by Jenna Brandt
She reached the top of the steps and knocked on the door. The butler answered the door and ushered her inside. He guided her down a long hallway and into a large room filled with a massive table and dozens of chairs.
The gray-haired earl and Duncan were already sitting at the table, but stood as she entered the room. She masked her surprise, as she had been prompt, arriving at the exact time Duncan had told her to.
“Did I get the time wrong?” she inquired with confusion.
Duncan pressed his lips together. “No, but father decided he wanted to start earlier. I didn’t have time to send you a note to tell you.”
“You shouldn’t worry about what she wants, Duncan. She’s a woman, and her job is to make you happy. You don’t cater to her whims; it’s the other way around.”
Josephine bit back her retort, deciding to take the seat next to Duncan instead. “Thank you for having me to dinner at your lovely home, Lord Selborne.”
“I didn’t have much choice. I need to figure out if I can talk you out of this ridiculous engagement my son informed me about. I had no idea he went behind my back and arranged the whole thing.”
“You don’t want us to marry?” Josephine asked in shock.
“No, he needs a stronger woman than you, and frankly, my son can do better than the second daughter of a duke. He could marry a woman with a title of her own, or at least a massive dowry. You don’t have either.”
Josephine wanted to argue that her dowry was one of the largest in all of England, but if the earl didn’t want her to marry his son, who was she to argue? She didn’t want to marry him either; however, she could use this to her advantage. “Pardon me,” she sniffed, pulling her handkerchief from her clutch. “I had no idea you felt this way. I need to excuse myself and visit the privy.”
She rushed from the room, pretending to be mortified. She could hear Duncan scolding his father for treating her so poorly, and the earl arguing in return. That was good, they would both be distracted long enough for her to make it to the study and look for evidence to tie the earl to the blackmail.
Making sure no servants were nearby, she glanced around before slipping into the room. His office was set up like most other nobleman’s. She made her way over to the desk first, quickly moving and checking every item on and in it. Once she was sure there was nothing useful, she made her way over to the bookcases. She looked for any that appeared to have been moved recently. On the fourth shelf of the third section she checked, she found a book that seemed out of place. She pulled it free and flipped through it. A note fluttered out. She picked it up and glanced at the words. She couldn’t make sense of it, which made her believe it was a cipher of some sort. She shoved the paper into her clutch, placing the book back in the exact spot she found it.
A few minutes later, she arrived back at the dining room. Though the earl wasn’t exactly pleasant after that, he didn’t directly attack her again. By the end of the meal, Josephine was grateful she could finally leave.
“My father has relented. He’s given his permission to announce our engagement at the end of the month.”
She nodded her head, willing to go along with the ruse a little longer to keep Duncan from suspecting anything. Once Charles deciphered the note and they had the evidence they needed, she could end this farce of a relationship.
Duncan escorted her to her waiting carriage, then helped her inside. “I can’t wait until the whole world knows that you are mine, Josephine.” He reached in to kiss her and she turned her head, so his lips landed on her cheek.
“I’ll see you soon, Duncan.”
He seemed displeased with her reaction to his attempted kiss, but quickly masked it. “I’ll call on you tomorrow. Hopefully you’ll be more amiable to my kisses then.”
With that threat hanging over her head, she decided she couldn’t wait to get the note to Charles tomorrow. She needed to head to his place tonight.
A half hour later, she arrived at the newspaper office and made her way up the stairs to the apartment above. She knocked on the door and a few minutes later, it swung open to reveal Charles on the other side.
“What are you doing here? I told you we couldn’t have contact anymore.”
“I know, but this changes everything,” she said, pulling out the paper and handing it to him. “Can I come in?”
He glanced down at the paper, then stepped back so she could enter.
“Where did you get this?” he asked, closing the door behind her.
“I found it in the Earl of Davenport’s study. I think it has to do with the blackmail.”
“It’s cipher—a good one from what I can tell— but my code breaker is better. I’ll get it to him right away.” He glanced up at Josephine and added, “I thought I told you to stop investigating the case.”
“You did, but I can’t very well do that since it would mean I would have to go through with my marriage to Duncan. I can’t do that knowing his father was responsible for Isadora’s death. I had to find proof so my father would let me out of the engagement.”
“If this is what we both think it is, you’ll be free of the Selbornes in short order.”
“It won’t be soon enough for me,” Josephine said, reaching out and placing her hand on Charles’ arm. “I just want to be free to be with the man I really care about.”
“Even if you don’t end up marrying Lord Selborne, it doesn’t mean we can be together,” Charles protested. “I’m untitled, have limited means, and I’m a spy on top of that. Your father would never approve, which means in order for us to be together, you would have to go against him. I won’t ask you to do that.”
“Why does everyone think they need to decide what’s best for me? I’m capable of making my own decisions, and I’ve decided I want to be with you, Charles,” she said, closing the space between them. She leaned up and placed a kiss upon his lips. “Please don’t argue with me. I’ve had enough of that over at the earl’s house.”
