Page 4 of Secrets of a Duke's Heart
“Cousin,” she corrected. “You are Mr. Davies?”
“What’s this about?”
“They’re looking for a missing woman.” Mrs. Davies cast her husband a worried glance. “We don’t know anything, now, do we?”
“Not at all. But the weather seems about to turn. Come in for a few minutes.”
“We won’t keep you,” said Mr. Montague reassuringly as they were ushered into a cozy main room decorated with paintings of geese. The remnants of their dinner sat on the polished wood table, and a baby’s crib stood near the stove. The woman called Ada went over to it and scooped a tiny bundle into her arms.
A baby. That was what had made the mewling noise. Clarissa’s gut twisted. She hadn’t meant to intrude on the family’s evening.
The husband, Thomas Davies, ushered them to a sitting area with upholstered chairs. Mr. Montague dropped into one, making it squeak.
“I would offer you tea, but as you can see, my wife is occupied.”
“We didn’t come here for refreshments,” Montague declared acerbically. “I need information. Miss Penfirth says you know every smuggler in Cavalier Cove. We are searching for a man who goes by the ridiculous moniker Le Fantôme.”
Clarissa fought the urge to smack her forehead.
A sly smile curled up Thomas’ lips, there and gone. “Just because I was raised in France during the War does not mean I am disloyal to England. I know nothing of smuggling.” He shrugged. “I cannot help you.”
A muscle in Montague’s jaw ticked. Clarissa had to do something.
“We aren’t here to make trouble. We only want to find the missing lady. She is on her way to marry…” She glanced at the man beside her.
“In Ireland,” he bit out.
“That’s right, in Ireland.” She hesitated, tapping her lips, thinking. “Why are you coming through Cornwall, exactly? It would have been faster to go through Liverpool.”
“How do you know?” huffed Mr. Montague.
“Nathaniel said you were coming from the north. Near Newcastle Upon Tyne?”
“That is quite a distance,” observed Mr. Davies. “Would have taken weeks to go that far out of your way.”
“I had business with your cousin, Miss Penfirth, which is unrelated to Harriet’s disappearance and therefore irrelevant to this discussion.”
The glare he leveled at her was stormier than the sky outside. Message received: Don’t ask questions about why he was here. Which only piqued her curiosity further.
“All I am saying, Mr. Montague, is that if the lady was not altogether happy about her impending nuptials, it wouldn’t have been difficult to arrange for her to be ‘kidnapped’ from Cavalier Cove.”
“A fascinating theory, Miss Penfirth.” Mr. Davies tented his fingers. She had the distinct impression that he was enjoying their little spat.
“I cannot imagine it would have been difficult to tempt a smuggler into playing kidnapper. Every man has a price, and I doubt a scoundrel’s price is too high for a lady with adequate pin money to bribe.”
“Harriet didn’t run away. She is a good girl. Very obedient.”
Clarissa knew how that went. She, too, had been avery good girl.Like a dog. Yet her obedience failed to attract a suitor, and in the end, she decided she didn’t need one anyway. She was content with her quiet life—at least, she had been until Mr. Montague blew in with all his secrets. Now, she couldn’t resist the temptation to poke and prod him.
“We cannot help you,” insisted Ada, who had finished changing the baby and had returned with her cradled on her hip.
“May I hold her?”
Mr. Montague held out both hands. To Clarissa’s astonishment, Ada reluctantly relinquished her daughter. To her even greater surprise, Montague cradled the child expertly. A twinge somewhere near her heart at the sight of the tiny baby nestled against his broad shoulder shook her to her core.
Was she lying to herself?
“If you want to find out about smuggling, you’ll need to ask at the Cock and Bull Tavern in town.” Mrs. Davies plopped inelegantly into the chair beside her husband’s. “There is a ship called theSpectrethat runs between Cornwall and France carrying illicit goods. My uncle, Mr. Patrick Leacham, is in the Waterguard. He has been searching for the captain of this ship, Le Fantôme, for years.”
