Page 17 of A Masked Lady for Mr. Kenworthy
Mr. Kenworthy nodded, recognition registering on his face. No doubt her father’s title was familiar to him, and she could feel shame begin to burn her cheeks. What must these men think of her, the daughter of an earl, mixed up in a case they were investigating?
“Thank you, my lady,” he said, giving her another smile. “Your willing cooperation will make this much easier, indeed. Now, please, tell us who has hired you to engage in such spy work? As of now, we have reason to believe that you are a spy for the French. Is that the case?”
Faye could not help but laugh. She realized her mistake by the sharp look the viscount gave her, but she giggled again anyway. The very idea was ludicrous to her, but she understood it wasn’t to them.
“Please, forgive me,” she said. “I will tell you everything you wish to know. My emotions are getting away from me, but you must understand how very silly the notion of me being a French spy is to me. I have never even been to France, and I certainly do not speak French.”
Lord Daleshire looked at her again, his eyes piercing.
“Then tell us who does employ you?” he asked, his patience clearly wearing thin.
Faye shuddered under his gaze. She decided she would only address her kidnapper. Ironically, he seemed to be the nicest and most patient of the two men, and he made her far less uncomfortable. She looked up at him sheepishly and shook her head.
“I do not work for anyone,” she said. “I had never done anything illegal in my life, up until the night when I broke into the marquess’s study.”
The viscount rose quickly from his chair, putting his fists down on the table.
“So, you admit it was you who gained unlawful access to Lord Turlington’s study on the night of the masquerade ball?” he asked.
Faye’s heart leapt into her throat at his tone, and she opened her mouth to babble out her explanation to him. But Mr. Kenworthy turned to his partner and held up his hand, giving his head a firm shake. Then, he turned back to Faye, patting her shoulder gently.
“We just need to know who sent you there,” he said softly. “If not the French, then whom?”
Faye explained everything from the death of her father to how her cousin inherited her father’s title with a sigh. She told them about how, according to him, the late earl had left her and her mother nearly destitute and that Mayson had claimed to be attempting to save them from the poor house. The two men listened carefully, and she prayed she was doing the right thing. Moreover, she prayed that, by some miracle, they would take mercy on her and not have her arrested.
When she had to stop to catch her breath, the viscount cleared his throat softly. And, when Faye looked up at him, his mouth was set in a firm line, but his eyes seemed to be warming to her.
“This does not explain how you ended up breaking into Lord Turlington’s study,” he said. “Does this have something to do with the cousin you mentioned?”
The tears Faye had been working to stifle now leapt to her eyes. She could feel them collecting on her eyelashes as she sighed once more. She began detailing the events of the day when Mayson had called her into his study and threatened her at gunpoint to break into the marquess’s study. Then, before she could stop herself, she told them the one thing she had promised to keep to herself, at least until she knew for certain she could trust these men.
“My mother is very ill,” she said, choking back tears. “I have been struggling to make sure she is taken care of since my father left us with so little money. And…” she paused, forcing herself to take a deep, steady breath. “…And Mayson told me that if I did not carry out his instructions, my mother would pay the price.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Pay the price?” Thomas asked, looking at Lady Faye with waning wariness as she spoke. “Did he threaten to kill her?”
The young earl’s daughter shook her head, her lip trembling once more.
“He does not have to kill her,” she said, her voice sad and heavy. “My mother is very ill, you see. My cousin told me that if I did not comply with his orders and succeed, he would see to it that she did not receive any more medical care. And without that care, she will die.”
Thomas nodded, struggling to keep his expression from belying his feelings. Without a doubt, he knew that Lady Faye was telling the truth. His three years of experience with interrogating criminals made him absolutely certain of it. As such, the guilt that washed over him was almost overwhelming. He had kidnapped a woman who was utterly innocent, who had already been put in a terrible position by her own flesh and blood. Not only had he held her captive against her will, but he had treated her as he would treat a common criminal. And, even after discovering she was not who he at first thought she was, he had interrogated her, which no doubt had frightened her almost as badly as him kidnapping her. He was mortified at his actions, and he knew that no amount of apologizing to her would ever make things right.
“If everything you say is true, then why were you waiting for the marquess at Rotten Row?” Rupert asked, pulling Thomas from his thoughts.
Thomas looked at him sharply. It was clear that Rupert was not yet as convinced of the woman’s innocence as Thomas was, and Thomas knew Rupert would continue questioning her if something was not done to stop him. But Rupert was looking directly at Lady Faye, not paying his partner any heed. He turned his attention to the young woman, preparing to tell her that she need not answer any further questions. But she was not looking at him, either. She was staring down at the handkerchief he had given her, clenching it tightly in her hands once more. After a moment, she spoke.
“Because of the new Earl of Welborn,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.
Thomas listened, horrified, as she explained the ruse her cousin had forced her to enact to get the marquess’s attention. It was a horrid plan, indeed, and Thomas could not help staring at Lady Faye in shock. He briefly envisioned her stepping out in front of a horse galloping as fast as Lord Turlington’s no doubt would have been down that path. His stomach twisted into knots as a horrible realization occurred to him. There would have been no possible way for the marquess to have brought his horse to a stop in time. She would have been killed instantly, if not from the impact of the collision, then by the horse’s hooves as it trampled her after such a severe spooking.
When Thomas glanced at Lady Faye again, his blood began to boil. Her own family member had put her in grave danger, and he felt a sudden, breathtaking urge to protect her. She did not deserve to be caught up in her cousin’s nefarious schemes, and she most certainly did not deserve to be sent to her death. He wanted to do something to help the young lass. Moreover, the desire to protect her began to grow rapidly within him. But first, he knew she must learn to trust him. And to earn her trust, he must find a way to make up for the way he had treated her.
“That is quite a story,” Rupert said from behind Thomas. “And we are going to need you to continue to follow your cousin’s orders, exactly as you have thus far.”
Thomas whirled around, his mouth falling open. Rupert had had some ideas that bordered on insanity in the years since Thomas has been his partner. But surely, he could not seriously mean what he had just said.
“For God’s sake, Rupert,” Thomas said. “Are you mad? You cannot seriously expect Lady Faye to keep endangering herself like this. She is an innocent woman, not some criminal. We cannot just go putting her in danger for the sake of succeeding in our mission.”
