with you!’ Franklin said, shooing her away. ‘Your services aren’t needed here.’
‘Ah, that’s the way the wind blows, is it?’ She gave Jake and Franklin an exaggerated look. ‘Excuse me for breathing, I’m sure.’
The woman tottered off on unsteady legs. Jake was annoyed not to have seen her approaching and hoped she hadn’t overheard any part of their conversation. Unlikely since they were talking in subdued voices, but it had been a careless mistake. Jake’s preoccupation with Olivia’s strange behaviour could have cost him dear. He glanced both ways, saw nothing else moving in the darkness and adjured himself to keep his mind on his reasons for this nocturnal meeting.
‘My clerk told me that you have no loyalty to Armitage,’ Jake said, ‘but I can see that is not the case. Come along, Franklin, our business here is complete.’
Jake and Franklin hadn’t progressed two paces before Travis called them back. ‘Not so fast. I don’t hold no loyalty to that arrogant, philandering sod.’
Jake assumed he was referring to the son, not that father, but did not seek clarification.
‘And yet you hesitate to help us, so what else am I supposed to think?’
Travis exhaled, his breath mingling with the fog. ‘What do you need to know?’
‘Anything about strange comings and goings at the glassworks after hours,’ Jake replied briskly.
‘Is that what Sam Lloyd came to see you about? Does it have to do with Mabel’s disappearance?’ Hoped flared in his eyes. ‘Is she safe?’
‘I have already told you,’ Jake replied patiently. ‘I cannot discuss that with you. Answer my question, if you please, and perhaps you will find out before too much longer.’
‘Yeah, odd things have been happenin’. The master has cancelled the late shift, even though the order books are full and we’re falling behind with production. I heard Sam asking why he’d done that but the master didn’t give a satisfactory reply. Then, one night when I was here late to finish something but everyone else had gone, I came across Sam watching one of the storerooms in the bowels of the factory.’
‘Why?’ Jake asked.
‘I was getting to that. When I asked him what he was doing he seemed surprised I was still there. He made me be quiet and I watched with him as a load of gents arrived in ones and twos—’
‘How did they arrive?’ Jake asked.
‘Some came in carriages that didn’t wait. I know that because when I left there were no carriages hanging around. And a couple came by the river. They must have because they approached the factory from that direction. Brody showed them the way.’
‘How many men were there?’
‘I counted seven…no, eight.’
‘Was Armitage in the meeting?’
Travis scowled. ‘Course he was. It were him who ushered them into that room; being all subservient, he was. Looked right out of place, them gents did, all dressed up fine as you like, same as you are, sir,’ he said, indicating Jake’s evening attire. ‘Like they were on their way somewhere else. Well they would be, wouldn’t they, ’cause they had no business at the glassworks; that much I do know. Buyers don’t hold meetings in the dead of night. No, sir, those gents definitely didn’t want to be seen.’
‘Did you recognise any of them?’ Jake asked, an edge to his voice.
‘No, but I reckon Sam did. He was right pleased about it, an’ all. Said things made more sense then.’
‘What did he mean by that?’ Franklin asked before Jake could.
‘Dunno. Sam was always too clever for his own good. Me, I just mind me own business. Well, I did before this trouble with Mabel messed up my plans. Now I don’t rightly care much about anything.’
‘Is that all you know?’ Jake asked.
‘It’s enough, ain’t it? I reckon it’s what you wanted to know.’
‘Only if you’re telling the truth,’ Jake replied in a tone of mild rebuke. ‘You will be no help to me if you tell me what you think I wish to hear.’
‘I’m no liar!’
‘No one is suggesting that you are.’ Jake thought for a moment. ‘Now, are you absolutely sure you don’t know who any of the gentlemen were?’
‘No, never seen any of them before although, there was one gent who removed his hat before he went into the room. He turned towards us, almost as though he knew we were hiding there, just for a moment, like. But Sam was right excited. ‘Got ya!’ That’s what he said. And he muttered a name.’ Jake contained impatience as Travis attempted to recall what he had said. ‘Carter? No, Cartwell. Something like that.’
‘Cartwright?’
‘That was it.’ He shrugged. ‘Does it help?’
‘More than you could possibly imagine,’ Jake replied, slapping Travis’s shoulder. ‘Oh, just one more question. If we wanted to see the insides of the glassworks one night when there is no one around, would you be able to get us in?’
Travis rubbed his whiskered chin. ‘Tricky,’ he replied. ‘The boss has cut down the shifts but he’s posted watchmen in the grounds, which makes you wonder. He says there have been thefts but nothing’s missing that I’m aware of. But I reckon it could be done if you’re willing to take a chance. But why would a gentleman such as yourself want to do that and what does it have to do with Lloyd?’
