Page 14 of Never a Duchess
The yard was dark. One lit lantern hung from a nail on the post, providing the only light. The chill in the air nipped the cheeks and numbed the fingers. Still, a young lad dressed in a thin coat and cap was sweeping out a stall.
Callan narrowed his gaze and scoured the shadows.
Had the devil dragged his victim into a coach house?
He called to the lad, who looked up but did not stop working. “Did ye see a man drag a woman out here? She wore a dark cloak with the hood raised.”
The lad gave a hapless shrug.
With the mews being the only exit from the garden, doubtless he had seen more than he ought. More than he cared to admit.
“Come find me when ye regain yer memory. A gold coin might make it worth the trouble.”
“Let’s see the blunt, gov’nor,” came the canny lad’s reply.
Callan stepped closer and flicked the lad a sovereign. “Tell me everything ye know, and I’ll double the bounty.”
Callan would be a fool to trust this scamp’s word. A boy with a grumbling belly would sell his mother for a shilling.
The lad pocketed the coin and took up his broom. “He shoved her into a waiting carriage and climbed in behind her.”
Cursed saints!
“Did either of them say anything? Did ye see his face?”
“It ain’t my business to notice. But he told his coachman to head for the docks. Said he didn’t want to keep O’Malley waiting.”
Callan scrubbed his hand over his face. Miss Ware would not let the matter rest. She would insist on saving the woman from the murderous rogue. Demand they journey to the docks tonight and jostle with Irish sailors in a bid for answers.
“Did he speak to the woman? Refer to her by name?” They needed a clue else they’d have no hope of finding her.
The lad pursed his lips and held out his hand.
Callan pressed another sovereign into his grimy palm.
“She begged him to let her go. Told him she would keep her mouth shut. But he said they were partners and would see the business through till the end.” The boy leaned forward. “Happen he said that so she’d stop blubbering.”
“Do ye think he means to kill her?”
“Happen so. Fancy coves have cold hearts.”
“He was well-spoken?”
The lad nodded. “Though he might have faked an accent.”
“And the woman?”
“A voice as sweet as honey. A lady, I don’t doubt.” The lad glanced over his shoulder and lowered his voice. “She dropped something. On purpose, I reckon.”
Was this where Callan paid a king’s ransom for fool’s gold? “I’ve nae more coins, but ye can have my sapphire stick pin if I deem the item worth trading.”
“A sapphire ain’t no good to me,” the boy sneered. “They’ll think I stole it and cart me off to gaol quick as a wink.”
“What about my knife?” Callan flashed the blade.
The boy’s eyes shone brighter than a new penny. “I’ve got her handkerchief with fancy letters sewn in the corner. Do you want to trade gov’nor?”
“Aye.”
