Page 92 of My Kind of Scoundel
Had she confronted her brother?
“I knew nothing about their nefarious deeds.” The lady gulped hard as tears slipped down her cheeks. “Like you, I am an innocent party.”
“Like me?” Eleanor’s heart pounded so wildly she thought she might swoon. “What has this to do with me?”
Panic flared in Theo’s eyes. “You’ve got three seconds to explain how Miss Darrow is involved.”
The answer came to Eleanor in a blinding light seconds before Lady Lucille said, “Mr Franklin didn’t want Wrotham collecting the plates from the silversmith shop. Wrotham parks on Water Lane and collects them from Miss Darrow’s coal shed.”
Her vision blurred as the news hit like a hard blow.
She shuddered as if hearing the fiend’s vile threats.
If you tell anyone, you’ll die.
The villain’s voice was coarse. It couldn’t have been Lord Wrotham because he would struggle to disguise his eloquence. Her attacker was larger than the scrawny lord. Somehow, the devil had obtained a key because he had entered her bedchamber in the dead of night.
Eleanor froze in horror. Mr Franklin had attacked her in the yard. He’d put his grubby hands all over her body. He’d stood watching her at night.
“So, the notes in the book were a way of getting rid of Miss Darrow,” Theo said, a stab of anger in his voice. “They sent her on a goose chase while using her premises to defraud the banks.”
“Do you see why I was reluctant to tell you?” Fear tinged the lady’s blue eyes. “Wrotham will deny everything and blame the Franklins. We’re both friends with Anna. It will look like we conspired together.”
“Trust me,” Theo said, his expression as dark as the bowels of hell. “Wrotham will be dead before he can make any accusations. You need to visit the office of the Order inHart Street and have Lucius Daventry take your statement. He will assist us in bringing the real culprits to justice.”
“Mr Daventry is a defender of the law,” Eleanor added. “He will protect your identity. You have my word.”
The lady’s countenance brightened. “I shall go there directly.” She paused. “There is something else.”
“Yes?” Eleanor said.
“Wrotham is meeting Mr Franklin tonight. Since you’ve hired a man to guard your premises, they cannot leave the plates in your coal shed. They’re making the exchange at midnight on the north side of Blackfriars Bridge. Anna read a note from Wrotham and sent word with a penny boy.”
“Tonight?” There was a hint of excitement in Theo’s voice. “Then there’s no time to dally. It’s imperative we catch them in the act.”
A faint smile touched the lady’s lips. “Do you really think we might bring an end to this nightmare, Mr Chance? I must admit, I had given up hope.”
Theo gave a devilish grin. “Madam, nothing would give me greater pleasure than seeing my cousin rot in a dank cell. Daventry never fails. Come tomorrow, we will all be rid of Wrotham for good.”
Chapter Twenty
From Eleanor’s dark bedchamber, Theo watched the silversmith shop through a gap in the curtains. Fog crept from the river like a silent thief, its ghostly tendrils curling around buildings and drifting through the streets.
“If Franklin doesn’t leave soon, I’ll lose sight of his premises.”
While Daventry hid near Blackfriars Bridge with Aramis and Christian, Sigmund watched Wrotham’s abode from an unmarked carriage.
Aaron moved closer to the window. “Perhaps I should wait outside on the street. Franklin doesn’t know me, and I’m skilled at keeping to the shadows.”
“We can’t risk losing each other,” Eleanor said.
“We’ll stick to the plan unless the fog becomes so thick I cannot see.” Upon sensing movement in the darkness, Theo narrowed his gaze. So far, he’d spotted nothing but drunkards and vagabonds. If only the gas lamp shone directly outside Franklin’s door.
Aaron paced the floor. He was always calm underpressure, but the reason for his agitation became apparent. “I’ve waited a lifetime to punish the Earl of Berridge. That devil left four boys to sleep on the street. Nothing will please me more than seeing his son bound in chains.”
Theo would count his blessings once Wrotham was stripped of his title and punished for forgery. He was wise enough to know the blame would probably rest at Franklin’s door. Still, he hoped Wrotham would get his just deserts.
Eleanor had other concerns. “I pray Anna will make a full recovery. We should enter the house when Mr Franklin departs and ensure she is well.”