‘We will be in touch.’ Jake removed a guinea from his pocket and handed it to Travis, for whom it represented a small fortune—a fact that showed in his astonished expression. ‘That’s for your trouble,’ Jake said. ‘But I want to make one thing crystal clear. You must not mention meeting us to anyone. It is of the utmost importance that you keep it to yourself; I cannot overemphasise that point. If you say one word I shall know it and I shall come after you.’ Jake fixed the man with a hard look that caused him to flinch. ‘And believe me, you do not want to get on my wrong side.’
With a nod, he and Franklin walked away, leaving Travis staring after th
em. Parker fell in behind them.
‘Sorry about the woman,’ he said. ‘I didn’t see her until it was too late to warn you. She came out of nowhere.’
‘It’s of no consequence.’
‘Did you find out anything useful, my lord?’ Parker asked, his eyes darting in all directions as they made their way back to the carriage.
‘Oh yes, Parker. Yes indeed.’
***
Olivia made her way to the small salon in which they had taken breakfast that day. Tabitha was curled up in a comfortable spot but got up and stalked over as soon as Olivia threw herself into a chair. The cat sprang onto her lap, and began to purr as Olivia absently stroked her back.
‘It’s all right for you,’ she told the cat. ‘All you care about is having enough to eat, a sunny place to sleep and the occasional mouse to chase. You never make an almighty fool of yourself with a handsome tom.’
Tabitha purred her agreement.
‘Well, I’m pleased that at least your moral conduct is without fault. I, on the other hand, have surpassed myself this evening. I picked a fight with Jake for no particular reason, behaved like a spoiled child in front of my guests and, to cap it all, I allowed him to kiss me.’ She pursed her lips, still imagining the fleeting touch of Jake’s upon them. ‘There, what do you say to that?’
Tabitha offered no opinion. Not that there was anything the cat could have said to excuse Olivia’s behaviour, even if she had possessed the power of speech. Her recklessness had undoubtedly cost her Jake’s good opinion. He would never ask for her advice again, simply because she had temporarily lost control of herself and behaved no better than half the ladies who pursued him at every turn.
‘Damn it!’
She stroked Tabitha so savagely that the cat meowed in protest and leapt from Olivia’s lap. Well, the die was cast and there was no turning back. She had revealed her hand, and her conduct would either frighten Jake off permanently or spur him into doing something about the attraction that flared between them whenever they were in the same room.
Olivia had no idea how long she sat there, feeling sorry for herself and conducting a one-sided conversation with her cat, before the door opened behind her. She didn’t need to look round to know it was Jake, even though she had not heard him return. She turned anyway and her breath quickened as she observed his imposing figure filling the doorway. As he crossed the room towards her, she tried to assess his mood.
‘What are you doing in here alone?’ he asked softly. ‘Are you all right?’
She lifted her shoulders. ‘Fergus and Amelia seem to be getting along well and I felt in the way.’
‘This is your house.’ He swished the tails of his coat aside and sat beside her. The hoops in her skirts prevented him from sitting close enough to touch her, for which she was grateful. In her present disgruntled mood, one touch of those magical, oh so capable fingers, and she would say or do something else she might later regret. Or worse, not regret. ‘It isn’t like you to be so…well, so—’
‘Petulant? Argumentative? Disagreeable? Inhospitable?’ Olivia shrugged. ‘Take no notice of me, Jake. I dare say it’s something I ate.’ She sighed. ‘What did you make of Travis?’
Jake examined her for several tense seconds and she thought at first that he would mention that kiss. But instead he sighed and related the particulars of his meeting.
‘So we have proof that secret meetings happen at the glassworks and that Cartwright is involved. It has to be the extremist wing of the Radicals.’
‘All Radicals are considered to be extreme.’
‘Yes, but I doubt if they were all involved in the plot to kill Smallbrooke.’
‘A good point.’
Olivia frowned. ‘How did Lloyd recognise Cartwright?’
‘I have been asking myself the same question. But consider. Armitage’s son is married to Cartwright’s daughter so it is not outside the bounds of possibility that Cartwright visited the glassworks once or twice before the union went ahead. Probably wanted to satisfy himself that his daughter was marrying a man who had the means to support her. Anyway, whatever the reason for his visit, as a manager there, it’s not unreasonable to assume that Lloyd would have been introduced to him.’
Olivia nodded. ‘Yes.’ She fell into momentary contemplation. ‘If Lloyd knew those meetings went ahead, he must also have realised there was something odd about them. I mean, gentlemen can meet in one another’s homes quite openly, unless they have something to hide. Something they don’t want anyone to overhear; especially servants, who are not always discreet. And if they were plotting to kill a leading politician whom they had identified as a spy in their midst they would need an especially secure meeting place.’ She glanced up at Jake in a state of breathless excitement. ‘I suppose it is too much to hope that Lloyd found a way to listen in and kept written notes about what he overheard.’
