Page 80 of The Highwayman's Bite

Chapter Twenty-six

Three days later

Vivian wiggled herhairpin in the lock and cursed as it once more skittered uselessly in the keyhole. Her fingers ached like the devil, but she refused to give up.

A cough sounded behind her. “What are you doing?” Madame Renarde asked in a chiding tone.

“I’m trying to get inside Uncle’s study,” she answered through gritted teeth. “As soon as I can pick this bloody lock. And you should be resting. The doctor only permitted you to be out of bed yesterday.”

Although Vivian was pleased to be reunited with her best friend, and relieved that Uncle hadn’t killed her, she still felt a sense of loss. Because Uncle had banished Madame Renarde’s memories of everything pertaining to vampires, Vivian not only couldn’t tell her closest friend about the true depths of her heartache, and uncertain future, she also had to endure Madame Renarde rubbing further salt in the wound by admonishing her to forget about the wicked thief who’d seduced her.

And oh, how Vivian missed that wicked thief. Rhys haunted her dreams and every waking thought. She would give anything for one last glimpse of him, her very soul for one more moment in his arms. Had he gotten away safely? Was he thinking of her? Did love always hurt so much?

Madame Renarde interrupted Vivian’s inner mourning. “Why are you trying to break into Lord Thornton’s study?”

“Because I need to look at his ledgers and deeds. I need to know if Rhys’s niece received the money and had her farm restored to her.” As the nights passed with no visitors from solicitors and no word from her uncle about the farm, Vivian’s worry grew. She had to know if Rhys’s family had been saved. That at least the consequences of her abduction had been worth it. It was the only closure Vivian could hope to receive.

Besides, Rhys would want her to make sure that Emily and the children were all right. Since he had to flee England, he had no way of knowing.

Madame Renarde made a tsk of disapproval. “You have that pin bent all wrong. Give me another one and let me try.”

Vivian blinked in surprise. Was her companion an ally after all? From the way Madame Renarde spoke during suppers with Uncle Aldric, Vivian thought that her companion hated Rhys for what he’d done.

Only seconds after Vivian handed Madame Renarde a new hairpin, her companion bent the slim piece of metal, inserted the pin, and with a twist, the lock clicked free.

“I’ve picked dozens of locks of this style,” Madame Renarde said with a smirk.

Vivian smiled for the first time since Rhys left her at the inn. Sometimes, it was useful to have a companion who’d once been a spy.

Together, they entered Lord Thornton’s office. Vivian lit the lantern on the desk and Madame Renarde closed the door behind them and locked it in case a servant overheard them. Vivian made her way to Uncle’s large mahogany desk, but her companion stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

“He will likely keep property deeds in a locked box.” Madame Renarde scanned the room. “Probably in that cabinet.”

Vivian found four locked boxes in the cabinet. Madame Renarde had a bit more difficulty unlocking them, but she managed to spring the first one, which contained a fortune in bank drafts. The deeds were in the second box. Vivian’s eyes widened at the formidable stack as she carried them to the desk to read. Her uncle owned farms and estates not only all over Blackpool, but also in London, Scotland, and even property in Italy and France.

Madame Renarde rifled through the papers with a frown. “The majority are deeds he owns outright.” She came to a smaller stack with different seals and signatures. “Ah. Here are the mortgages. But how are you to know which one belongs to Rhys’s family when we don’t know his surname?”

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