“I won’t, for now, but I do need you to promise me something.”
“What would that be?”
“You need to be careful. If the earl finds out the note is missing, he’s going to try to figure out who took it.”
“I’ll stay clear of the Selbornes until you have the evidence in hand to stop the earl.”
“Good, because what matters most to me is you staying safe.”
Fourteen
Despite all the obstacles, the coded message had finally been solved. “Thank you, Ronald,” Charles said, patting his best decipherer on the back. “You’ve done your country a great service by getting this done so quickly.”
A grin spread across the face of the other man. “That code was a hard one to break. I almost wondered if I finally met my match, but no one gets the best of old Ronnie.”
“And that’s why I depend on you. You never disappoint. I know I don’t have to say it, but the information contained in this document needs to stay between us. It’s highly sensitive.” He handed the elderly man an envelope full of money. “I’ll contact you when I need your help again.”
Ronald nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Gilbert.” He turned and exited the office.
Charles looked down at the note and read the contents again. The list contained scandalous information about the queen’s secretary, a royal cousin, and several other important nobles along with contacts at the gaming houses and brothels that the earl used to obtain the information. It was everything the government needed to have the man arrested and charged with treason. The earl might be smart enough to never admit he had Isadora killed, but once Charles’ superiors gave the order to go forward with the charges, the murdering coward would be spending the rest of his life paying for what he did.
Deciding he needed to tell Josephine the news, Charles made his way to her home, planning to use his cover as an editor to explain why he was there. She needed to be warned to distance herself from the Selbornes before the news of the earl’s arrest became public. The scandal that was going to
erupt around them would be devastating to anyone tied to them.
When he arrived at the house, his blood ran cold. Two uniformed constables were standing outside the house. Had the worst happened? Did the earl realize the note was missing and that Josephine was responsible? Was the woman he loved dead?
He knew it now to be true, with the real possibility of losing her forever, that he loved her more than anything in this world. He’d been stupid to push her away, to pretend it didn’t matter how much he loved her. He should have told her when he had the chance.
Charles rushed through the gate and made his way over to the authorities. “What’s going on? What’s happened?”
One of the constables gave him a dirty look. “We can’t discuss the details of an ongoing investigation.”
“You can and you will,” Charles demanded. “Did something happen to the young woman who lives here? Is she hurt?”
The man gave him a puzzled look. “Why would you think that? Do you know something about what happened to her earlier today? If you do, you best tell us. If she’s recovered before she’s harmed, it will go a lot easier on whoever’s behind the abduction.”
Abduction? Josephine was missing? She wasn’t dead, someone had taken her. That meant there was still a chance to find her before it was too late. Charles realized he was willing to destroy his cover and tell Josephine’s father about their involvement if it meant saving her life. He loved her enough to give up everything, even if it cost him his life as a spy.
“I need to tell the duke what I know, right now.” He pushed past the constables and marched into the house, determined to speak with the duke. Two men were standing with the duke inside the foyer. Charles recognized them as Scotland Yard detectives from his work as an editor.
“What are you doing here, Mr. Gilbert? We don’t allow press agents to be present during active investigations,” the taller of the two men explained with an irritated look.
“I need to speak with the duke privately,” Charles demanded.
“I’m not sure why you think we would allow that,” the second detective said, gesturing a third constable to come over. “Please escort Mr. Gilbert out.”
“I wouldn’t do that. I have information that can help locate Lady Josephine.”
The duke raised his hand, stopping everyone at once. “I want to hear what he has to say.” He glanced over at Charles, adding, “Follow me, Mr. Gilbert.”
They made their way down a hall and entered a room filled with shelves full of books and a large mahogany desk. “Please, take a seat.”
Though he didn’t want to, Charles did as the nobleman told him. “I need to tell you about my involvement with your daughter.”
“What are you talking about? How do you know my daughter?” the duke asked from his seat behind his desk.
“I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I can’t let something happen to her if there’s something I can do to stop it.” Charles took a deep breath as he began to reveal the truth. “I’m a spy for the Queen. I used my position as the editor of the London Tribune as a cover to conduct my espionage. Your daughter was working for me on a case involving a nobleman who is blackmailing several prominent members of the British aristocracy.”
“You recruited my daughter to spy for you?” the duke asked with anger in his voice. “A noblewoman has no business being involved in such things.”
“I didn’t seek her out. She found me after Lady Isadora’s death. She figured out her friend had been working for me and told me she wanted to take over. If I had known it would become so dangerous, I would never have agreed to let her do it.”
“But you did now,” the duke said, slamming his fist down on his desk in a rage. “If Isadora was killed because of your investigation, you knew there was a possibility the same could happen to my daughter. You let her get embroiled in this despite it. If Josephine dies, it will be your fault. If that happens, I’ll make it my life’s ambition to ensure you pay.”
