Page 55 of Nothing Compares to the Duke
“I don’t. But I must speak to him, so you must find him.” Rhys glanced at Bella.
Her eyes had widened with curiosity but now she looked as disappointed as Rhys felt. “As near as we can tell, he’s drained the ducal accounts by thousands of pounds,” she told the inspector. “Do you have no clues at all? What do you know of him, sir?”
Macadams’s brows drew together in a frown. “I know his name isn’t Radley, my lady. His last alias was Hayes.” The man from the Yard squinted at his notepad. “His true given name is Roger Ellsworth. He’s served as a clerk in London and a butler in Bristol for a time. In both cases, there were irregularities with the accounts.”
“Wonderful.” Rhys pinched the bridge of his nose. Some part of him had held on to hope that the errors in the ledger were just that. Perhaps overpayments to vendors that could be recovered or simple mismanagement that could be resolved by hiring a new steward. Now the odds of ever recovering what Radley—or Ellsworth or whatever his damned name was—had stolen seemed bleak.
“We’ll find him eventually, Your Grace. The man won’t always be a step ahead.”
“But he is a step ahead now. Several of them. Do you have any idea where to look next?” Bella asked.
The inspector seemed shocked every time she spoke, as if he wasn’t used to dealing with ladies during the course of his investigations. Especially ones who questioned him so mercilessly.
“We have reason to believe he is from Buckinghamshire, miss. I shall inquire there next.”
Bella shook her head. “But it seems unlikely he’d return to family, particularly if he knows you’ve discovered his identity.”
“We shall take our investigation wherever it leads, Miss Prescott.” Macadams narrowed his bushy-browed eyes and his voice turned rough and blatantly offended.
Bella stared back unperturbed. Rhys was almost curious to see what would happen if he let them continue.
“I’m sure you’ll be diligent in your search, Inspector,” Rhys told the man by way of taking leave. “I’d be pleased to recover the monies he’s taken.”
“Of course, Your Grace. And if he should reappear, please inform us straightaway.”
The man departed as hastily as he’d entered the study, and Rhys could feel the press of Bella’s gaze before he turned to face her.
“With a pursuer as laissez-faire as Inspector Macadams on his trail, Radley will never be apprehended.”
“You’re a bit hard on the man, are you not?” Rhys asked playfully.
He trusted her judgment as much as he believed in his own gut instincts. She’d always been discerning. Except, perhaps, when she’d chosen him as a friend.
“I’m not. Do you think it’s likely a man with thousands of pounds at his disposal and a good lead on evading the law would return to the place where he’s best known?” She crossed her arms and stared atthe closed study door. “If only people would employ logic.”
Rhys knew it wasn’t the time for laughter, but he fought the urge to break into a smile. Given half the chance, she’d probably have Radley in custody by now.
“You’re right. Macadams won’t find him in Buckinghamshire.” Rhys tried to focus on the problem of Radley and worry about his thinned-out bank account, but all he could truly think about was Bella and the taste of her lips.
She caught him watching her. “I agreed to meet with Meg while I’m here. I should go down and find her.”
“Bella—”
“I know what you’re going to say.” She stepped out from behind the desk and approached. “As I said, I was impulsive, and I’m aware that I broke one of our rules.”
“So did I.”
She cast a glance at the rolling ladder and bookshelf. “That touching was necessary. We agreed.”
Rhys thought it best not to mention that touching her in general was beginning to feel very necessary. So much so that when she started for the door, he reached for her arm and drew his hand down to gently clasp her wrist.
“What would you do if it was up to you to find Mr. Radley?”
“I’d inspect the properties he acquired on your father’s behalf. If I wished to disappear, I might go to the seaside. Or a quiet London square where I couldblend in among others. I certainly wouldn’t go to the countryside and face my family.”
“Then let’s inspect them.” London. He needed to make a trip there. He’d promised Meg.
“Together? My mother will insist on a chaperone.”
