Page 70 of A Season for Smugglers (Deception and Discipline 3)

On the other hand, he also now had nothing left to lose.

It was possible he would be more dangerous than ever under such circumstances.

Letting him go felt wrong, but Elijah was right. Nathan had other duties he could not ignore.

“Damn!” he shouted. Merlin shifted beneath him at the outburst, and Nathan reined in his temper.

“Do we know if Mitchell had any accomplices?” Rex asked. “I think we should re-interview the men we talked to today, now that we have a name.”

That was true. And it was likely that the operations had been done from Warwick’s lands rather than Talbot lands, which meant they probably had a whole other crew of smugglers they would need to speak with. Under the circumstances, he doubted Warwick would resist having his tenants questioned… if the man still lived.

Nathan hoped he did. He had a lot of questions for the earl.

He nodded.

“I will understand if you want to go on,” he said to Elijah. “Rex and I can return to the ladies and explain to your wife.”

“No, there is nothing I can do that Anthony cannot, and as much as I want to be by my father’s side, he would be furious if I did not question Warwick before I leave.” Proving Elijah and Nathan were much of the same mind when it came to the earl.

He was most likely innocent, but he must knowsomething… unless Mitchell had only stabbed him to create confusion for his escape, which seemed possible. They would not know until they questioned him. Elijah was right that the Marquess of Camden was already alerted to the danger. They had a witness to question, if he survived, and either way, the Marquess would want to know any information they could gather.

Though Elijah’s presence at the funeral was not necessary, as an earl and a future marquess, his absence would be noted. The same with Rex. Anthony’s absence might be noted by a few, but not in the same way as the rest of them, as he was not a member of the nobility.

The best thing they could do to quell gossip was to pretend Mitchell was nothing more than a common murderer. If two earls and a marquess chased him into the night, there would be questions. Wild conjectures. If two earls and a marquess sent a captain from the army in their stead to chase down a murderer, no one would think anything of it.

On more than one front, the wise thing to do was to let Anthony go on his way while the rest of them appeared at the funeral tomorrow.

After that, Elijah and Rex would be free to do as they pleased.

Nathan, on the other hand, had to fulfill his responsibilities and sit on the sidelines. At least for a bit. The knowledge made him want to gnash his teeth, but he knew where his duty lay.

“Right, then,” he said shortly, turning his horse around. “Back to the manor.”

They cantered rather galloped, giving the horses a bit of a rest. They had only gotten around the first bend when another horse came hurtling down the road. Nathan cursed, pulling Merlin to the side. The other rider did not even slow as he flew past.

In front of Nathan, Elijah swung his horse around, his dark eyes blazing in the moonlight.

“Evie!” When Elijah shouted his cousin’s name his horse startled, and he barely kept his seat, thanks to the lack of saddle.

Nathan looked over his shoulder as the other rider disappeared around the bend. Yes, that was not a ‘he.’ Elijah’s cousin had just passed them. Nathan and Rex looked at each other, then at Elijah, waiting to see what he wanted them to do. For a moment, he thought Elijah would go after her.

Elijah shook his head, then set his jaw and turned his horse around, letting his cousin go on unhindered.

“Back to the manor.”

* * *

Lily

Sitting and drinking tea was no substitute for action, yet it made Lily feel better. She did not feel completely calm until the door opened, and Nathan came in, Elijah and Rex on his heels. The moment they heard the front door, all three ladies leapt from their seats—though only Josie spilled her tea—and ran to the foyer.

The feeling of disappointment seeing the men return empty-handed was overwhelmed by her relief that they were all hale, hearty, and unharmed.

But…

“Where is Captain Browne?” she asked, rushing to Nathan to check him all over. He looked tired but did not appear to have suffered any injury.

“Following Mitchell on to London.” Nathan ran his hands over her arms, checking her over in much the same manner as she was him. “Unfortunately, he had too much of a lead… we would never have caught him.”

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