Page 96 of My Highland Rogue
Jennifer looked around her, impressed at the entranceway and wishing she could see the rest of the club. However, from both Harrison’s and Ellen’s conversations, such establishments were not open to women, unless they were employed on the premises.
They couldn’t hear anything. No raucous laughter or shouting. No clinking of glasses. No indication of the activities that were going on behindclosed doors. The only thing that hinted that the club might be a masculine province was the faint smell of tobacco.
A few minutes later, they could hear the click of the porter’s shoes on the marble floor. When he appeared before them, his cheeks were slightly reddened. Either the exertion up the stairs had caused him to become flushed or announcing their presence to Maggie had resulted in some difficulty.
“If you will come with me, please,” the porter said, bowing once more.
They followed him up a staircase that rivaled the one at Adaire Hall. This one might even be fancier, with its carved wood balusters and brass handrail. Even the risers were decorated with thin strips of embossed brass.
The runner on the second floor was crimson, woven with blowsy roses on either side. There were four doors in the corridor, all of them closed but one. Jennifer couldn’t help but wonder what activities went on in those rooms.
The porter led them to the open door, then stood aside, bowing once more. “Miss Boyland,” he said as a way of introduction.
“Thank you, Ellison,” Maggie said, standing and coming out from behind the desk. “What a pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Thornton. Have you come about Harrison? If you have, I’m afraid I have bad news for you. He’s no longer a member of the Mayfair Club. Nor does he have lodgings here.”
Jennifer and Ellen looked at each other. Evidently, Gordon had kicked him out. Jenniferwondered if he’d been able to find other lodgings. If not, would he return to Adaire Hall?
At the moment, that was not her problem.
Maggie Boyland was not a young woman. Although she was wearing powder, rouge, and something to make her lashes appear darker, she applied the products with an expert hand. Yet there were still lines at the corners of her eyes betraying her age, as well as a softening of the skin beneath her chin.
For some reason Jennifer had thought Maggie was Gordon’s age. Not someone old enough to be his mother.
“And you are?” Maggie asked, her thin lips formed into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Jennifer Adaire.”
A name not unknown to Maggie, from the flash of recognition in her glance. “Oh yes, Gordon’s little friend.”
Gordon’s little friend?
Ellen stepped between them. “We’re here for information, and I hope you can provide it. Do you know when Gordon is returning to London? The majordomo at his house said that he had returned to Scotland. Is that true?”
“It is. That’s as much as I can tell you. Anything more than that would be considered confidential. I couldn’t betray a trust.”
That last was said with a quick look in Jennifer’s direction.
She’d never had such a reaction to anyone so instantly, but Jennifer did not like Maggie Boyland. It was an instinctual feeling, and one that she would have to investigate later, but for nowshe forced a smile to her lips. The woman was not going to have the ability to rile her. Or goad her to say something Jennifer would regret later.
“Are you certain you can’t tell us where he’s gone?” Ellen’s voice was positively dripping with sweetness.
Jennifer almost rolled her eyes but kept her gaze on the floor.
“It is quite important that we reach him.”
“I believe he’s gone to Edinburgh,” Maggie said, unbending enough to give them that information. “Beyond that I can’t say.”
“Have you no idea when he’ll return?” Ellen asked.
“I didn’t say that. I said that I wasn’t going to divulge anything further.”
“Why not?” Jennifer asked, unable to keep silent. “We mean no harm to Gordon. Surely you know that. If you know my name, then you realize that Gordon and I have had a relationship of long standing.”
“I know that you have had a difficult relationship,” Maggie said. Her smile altered character, becoming almost a sneer.
Once again, Ellen tried to calm troubled waters. “We truly do need to reach Gordon. It’s on a matter of some importance.”
“I really can’t say,” Maggie said.
