Page 75 of The Last Chance
“Are you ill?” Christian said, glancing at his wife Isabella as if his eldest brother were mad. “I fail to see what’s amusing when Berridge is baying for our blood.”
“Let him catch his breath.” Delphine cast Aaron a knowing grin. “He’s not slept a wink. Can you not see he’s exerted himself? Pour him coffee and butter a triangle of toast. I fear he’s expended all his energy.”
Aaron winked at her.
He never winked at anyone.
Mrs Maloney chuckled. “Who are you, and what have you done with my eldest boy? You’re pedantic when it comes to timekeeping, yet you don’t seem the least bit fazed.”
Aaron shrugged. “Some things can’t be helped. But I’m here now and haven’t much time. I trust Delphine updated you all on recent events.”
Aramis was the first to respond. “Yes, though she refuses to explain why Miss Lovelace locked herself in the room next to yours and won’t come out.”
“Miss Lovelace isn’t here.” He glanced at the mantel clock. She would arrive in Southend soon, the distance between them widening by the hour. “It wasn’t safe for her to remain in England.” His stomach twisted at the memory of her crying as they said goodbye. “We must keep the secret until tonight. Then she’ll be on the last leg of her journey, out of harm’s way.”
Christian paled. “But they’ll hang you for aiding her escape.”
“Not if we stick to the same story.” Aaron sipped his coffee. “I have nine hours to prove she’s innocent. It’s a tall task, but I will drain my personal account and draw blood if necessary.”
Amid the tense silence, Aramis said, “What do you want us to do? I speak for all of us when I say we are at your disposal.”
They would not like the answer.
“You’re to remain here and promise you won’t leave.” Aaron raised a calming hand at the first grumbles of protest. “I cannot work quickly if I’m worried about your safety.”
“What about your safety?” Mrs Maloney said.
“I’m invincible, remember.” Stomach rumbling, Aaron reached for a slice of toast. “I’ve made huge sacrifices for this family. I’m asking you all to do one small thing for me.”
No one argued.
How could they?
“There is work you can do in my absence.” Aaron reeled off the list that would keep his brothers occupied. “Compare the handwriting on the letter Rothley received to the one delivered to Mrs Flavell, and the one sent to the treasury. They’re in my desk drawer. And study the list of men’s names Miss Stowe sent. Mark any with a gripe against me.”
“Anything else?” Aramis said.
“Search the ledgers from The Burnished Jade. Look for names you don’t recognise. A woman who joined the club recently but has no connection to anyone in society. And write to Ballingers Auction House. We need to know who bought our father’s watch all those years ago. It’s a distinctive timepiece. A clerk may remember the sale.”
“I’ll send Sigmund.”
“He’s not here. Send Baptiste. We need the answer today.”
Flynn spoke up. He thought like an enquiry agent and offered valuable insight. “We must consider how Venus is connected to the Earl of Berridge. Did Berridge meet her at one of Mrs Flavell’s lavish parties? Might Mrs Flavell be the earl’s mistress?”
Aaron was forced to reveal another secret he had kept to himself. “I’ve had men watching Berridge since the thugs shot Theo. I’d know if he had a mistress. He spends his nights alone at home. It begs the question: how did he meet Venus if he rarely leaves the house?”
“Logic would suggest the earl is innocent,” Flynn said.
“Then we’re missing a vital clue.” Aaron scoured his memories for the lost piece of the puzzle but kept returning to the same question. Why now? “Berridge has threatened us for years but has never dared to act.”
“His son and heir is dead,” Theo said. “What has he to lose? Though, why the elaborate plot? Why have you chasing your tail?”
Hatred for the Berridge family surfaced. “Killing me isn’t enough. He wants to make me suffer. He wants to hurt me by threatening the people I love.”
Delphine jumped at the opportunity to force a confession. “Then why involve Miss Lovelace if she’s nothing more than your competitor?”
Like a soothing melody, Joanna’s words drifted through his mind.
