Page 29 of A Deal with her Forbidden Duke
“That was why we met at the docks. As well as that, Donald was desperate for money. I was surprised he could even pay for all the other mistresses, but I suppose he did not have to. Not when he had a disposal of jewelry and dresses to lure them with instead.” She scoffed. “I was taken in easily, but I see it now. He was involved with dangerous men.”
Madeleine could feel Alexander’s gaze on her, and she could only hope he was impressed with her, with how she held her ground. He knew she was no fool, had confirmed as much, and she was grateful for it.
“Miss Trent,” he spoke up, “do you know where Lord Kinsfeld is now?”
The woman shook her head. “No, not really.”
“Then we shall not disturb you any longer.” Alexander nodded his head.
“Thank you, Miss Trent. I hope, in the future, you will find someone better than Donald,” Madeleine nodded at her as well and turned to leave.
Suddenly, Nellie cried out, “Wait!” and looked at Madeleine. “Wait, please.”
She disappeared upstairs, only to return moments later with an open letter.
“I… I always searched his jackets. For evidence of his other affairs. I did not know what I would do with it, exactly, but it was a comfort to have the true evidence in my hand.”
She handed Madeleine the letter.
“I hope this helps, and I am sorry for my behavior before.” Her cheeks flushed as she looked between the two of them. “To both of you. I truly hope that bastard gets what he deserves.”
Madeleine smiled tightly.
Alexander growled, “Oh, trust me, he will.”
Chapter Ten
“It is a money transaction between Donald and an anonymous sender. They never signed it,” Madeleine told him, clutching the letter.
Next to her in the carriage, Alexander could not settle.
He was still, but his thoughts were a jumbledmess. Anger, suspicion… desire.
Seeing how Madeleine had been so fierce, standing her ground against Nellie’s riling up of her, had loosened something in him.
It had sent his mind into a tailspin.
“What does it say?”
Madeleine cleared her throat and read the letter aloud, alerting them both to a new location to try.
Alexander was tired of dead ends and false leads, of people whose tongues did not loosen so easily. He was being sent on a wild goose chase of this man, and he was bone-tired of it. Determined, but tired.
But Madeleine…
There was a fire in Madeleine that refused to bank. Still, he noticed how her hands trembled.
He could not stop himself from reaching out.
“Let us stop for the day,” he told her. “We have done enough for now.”
He did not expect Madeleine to wrench back so harshly but she did, her angry face turned up to him.
“It will not be enough until we apprehend my wandering husband,” she snapped before blinking, and forcing herself to relax. “I want to do this. Let us follow this new lead.”
There was a fierce steel to her nerves that Alexander could not help but admire. He gazed at her, his voice lost, even as he shook his head.
“No. I will return you home.”
