Page 52 of Marigold and the Marquess
Yes, she was Leo’s.
But for how long?
CHAPTER 9
“GOOD OF YOUto see us on such short notice, Mr. Barrow,” Leo said as he and Marigold were escorted into the Bow Street runner’s office later that morning. The chairs beside the man’s desk were solidly built and comfortable, but his office on the whole was a working man’s space. His desk was piled high with folders while bookshelves and cabinets lined the walls.
Mr. Barrow himself was a portly man with a red, bulbous nose, prominent jowls, and keen eyes that overlooked nothing. “How may I help you, my lord? Lady Muir, would you care for a cup of tea?”
“Thank you for the offer, but I am fine for now.” She sat and smiled at the Bow Street runner. “We have heard wonderful reports about you, Mr. Barrow. In fact, I am already quite familiar with your good work since you helped dear friends of mine recently, the Duke of Huntsford and his wife, Duchess Adela. I hope you can help my husband as you did my friends.”
Leo took her hand and gave it a light squeeze, but his attention remained fixed on Mr. Barrow. “What I need are two good men to protect my wife.” He quickly recounted his story and mentioned the three men of particular concern. He was quite thorough and Marigold struggled several times in the retelling to hold back her tears.
“So I need watch kept on Chipping Way,” Leo said, finishing his tale. “Specifically to make note of anyone lurking near our house. My wife will have footmen to accompany her whenever she leaves home, but they are not trained as your men are. Do you have experienced investigators who can be discreet when following her around?”
“Or following my husband,” Marigold added, shooting Leo a frown. “Honestly, Leo. You are in more dire need of protection now that you are determined to turn over every rock to uncover the snake who betrayed you. You will stir him again and he will come after you once he learns you intend to go after him.”
Mr. Barrow shook his head. “My lady, I have heard all that you and his lordship have told me. I do not wish to frighten you, but you must not dismiss the danger to yourself. The greatest pain this villain can inflict on your husband is to hurt you. Rest assured, we shall keep diligent watch over you. At a respectful distance, of course. For us to be most effective, we will require your cooperation.”
“You will have it,” Marigold assured him. “I shall make a list of my daily engagements so you will always know ahead of time where I plan to be.”
He nodded and then turned to Leo. “Would it be possible to put one of my men in your household as a footman, my lord? This way, he can keep an eye on your wife while inside the house and also accompany her whenever she goes out.”
Leo nodded. “Quite easily done. My wife insists we have a dire shortage of staff. Apparently, I cannot possibly do without a valet. Nor can she manage without a lady’s maid. Or housekeeper. We had planned to hire more staff in every capacity.”
Mr. Barrow pursed his lips. “Keep in mind this also gives your nemesis the opportunity to plant one of his people inside your household.”
Marigold’s eyes widened. “Oh, how wicked.”
“He can try but he will not succeed,” Leo said. “We shall not rush to fill all the positions, and I will insist that our immediate hires be known or personally related to those long-time retainers on staff with our neighbors.”
Marigold nodded. “The Mayhew family has worked for my Aunt Sophie and Uncle John for decades. I had planned on seeking their recommendations first. The Mayhews always have a niece or nephew newly arrived in town and seeking employment. This will not be a problem.”
“Good. You need to surround yourself with people you can trust. I’ll have my best men on the task of protecting you. If you have no objections, I will assign two of my experienced runners to start, Henry as footman and Arthur as gardener. One to work inside and one outside. I’ll also do a little digging along the docks and elsewhere I might learn more about these three men who concern you, my lord.”
“You’ll need a retainer, of course. I’ll make funds readily available to you today. I’d like you to get started as soon as possible. Just be discreet and keep out of the way of the Crown’s investigation.”
“Won’t be a problem. I know most of their agents and they know me.”
Having now finished their business, they rose to leave. Marigold, in her true ray of sunshine fashion, smiled at Mr. Barrow. “Thank you, sir. You have no idea how relieved I am to know we shall now be in your capable hands. To be as successful as you are requires true caring and devotion to saving lives. Please know we are grateful to you and your men. We shall not do anything foolish to put you or them in danger.”
Mr. Barrow was obviously taken by surprise. “You are most gracious, Lady Muir.”
Leo laughed. “It is her subtle way of warning me to let you and the Crown agents do their job and not go off on my own to murder these suspects.”
“Well, my lord. She has a point.”
Leo raked a hand through his hair. “I know, but it is still very hard to let the days go by without seeing the culprit punished.”
They left Mr. Barrow’s office, then stopped by Leo’s bank.
The bank manager attended to them personally, bowing and fussing over Leo so obsequiously, he wanted to throttle the man just to shut him up. Of course, he was not going to do or say anything impolite. Marigold was already worried he was in a blind rage and would act like a madman at the slightest provocation. He did not need to add this toady manager to the list of men he wished to see dead.
He made arrangements for Homer Barrow to be paid, then opened up an account for Marigold. She shot out of her chair when he mentioned the amount he wished to transfer into her account. “Leo, that is too much!”
He gently nudged her back in her chair. “It is not nearly enough.”
Leo waited for the manager to leave his office to attend to the transfers before he turned to Marigold again. “There is more to come, the bulk of which will be left in trust with the Duke of Edgeware to head a committee of trustees, all of whom will not hesitate to grind my worm of a cousin to dust if he dares attempt to wrest so much as a shilling away from you. I can do nothing about the entailed properties. But whatever is mine alone shall be left to you.”
