Page 22 of With Good Grace
‘I look forward to it.’
‘Shall you bring Molly with you?’
Olivia appeared surprised by the question. ‘I fully intended to. Why do you ask?’
Jake sent her an amused glance but said nothing.
‘I refuse to be inconvenienced because my maid has set herself up as guardian of my moral conduct. Besides, Lord Torbay, you are confusing me. One moment you declare that we cannot risk…well, you know—’
‘You are charming when you blush.’ He chuckled. ‘And you are quite right. We really cannot afford to…well, you know.’
‘Then Molly will not be in danger of corruption beneath your roof.’
‘It was never Molly who was in danger.’
Olivia puffed out her cheeks; whether in annoyance at her maid’s interference or at Jake’s mention of a subject he had already resolved would not interfere with their investigation, he was unable to decide. ‘I have already told the wretched girl that if she is dissatisfied with her situation, she is at liberty to seek something that suits her better.’ Olivia sent him a challenging smile, compelling Jake to suppress a frustrated groan. ‘Besides, I dare say we shall be too busy pursuing murderers to behave indiscreetly.’
Jake tried to appear affronted. ‘I have never been described as an indiscretion before.’
Her eyes glistened with suppressed mirth. ‘Not within your hearing, at any rate.’
Jake sent her a look of mild rebuke, kissed her hand again and walked through the door that Parker opened for him. ‘Lock and blot it behind me,’ he said.
‘I know how to secure a house,’ Parker replied.
The smile left his lips as soon as Jake entered his carriage and told his coachman to take him to White’s. There was someone he urgently needed to see and he was assured of finding him in that establishment at this hour. As the carriage made its way to St. James’s Street, Jake fell into contemplation; not about Grantley’s disappearance but about the toy ship that had been delivered to Cheyne Walk for Tom. He had not wanted to alarm Olivia, so he’d kept his concerns to himself, but the fact of the matter was that he was very worried about its sudden appearance. Very worried indeed. Someone had obviously seen Olivia at the docks with Tom and then gone to the trouble of sending the child a toy anonymously.
Why?
Jake could understand another man wanting to attract Olivia’s attention—what red-blooded male would not? Despite her determination to distance herself from society, she still received a considerable amount of attention from gentlemen keen to further their acquaintanceship with her. She never told Jake about their persistence but Jake made it his business to know everything about the lady who owned his heart and for whom he would give his own life in order to protect her without a moment’s regret. The fact that she was firmly of the opinion that she required no protection only increased his determination to keep her safe.
Sending Tom a toy anonymously was not a likely means of securing Olivia’s gratitude and, Jake decided, it had probably not been sent for that purpose. It was however a perfect way to discompose a lady who lived alone; a lady whose husband had been killed because of something he possessed. It appeared that after an absence of two years, whoever wanted to retrieve that something was again active.
Jake imagined the mysterious something was of considerable value—money, power, love and revenge were the most common causes of grand larceny in Jake’s extensive experience. But suppose none of them applied in this particular case? Jake rubbed his chin with his gloved hand, giving consideration to Parker’s earlier comment as his carriage trundled through streets made slick by an earlier shower. Could it be that the elusive something held the power to destroy an influential person’s reputation? Even if that was the case, would that person be prepared to resort to murder in order to save said reputation? A member of the aristocracy very likely might. So too would a famous actor. Even so, it seemed extreme. And why stop looking for two years?
Jake shook a head that was filled with more questions than answers. None of this made sense. He had told Parker to ensure that all Grantley’s boxes of papers were removed to Grosvenor Square, along with Olivia and her son. He was convinced that a clue to the whereabouts of the mysterious something must be buried somewhere within those dusty records. Indiscreet letters written in the heat of a grand passion? Evidence of blackmail? Wrongdoings of some sort in one of the leading theatres that might terminally damage the reputation of the establishment if they became public knowledge? The possibilities were endless. No one would get into Cheyne Walk tonight to examine those boxes; not with Parker and Finch patrolling the corridors. The question was, would what they were looking for be obvious to Olivia and Jake when they went through the boxes themselves? So far their search had produced nothing even slightly suspicious.
Perhaps it would not be a bad idea to let the world see Olivia leaving there tomorrow with enough bags to imply that she would be away for more than a day or two, thereby inviting…well, uninvited guests. He felt assured that her departure would not go unobserved. Indeed, he would make it his business to ensure that it did not and it would be interesting to see what transpired.
Jake was jolted out of his reveries when his carriage hit a rut in the road. He heard his coachman cursing as he struggled to control his team on the slick road. Then the conveyance settled on its springs and continued more smoothly on its way. Jake’s thoughts returned to Olivia’s situation. To be aware that she had been to the docks and that Tom had been so enthusiastic about the ships implied that she had been intentionally followed. Someone wanted her to know it; perhaps so that she would be frightened into quitting her house, making it easy for the miscreants to gain entry and search it.
Jake flashed a humourless smile. Far be it from him to disrupt their well-laid plans.
Tomorrow evening, with Olivia safely out of the way, Jake was willing to wager that someone would break into Cheyne Walk. Perhaps Grantley’s boxes should be left there after all; then Jake, who naturally planned to have people there ready to catch the intruders, would know what the devil was vital enough to kill for.
The only difficulty with that plan was that the anonymous toy-sender might be nothing to do with the ubiquitoussomething. Instead it could be one of Jake’s enemies attempting to gain revenge on him by scaring Olivia; or worse. Hence his journey to White’s.
The carriage halted at the doors of that establishment. Jake alighted from it, told his coachman to wait, and entered the vestibule. He was greeted with deference and told that Simon Warbeck, the man he had come to see, was indeed in the club. He ascended the stairs and found his quarry in the card room, engaged in a game for high stakes. He knew all of the players and acknowledged them.
‘If it’s me you’ve come to see, Jake,’ Simon said, ‘have the goodness to wait for a moment. I am about to relieve these gentlemen of a guinea or two.’
‘You’re certainly welcome to try, Warbeck,’ replied one of his victims.
Jake chuckled, aware that Simon would do more than try. He had a retentive memory and seldom lost a hand when he bid large, implying he was onto a certainty. If the gentlemen he was playing against did not know that much about him by now then they deserved to lose.
‘Damn it, Warbeck, I thought I had you there!’ Lord Symonds threw his cards down in disgust, as did the rest of the players.
‘You will have the opportunity for revenge on another occasion, gentleman. But for now, Torbay here clearly needs a word.’
