Page 73 of Drowned in the Pleasure of a Devilish Baron
“Yes, and I was terribly sorry to hear of it,” he said, his big shoulders lowering. “If there’s anything I can do to help you, just say the word.”
“We’ve learned a piece of new information, but haven’t been able to place it yet. The man who started the fire was likely not English, and will have a terrible burn on his left arm. I wanted to pass this information on to you in case you should know a man fitting that description,” Leonard explained.
“I’ve not seen such a man, but I will keep an eye out for him. I’ll send word to the Runners as well.”
“I’m very grateful,” Leonard said. “Have you seen or heard anything else that might help us discover who did this?”
“Not a thing, but I haven’t given up. There’s another reason I asked you to meet me here, My Lord. There’s a man who I think could provide some assistance to you. I’ve asked him to come here today.”
Felix leaned forward, curious.
“Who is this man? And do you trust him? At present, I find myself having difficulty trusting people, particularly strangers.”
The constable nodded knowingly. “Of course, My Lord. But this man is trustworthy, I’ll vouch for him myself. His name is Daniel Cast.” He looked up toward the door and stood, waving a hand the size of a dinner plate. “Ah, there he is now. I’ll let him introduce himself to you.”
A wiry, gray-haired man weaved his way through the tables to theirs, and the constable made introductions. Cast sat.
“My Lord, Sir Felix, I hope that I can be of some assistance to you,” he said, his brown eyes intent on the two gentlemen across the table from him.
“I do not know yet what it is that you do,” Leonard said.
“I’m a private investigator. I’m hired by people in situations similar to yours to do the dirty work. It is my job to find out all that I can about what happened and come back to you with all the answers I can find. You are a gentleman, a Marquess, you cannot be stalking the back alleys of London digging up small scraps of information to form a larger picture. That is where I come in.” He folded his hands neatly atop the table, looking at them steadily.
Felix and Leonard exchanged a quick glance. “For what reason would you do this?”
“Why, for the money.” Cast said blithely. “I charge a very high fee, but I promise you, I do not rest until the work is done. I have a host of people who can speak for me to that end.”
The constable cleared his throat. “It’s true. The price is high, but he gets results. Even if he cannot find the final answer for you, he can get you closer to it with the information that he finds.”
“And what is your price?” Leonard asked cautiously.
“Fifty pounds,” Cast answered promptly.
Felix’s mouth dropped open. That was more than he was paying Mrs. Clay for a year’s worth of wages. “You can’t be serious,” Felix laughed. “That is an incredible sum for a few days’ work.”
“You’re right, it is,” Cast said without shame. “But you are not paying simply for a few day’s work, My Lord. No, you are paying for the bribes I pass around, the years of work I put into my relationships with people across the city so that they trust me enough to answer whatever questions I have freely. Above all, you are paying for answers.”
Leonard looked to the constable, who said, “He is the only man I know who finds the things he finds. There is none other like him.”
“Gentlemen, will you excuse us for a moment?” Leonard asked, and the two stood from the table.
“Of course, My Lord,” Clifford said, and he and Cast retreated to the other side of the pub.
Leonard looked at Felix. “What do you think?”
“I think not!” Felix said. “It is an insane sum! Only to ask a few questions, ridiculous! He’s a charlatan! I’ll do the work myself for that price!”
“I think we should do it. To be frank with you, Felix, in the interest of time, this amount of money is not an issue for me to pay. I am more concerned about finding out who is targeting my family and why, than I am in dickering on the cost,” Leonard said, and Felix’s eyes widened.
“I understand, but it seems like such an unreasonable price to pay for something so simple.” Felix could not stop thinking of the wages he paid Mrs. Clay.
“What else are we to do?” Leonard lowered his voice and leaned closer. “If I do nothing, I’ll have lost all the work that my father put into the business. I cannot live with that shame, Felix. Further, what if they do not stop at just my business? Clearly, whoever this is has no moral compunction. What if they come after my family next?”
Felix saw the expression on his face and knew that he had been beat. “Fine, but on one condition. Add half of that price to what I owe you. We are in this together, so I will not agree unless you allow me to owe half of Cast’s payment.”
Leonard smiled. “It’s a deal.” He waved the men back over and they began to broker a deal.
Chapter Forty
