Page 51 of A Lady's Dangerous Secret
“Well, this is a first.” Gabe looked up from his ledgers. “I guess us toffsare really rubbing off on you. Sleeping well past noon, eh?”
“Something like that,” James said.
“What’s wrong? You seemed off last night.”
James slumped into the chair near Gabe’s desk and ran his hand through his hair. “You had more important things to worry about.”
Concern shown in Gabe’s amber eyes. “I’m all yours.” He leaned back in his leather desk chair and clasped his hands over his stomach.
James paused, questioning what to share with Gabe. However, given the turmoil in which he found himself, he needed someone else’s opinion.
“Ever since our paths crossed that night at the docks, I knew you were different than other nobs. We have been friends a long time now. I trust you like a brother. What I’m about to tell you can’t leave this room.”
Gabe’s face became serious, and he met James’s eyes. “I swear it.”
“Lady Charlotte is Mrs. Gibson.”
A look of shock crossed Gabe’s face. He whistled through his teeth in dismay. “You’re sure?”
“Positive. I saw a woman at the masquerade ball wearing a black veil, looking identical to the woman in mourning I saw at Roberts’s office. I followed her and addressed her as Mrs. Gibson, only to find out it was Lady Charlotte. She panicked and ran from me. I chased after her, but lost her in the crowd. By the time I got outside, she had disappeared.”
Gabe shifted forward, shaking his head. “I can’t believe it.”
“It has to be true. Why else would she bolt when I connected her to Mrs. Gibson? Plus, she has nightmares. She told me she thinks someone is trying to kill her, and I thwarted an attack on her life.”
Gabe’s eyes widened. “She must be in over her head.”
“She knew I was looking for the murderer of Roberts, and she revealed nothing.”
Gabe leaned back in his chair and collected his thoughts. He spoke in a measured tone, “I realize there are a lot of emotions involved, but let us think of it from Lady Charlotte’s perspective. She killed Roberts, who was a thief and worse. Perhaps it was self-defense, perhaps it was not. Regardless, she murdered someone. I wouldn’t expect her to be sharing this delicateinformation no matter who you are to her. She has nightmares, you say? She must be scared to death.”
“She’s in danger, and I told her I would help. Yet she didn’t tell me the truth,” James said. “Instead, she is marrying Westcliffe.”
“Ah, so you care.”
“I told her I loved her, dammit.”
A look of understanding dawned on Gabe’s face. “It all makes sense now. She’s in danger, you love her, but she’s running to the Duke of Westcliffe for protection.”
James dropped his head and cradled it in his hands. After a time, he lifted his gaze. “I don’t know what to do.”
“You do want her safe.”
“Of course,” James said.
Gabe drummed his fingers. “We need to better understand the danger to Lady Charlotte. Whoever is trying to kill her must be linked to Roberts and is seeking revenge.”
“Roberts worked for the Duke of Westcliffe under a different name in the past,” James told him.
“Oh, that’s interesting,” Gabe replied slowly, “perhaps he’s not the knight in shining armor Lady Charlotte thinks him to be.”
“I don’t know what to think. I want to hate him, but Lady Charlotte will be protected by his title if they marry.” James said.
“I thought he was a decent man though I don’t know him too well. Just from the House of Lords. He only comes to London when absolutely necessary.” Gabe tapped his fingers on the desktop while his mind worked. “What about his connection to Roberts? Skimming some money from aristocrats doesn’t seem like the whole story. He’s a duke. Why would he care about Roberts’s death? You also don’t know if he’s connected Lady Charlotte to the murder.”
James explained to Gabe what Morris told him. “The Bow Street Runner divulged that Roberts had debts under his current name all over the country. The Runners had found vowels hidden in a secret compartment behind a painting in his office with addresses from other cities, such as Liverpool and Newcastle. Apparently, Roberts had left the Duke of Westcliffe’s employ over a decade ago, but had had only been in Shrewsbury for the past two years. He was known as Martin Nott when he worked for Westcliffe.”
“How did they determine Roberts was linked to the Duke?” Gabe said.