“And I won’t fight you,” Charles conceded. “If something happens to Josephine, I’ll take whatever punishment you wish to dole out. Nothing could be worse than living without her. If the worst should happen, my life will be over anyway.”
The duke tilted his head to the side, as if realizing something for the first time. “Are you romantically involved with my daughter?”
Charles decided there was no point in hiding the truth. The duke may banish him from ever seeing her again once this was all settled, but he needed the duke to understand he would do whatever he had to find Josephine and bring her home. “I love your daughter, Your Grace. I’ll give my life if that’s what it takes to secure her safe return.”
“Do you have any idea who took her?” the duke asked, choosing to avoid addressing Charles’ admission about his feelings.
“Your daughter found a note in the Earl of Davenport’s study that confirmed he was behind the blackmail. I think that’s why she was taken.”
The duke’s eyes widened with shock. “I’ve known the earl since we went to Oxford together. I would never think him capable of such a thing.”
“Sometimes people aren’t what we think they are,” Charles pointed out. “But I can assure you, he’s behind all of this.”
“What are we going to do? I doubt the earl would be stupid enough to keep her somewhere out in the open, and he’ll never admit to taking her.”
“Lucky for us, I was worried about Josephine’s safety and I assigned one of my men to follow her. I didn’t see him outside, but I have a designated drop point. If he knows where she is, the information will be there.”
Fifteen
Josephine blinked several times, trying to focus on her surroundings. She was laying on an unfamiliar bed in a room she’d never been in. Besides the bed, there was a small dresser, and a wooden chair. Sparse. That’s the word she would use to describe the place. Where was she?
Josephine sat up quickly, hoping to inspect the area and figure a way out. Her head started to throb immediately, prompting her to rub the side of her forehead. A large, tender bump had formed. She recalled hitting her head on the edge of the carriage when she had struggled against her abductors. Everything went black after that.
A loud thud and some cackling laughter drifted up through the floorboards. Mixed with the foul stench of stale beer and sweat, she wondered if she was above a bar somewhere.
Pushing the pain out of her mind, she stood up and started to inspect the room. The door was locked, as were the windows. There had to be a way out of the place somehow.
She heard the door open from behind her and a deep voice say, “There’s no use. You aren’t getting out of here until I say so.”
“What do you want with me?” she said, spinning around to find a man in a mask.
“I’m here to deliver a message,” the stranger said, moving forward until he was only a couple of inches away. She could feel his hot breath prickle her skin. “You need to stop meddling in affairs that don’t concern you.”
“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about,” she cried out. “You must have me mistaken with someone else.”
“No, you’re definitely involved. Your innocent act doesn’t work anymore.”
The way he said innocent, it sounded familiar. Why was that?
“I know you took the document, and if you give it back and promise to keep quiet about it, you can go free.”
“Like I said before, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The man reached out and grabbed her roughly. He shook her, questioning her in anger, “Why are you so obstinate? Why can’t you just do what you’re told?” The deep voice disappeared, revealing a voice that was all-too-familiar. Josephine reached up and ripped the mask off the man. Just as she suspected, it was Duncan. His dark eyes were glaring at her in a way that made her want to flinch away.
“Duncan, why are you doing this to me?”
“You made me do this, Josephine. I’ve given you chance after chance to st
op getting involved, but you can’t seem to help yourself.”
“You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to do your father’s bidding.”
“Who says I’m doing my father’s bidding?” He leaned towards her with a sneer. “I’m the one who is behind all of this.”
“What?” she gasped out in shock. “You’re the blackmailer? Why would you do that to all those people?”
“Money, power, the thrill. You know how it is to be the spare child. My brother was going to inherit the earldom and all the money that came with it. If I was going to have anything, I was going to have to get it on my own.”
“There are better ways—honest ways—of getting those things,” Josephine pointed out.
“Marriage, you mean. It’s why my father was pressuring me to marry Isadora. She had all of it—power, money, prestige—but I despised her temperament. I couldn’t imagine living with her the rest of my life.”
“Is that why you had her killed?”
His face turned white as he glanced away. He dropped his hands to his side. “It was an accident.”
“What do you mean? I thought you ordered it.”
Duncan shook his head. “I might not have wanted to marry her, but there are easier ways of ending a courtship than resorting to murder.”
“What happened then?”
“I found out she was seeing that editor, and I got angry. I thought she was having an affair with him, and he was using her to get information for his newspaper. I confronted her, and she denied her involvement with him, of course. I told her she had to stop seeing him. She argued that I couldn’t tell her what to do. I grabbed her to shake some sense into her, she pulled away, lost her balance, and fell over the banister. I knew no one would believe it was an accident, so I kept quiet.” He looked back at Josephine. “I didn’t mean for her to get hurt, though to be honest, it did fix my problems, at least until you decided to go and get mixed up in all of this. Why couldn’t you both just be good girls like you were bred to be?”