‘You think that is what those men were looking for in his cottage?’
She lifted one shoulder. ‘You must admit that it seems likely. We thought they wanted to destroy all copies of the agreement regarding Mabel, but perhaps there was more at stake.’
‘Very likely.’ Jake reached out to her and trapped a wayward curl around his forefinger. She flinched when he tucked it back behind her ear and his knuckles grazed her bare shoulder. ‘But one thing bothers me.’
She shot him a droll look, trying to ignore her over-reaction to the accidental touch. ‘Only one?’
‘Lloyd sounds like a sharp fellow to me. He worked his way up from apprentice to manager and it takes a man who has wits and ambition to make that sort of progress. We are assuming he understood what he saw and heard in the bowels of Armitage’s factory, although we don’t know what use he planned to make of that knowledge.’ He allowed the curl to unravel and then wound it up again. Ye gods, was he deliberately provoking her? ‘Perhaps nothing, because he knew it would be dangerous to interfere in the affairs of such powerful men. And because he valued his position, to say nothing of his life, and had his daughter’s welfare to consider. So he decided to keep quiet, even if he did not approve of their criminal activities.’
‘Until Henry Armitage ruined his daughter’s good name, impregnated her and then abandoned her,’ Olivia mused. ‘At which point, Lloyd was so angry that he thirsted for revenge as well as some sort of security for his daughter. He knew Armitage would not sign that agreement without coercion and so, unwisely, he told him what he knew of their activities instead of taking that information to the authorities.’
‘But he probably had the good sense to lodge that proof in a safe place,’ Jake said, nodding. ‘That is what I implied to Travis, just in case he is in league with Armitage. Unlikely, I know, given the information he revealed, but it pays to be cautious.’
‘Heaven forbid that you should behave rashly.’
Jake fixed her with a probing look. ‘Are we still discussing Lloyd, Olivia?’
‘Of course.’ She met his eyes and refused to lower her gaze.
He regarded her with thinly veiled amusement. ‘We must find out which solicitor acted for him and see if we can persuade him to talk to us. He might actually have left instructions for damning evidence to be released in the event of his disappearance. I would have done so in his place.’
‘So what do we do now, Jake?’
‘About the investigation, or about you?’
Her heartbeat accelerated. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You are in an unsettled frame of mind. One that I have never seen before.’
‘Oh, it will pass.’ She waved a hand in airy dismissal of his concerns, anxious to make amends for her momentary lapse. ‘Take no notice of me. You have a government to save.’
‘The government can self-destruct for all I care.’
‘Ha, if only that were true!’
He sighed. ‘What does that mean?’
‘Jake, you are a slave to duty and we both know it, so why pretend otherwise?’
She sighed and
stood up. His almost overwhelming masculinity and the dark weight of his probing gaze that was fixed upon her made it impossible for her to remain seated passively beside him. He stood up with her and grasped her bare shoulders, forcing her to face him.
‘You know, I suppose,’ he said in a soft velvety drawl, releasing one shoulder and gently tilting her chin with a long forefinger until she couldn’t avoid meeting his scorching gaze, ‘that if my life was my own, I would not hesitate.’
She tore herself from his grasp and swallowed against the ache in her throat. ‘Jake, don’t! Just don’t!’ Tears swamped her eyes and she turned away from him before he could see them. ‘I cannot bear it,’ she said, almost to herself.
‘Promise me one thing,’ he said softly from behind her, no longer attempting to touch her. Her secret desire for him was no longer a secret and she had lost his respect. She felt her heart shatter and then wither and die within her breast. ‘And no arguments, if you please. Promise me that you will all remove to Grosvenor Square tomorrow.’
‘No, I already—’
‘Let me keep you safe, Olivia.’ The pathos in his tone had her swirling to face him again, tearful eyes be damned. His smile was enticing, yet full of regret. Regret for what precisely? Because their intimate friendship that stopped short of physical intimacy could no longer be? All because Olivia had momentarily lost control of her emotions and made a fool of herself. Imbecile! ‘At least allow me to provide you with that service.’
Their gazes continued to duel and the naked desire he had never permitted to show before was almost her undoing. Longing still flowed between them like a brook swollen by summer rain and to deny him anything at that point would have been beyond her failing capabilities. Hoped flared as she sensed his conscience, his strict code of conduct, waging a full scale war against his personal desires.
Olivia was unaware why Jake felt such an overwhelming need to put service to his country ahead of personal considerations. He was an earl with an estate to run; he had responsibilities. And yet he spent more time in London than he did in Torbay. She suspected it was something to do with his family history but he had never discussed it with her, always changing the subject if she attempted to raise it.
Heirs and Graces (Victorian Vigilantes Book 2) Page 14