Page 75 of Marigold and the Marquess
Marigold was having trouble following along. “What did you find?”
He groaned. “I’m not even sure what I was looking at. None of it made any sense.”
“Care to explain?” Octavian appeared just as uncertain as she was. What were they to make of Leo’s words?
As for Leo, he had not poured much brandy into his glass. It was just enough to slake his thirst and nothing more since he needed to remain clearheaded. He stared into the glass a moment, then tossed its contents back in one gulp.
Setting his glass aside, he now turned to face them all. “Denby was a royal envoy, but what did any of us really know of him? He managed to climb high within the royal inner circle, but how? Who were his connections? Where did he go to school? Who was his family? Ian could tell me nothing, nor could Mr. Barrow. This man traveled in the loftiest circles, yet he is little more than a cipher to us all.”
Marigold put a hand on his arm, feeling his muscles ripple with tension. “Surely someone has to know how he got his assignments.”
“Yes, but who? This is yet another investigation to be started by Ian. Denby was reputed to be rich, having somehow made a fortune in profitable ventures starting with that Carpathian mining venture. That was four years ago…years that I was locked away and never thought to see the light of day. But we searched his home and there was not a single, blessed sign of wealth.”
“How can that be?” Gory asked.
“I have no idea.” He poured himself another drink. “None of us know what to make of it.”
Marigold glanced at her friends. Syd and Gory were quite clever, and Gory in particular seemed to understand the mind of a killer. Could they help solve this mystery?
Well, there were obvious reasons why someone might lose their wealth. Did it not happen often enough that an earl or other nobleman lost their family fortune at the gaming tables? Or simply bad investments.
Leo sighed. “Seems to me, we are looking at something that goes far beyond a bloody Carpathian mining contract. We’ll need to dig into every other diplomatic assignment and business dealing Denby was ever involved in. Ian and his agents in the Home Office had already started looking into this. But it has been weeks already and they have nothing to show for it.”
“It takes time to gather evidence,” Julius said.
Octavian nodded. “You think he was part of an organized ring of traitors? A group not interested in fomenting overthrow of the government, but merely to subvert their interests and divert the profits to themselves. It is not surprising Edgeware has been slow to unravel it. He would have to move carefully. There may be powerful people involved. Some very close to the Crown.”
Marigold’s mind was once again awhirl with questions. “Do you think Beldon was in any way involved? Could Denby and Beldon have been working together to get you out of the way?”
Leo cast her a wry smile. “My pet, I have no idea.”
“Oh, Leo. Let’s talk through the possibilities.”
“Do you think I have not gone over this in my head for years?”
She nodded. “I’m sure you have. But after a while it all becomes caught in a rut, doesn’t it? Like a carriage stuck in the mud and the wheels just keep turning and turning, and digging the carriage into a deeper mire.”
Syd agreed. “Let us talk it out and see if we come up with something fresh. Marigold, you go first.”
Marigold immediately agreed, for she was eager to do anything that might help Leo. “Here’s what we know. Beldon has always been envious of Leo. Perhaps he was thinking to put him through a few hours or perhaps a few days of hurt, so he arranges a fake assault with Denby’s assistance because Denby has the contacts already in place. Beldon may have wanted to make himself appear the hero in later rescuing Leo. But Denby had other ideas.”
“Such as?” Julius asked.
“He wanted Leo out of the way far longer. Leo would have caught onto Denby’s sabotaging the Carpathian mining negotiations, and because he is honest and loyal, he could not be bribed.”
“So Denby ordered him imprisoned for all these years?” Syd mused.
“It may not have been intended to go on for that long. Once out of their control, anything could happen…and unfortunately, it did,” Marigold said.
Leo shook his head. “After seeing the condition of his residence, I don’t think Denby ever wielded that much influence.”
Octavian stared at him. “Then who did?”
CHAPTER 12
“I DON’T KNOW,”Leo remarked, absently stirring the amber liquid in his refilled glass before taking a healthy swallow. “Perhaps Beldon and Denby might have had power to exert by working together. But it sounds sick. Two devils colluding to get me out of the way. And then what? Betraying each other because they are running scared now that I am back in England?”
“Still makes no sense,” Marigold said. “Beldon is reputedly on the Continent, so he is unlikely to have done in Denby. Although, I suppose he could have paid someone.”
