Page 48 of With Good Grace
‘Or make contact with Olivia with some cock and bull story that he thinks will gain her trust. He must assume she is unaware that he has gone missing. She and Lady Grantley are not on speaking terms and even Olivia was astonished when that lady approached her. Sir Hubert knows how proud his wife is and Olivia is the last person he would expect her to turn to in a crisis.’
Parker nodded. ‘Most likely.’
‘So, how can we keep Olivia safe from his clutches?’
Parker raised his bushy brows. ‘You think it’s definitely him that’s after her?’
‘Who else could it possibly be?’
‘Lady Marchant?’
‘Then why wait all this time? If Olivia knew those letters existed and intended to make them public, she would have done so by now.’
Parker grunted. ‘Most likely.’
‘No, I think Sir Hubert is behind this.’
‘The same question applies. Why wait all this time?’
‘Because his circumstances have become pressing. If he does not find a way to make a regular income, and do so quickly, he will lose everything, so he will do whatever is necessary to obtain Lady Marchant’s letters. We know he searched Olivia’s house while she was in gaol and did not find them, so he must have assumed that Barber had them, along with Marcus Grantley’s other business papers. They were not found there so he has returned his attention to Olivia.’ Jake’s face was invaded by an angry frown. ‘And in order to get it, he sent a toy to her son with the express purpose of upsetting her.’
‘Yeah well, that didn’t work. She’s safer now because she’s with you, where he can’t reach her, and he hasn’t tried to get into Cheyne Walk either. Finch would have let us know if he had.’
‘Olivia is safe, but she is also a virtual prisoner and, take it from me, she won’t accept that situation for long.’ Jake rolled his eyes. ‘I, on the other hand, will not allow her to wander about unprotected until we have run Sir Hubert to ground.’
Parker chuckled. ‘I can’t imagine you letting her go anywhere without your personal protection.’
Jake grimaced. ‘And being seen in my company too often will create more problems than it will solve.’ The carriage finally moved forward again, several constables having been summoned to separate the warring costermongers responsible for the delay. ‘No. The time for action is upon us. We must use our resources to find Sir Hubert and resolve this matter once and for all.’
‘Right. Where do we start?’
The carriage had arrived back at Grosvenor Square. Jake leapt from it, not having answered Parker’s question. As he walked into the house, he was alarmed to hear a loud, despairing wail come from his library. Olivia’s loud wail. He shared a glance with Parker and strode in that direction, to find Reed standing helplessly over a sobbing Olivia.
‘What is it?’ Jake addressed the question to Olivia as he crouched beside her.
‘Oh, Jake!’ She threw herself into his arms and he only just managed to catch her and pull her upright before they both lost their balance. ‘Tom is gone and it’s all my fault.’
While Jake consoled Olivia as best he could, Parker elicited an explanation from Reed.
‘The driver and Jenson just came back, sir. Jenson said Molly insisted on going to Holland Park. She said the lake was safer for small boys than the serpentine.’
‘Molly is involved?’ Olivia blinked red-rimmed eyes and fixed Jake with a dumfounded expression. ‘She did this?’
‘I told Jenson to keep a watch on Molly and the child,’ Parker said in a mordant tone. ‘He was not to let them out of his sight.’
‘He swears on his mother’s life that he didn’t,’ Reed replied. ‘He’s waiting to tell you what happened himself.’
‘Have him sent in,’ Jake said, seating Olivia and forcing a glass of brandy upon her. ‘Drink it,’ he said, holding it to her lips. ‘You have had a shock and it will make you feel better.’
‘Nothing will make me feel better.’ But she took a sip, promptly choking on it. Jake patted her back and made her take another sup, after which she appeared fractionally calmer. ‘I should have gone with them,’ she cried in anguish. ‘I had a premonition, a feeling…I don’t know, something. I told myself I was seeing shadows where none existed. I was tired, thought he would be safe…oh, Jake, what if he is hurt…or afraid, wondering where I am? My poor little boy, my love, my life.’ A heart-wrenching sob escaped her. ‘I cannot bear it!’
‘Hush, we will get him back. No one means him harm. They just want to frighten you, and they are doing a good job of it.’
Olivia opened her mouth to reply but closed it again when Jenson entered the room.
‘Tell Mrs Grantley and his lordship how you came to lose Master Tom,’ Parker said in a glacial tone.
Jenson shuffled his feet but gamely met Parker’s glower. ‘They were at the lake and Master Tom was sailing his boat. There were other boys there, also with boats, and they seemed to get along just fine. Then one of the boys tumbled into the water.’ Olivia gasped. Jake squeezed her hand. ‘Several people rushed to pull him out, more crowded around, pushing and jostling and offering advice. Molly and Master Tom were on dry land, safe and sound, I swear it on my life.’ Jenson cleared his throat. ‘Then an altercation broke out between two nursemaids. One accused the other of being jealous because she had secured a position the other nurse had wanted and that she had retaliated by deliberately pushing her charge into the water. The one being accused said she hadn’t been anywhere near the child. Blows were exchanged, which drew a larger crowd and…well, I got separated from Master Tom and when I tried to find him he was nowhere in sight.’
