Page 86 of The Last Chance
Joanna!
Aaron prayed she was safe. She would be aboard the ship now, alive and free, not shackled in leg irons and shuffling towards the scaffold.
“Make it look convincing, like you believe she is resting upstairs. I don’t want the magistrate thinking you had prior knowledge of my hare-brained plan.”
It wasn’t the magistrate banging on the door but Rothley.
Aaron had forgotten he’d told the marquess to call.
“You’ll not evade my questions a second time.” Rothley pushed past Aaron, whipping off his beaver hat like he meant touse it as a weapon. “You will tell me where I can find Joanna. What the hell is going on here?”
Aaron faced Rothley, unsure whether to trust him completely. “She’s on a ship bound for France,” he lied. “The magistrate will arrive shortly with a warrant for her arrest.” He ignored the look of horror on Rothley’s face. “I needed time to dispose of the threat. I’ll not have her tried and hanged because Berridge paid a corrupt judge to hasten the process.”
Sensing Rothley’s mounting fury, Delphine said, “The evidence is enough for a jury to convict her of Lord Howard’s murder. Mr Daventry said no one can save Miss Lovelace from the noose, my lord. Not even you.”
“Did no one think to tell me?” Rothley bellowed.
“We’ve been busy trying to uncover the truth.” Aaron explained the claims made against Joanna and what he had learned thus far. “Lucia is Venus. She had Parker steal the murder weapon, which she took with her to The Burnished Jade that night. Even a mediocre barrister could convince a jury the maid was working for Joanna.”
Rothley drew his hand slowly down his face and groaned. “God, this is a damnable mess. You know what will happen if they find her.”
“They won’t.”
“This is your fault,” Rothley spat.
“It’s not, but I accept Berridge used her to hurt me.”
“I’ll gut Berridge like a fish for this.”
“As will I, but we cannot help Joanna from a cell in Newgate.” Aaron’s hands had been tied since the start of the investigation. Killing Lord Howard was a cunning move, almost too clever for a weasel like Berridge. “We need to know how Berridge persuaded Lucia to be his accomplice. Howard must have told her what he did to Joanna.”
“And Lucia told Lord Berridge,” Delphine said, looking at Rothley. “My lord, the letters sent to you and the police officewere written by the same person, though Christian believes a woman wrote them.”
“Can the maid even write?” Rothley scoffed. “I suppose we could ask her if your brother hadn’t let her escape.”
Quick to defuse the tension, Delphine gestured to the drawing room. “I would appreciate your help on a matter. A few ladies mentioned in Miss Lovelace’s ledger are unfamiliar. You may help to identify them.”
Rothley might have agreed had the front door not burst open.
Baptiste hurried into the hallway, shivering from the cold. With a trembling hand, the Frenchman offered Aaron a foxed receipt. “It is a copy of the sale docket from the auction house,” Baptiste said, his teeth chattering. “To prevent the sale of stolen goods, the clerk keeps records of all items bought by the nobility.”
Aaron studied the docket and grinned. “Excellent work.” He patted Baptiste on the back. “Pour a large brandy and warm yourself by the fire.”
Baptiste didn’t linger in the chilly hall.
Aaron showed Rothley the receipt. “Berridge bought my father’s watch all those years ago. No doubt he wanted a trophy. Now, he must account for its whereabouts.”
“It’s a small move in the right direction,” Rothley said, slightly appeased. “According to my sources, Fitzpatrick offered Howard a thousand pounds to ruin his sister. Howard was supposed to lure the girl upstairs and have someone catch them in the act.” A muscle twitched in Rothley’s cheek. “It’s obvious that’s why Howard was at The Burnished Jade that night.”
“And it gives someone else a motive,” Aaron said, refusing to count his blessings just yet. “Though I doubt Miss Fitzpatrick is the killer, either.”
“Then we must find more evidence.”
“I have a man watching Berridge’s house.” Aaron had given the fellow new instructions upon leaving the earl’s home today. “I’ve told him to watch the servants, the housekeeper, in particular.”
Aaron had seen her somewhere before.
He fell silent while trying to recall where.
