Page 43 of Choosing Her Earl at Last
“The very same night of Rebecca’s disappearance,” Colin confirmed.
Emmeline leaned forward in her seat. “What else? I can tell that there is more.”
Michael nodded in confirmation. “The seamstress said that Martha had been working for a man of ill repute who had forced her to do many things for the sake of her family. The woman did not know exactly what those things were, but I suspect that they had something to do with Rebecca.”
“What man?” Emmeline prodded, reaching out for Louisa’s hand in anticipation as much as in need of emotional support.
“A scoundrel by the moniker of Mr. G, who conducts his business out of the Green Dragon Tavern,” Michael replied, his hazel eyes tired but determined. “Colin and I plan to pay him a visit there.”
Mr. Hardy arrived at that moment with a tray of tea and biscuits. “I have heard of that tavern before, my lady, my lord,” he volunteered. “It is an establishment of ill repute, not safe for an honest man or woman of good virtue.”
Emmeline’s heart raced with a myriad of emotions. She wanted her sister back more than anything in the world, but she did not wish to have Michael or Colin killed in the process. “Can you not have the Runners go in your stead?”
“The magistrate informed me last night when I sent him notice of what we had discovered that he was shorthanded and would not be able to send a man until tomorrow morning at the earliest. I fear that every moment we delay, Rebecca could be in danger. The more questions that we ask, the closer that we get to the truth, and the more people are noticing. The men following us last night are proof of that. I fear that if we delay that she will be moved where we will not be able to find her, or worse.”
Emmeline bit down hard on her lip in anxiety. The taste of copper filled her mouth, and she winced at the pain. Emmeline lifted her handkerchief to her lip, and it came away red with her blood.
Louisa gave her a questioning look but said nothing as Emmeline hid the stain in the palm of her hand. “Is there no one that you can take with you?” Louisa asked, giving Emmeline a moment to pull herself together.
Michael shook his head. “Mrs. Frampton does not wish to bring any of our peers into this for the sake of Rebecca’s reputation, and I am doing my best to honor that wish. I would not turn down a man with military experience, should one be available.”
Emmeline’s brain lit up at his words. “Mr. Hardy,” she called for the butler who had already retreated to the hall beyond.
“My lady?” Mr. Hardy stepped into the doorway once more.
“You have military experience, do you not?”
“I do, my lady.” He nodded in confirmation.
Michael’s brows rose in surprise. “A military man turned butler? That sounds like a story worth hearing.”
Mr. Hardy respectfully chose not to comment.
“Mr. Hardy, would you be willing to accompany the earl and Mr. Barrington to the Green Dragon Tavern?” Emmeline knew that she was asking a lot of him, but she also knew that he was a man who could handle himself in nearly any situation. It was the very reason that her father had hired him when they had encountered one another on their travels.
“For Miss Rebecca, my lady, I would accompany these gentlemen into the depths of hell itself,” Mr. Hardy swore, his entire demeanor speaking of the earnest truth in his words. His eyes spoke of a man who had seen hell itself and knew exactly what he was promising.
Michael and Colin both sat a little straighter at hearing his words, a new respect for the man blooming in their eyes. “We would be happy to have you accompany us, Mr. Hardy. Thank you.”
“It is my honor and duty, my lord,” Mr. Hardy bowed. “I shall go and prepare the staff for my absence.”
Emmeline nodded. “Please do, Mr. Hardy. The house would not function properly without you. Thank you.” She held his eyes for a moment so that he would understand the depth of her gratitude, then he bowed again and left the room. She turned herattention back to Michael. “Did you discover anything else that might be of help?”
Michael shook his head. “We did not.”
“Emmeline discovered something interesting,” Louisa began, but was cut off quickly by Emmeline interrupting her with something completely unrelated to what Louisa had intended to say.
“I discovered that I do not have enough patience to wait around at home for answers,” Emmeline laughed it off, shooting Louisa a warning look to be quiet.
Michael gave her an odd look but did not press her for answers. “I would not say that your lack of patience was a new discovery,” he jested, following her cue to lighten the heaviness of the room.
Emmeline was grateful that he let the matter drop. She was not yet ready to share with him what she had discovered. When she was ready. She did not wish to do so in front of others, let alone have someone else be the one to inform him. The place where her father had buried his treasure was as sacred to their love as any church might be to a parishioner. She was in no hurry to revisit her violation of that sanctity.
“Once we have visited the Green Dragon Tavern, I regret that I must leave London for a brief time,” Michael informed her.
“What? Why?” Emmeline asked, distressed at the unexpected news.
“I received word this morning that my country estate has been broken into, and a number of valuable paintings were taken.”
