Page 42 of Enamored with a Brooding Earl
“So we will find Sir Jeffries and speak to him,” Lord Thurston said, gesturing to James to rise. “Now?”
James nodded. “Now, if that pleases you. I know it is a little late in the evening but I could not wait until the morrow. Once Lady Temperance returned home, I thought only about coming here and telling you both all that I knew.”
“Of course, you must both go at once and with the greatest urgency.” Lady Thurston took her husband’s hand and looked straight into his eyes. “Do be careful, however. It is clear that Lord Barlington is a very evil man.”
“I will be.” Lord Thurston kissed his wife’s hand and, after a moment, stepped away. James followed quickly after him and, in only a few minutes, both gentlemen were on their horses, riding across the moor to Lord Jeffries’ house.
***
“The tavern isnotwhere I expected a knight of the realm to be residing!” James jumped down from his horse, grimacing at the noise and jocularity which came from the tavern. “I thought he might be a little more respectable than to be present at this hour!”
Lord Thurston offered him a small, wry smile. “You would be surprised, my friend. There is very little by way of expectation in this small, quiet part of England. Though I myself would not spend time here in the evenings, it is understandable to me that a Knight or a Baron might do so.”
James pulled his mouth to one side, a little frustrated that they had been directed here. To his mind, he was sure that Sir Jeffries would be already well into his cups and would be unable to give them any sort of aid, though Lord Thurston seemed to be a little more hopeful.
“Even if he is a little tipsy, it may be that the liquor will loosen his tongue a little more,” Lord Thurston suggested, seemingly able to read James’ thoughts as they tied up their horses. “Come now, let us go inside without too much pomp.Those within the tavern are bound to notice our presence and we do not want them to react by falling into silence now, do we?” So saying, he took off his jacket and his hat and set his jacket on top of his saddle, his hat on the gate beside them. Looking to James to do the same, he lifted an eyebrow but without question or hesitation, James followed suit, eschewing his gloves also. No doubt his hat would be a little dusty – or mayhap disappeared entirely by some ragamuffin with sticky fingers – but he did not have time nor the inclination to care about that. The only person on his mind was Lady Temperance and the happiness he wanted to restore her to.
“Come, then.” With a set of his shoulders, James cleared his throat and made his way towards the tavern. Pushing open the door, he and Lord Thurston stepped inside but, much to his relief, only a few of those within looked at them. There were a good many bodies present, the air thick and warm as the candles and lamps flickered a dull light across the room. There was a great deal of raucous laughter and, as James’ eyes adjusted, he caught sight of the very man they were looking for. Sir Jeffries was seated at the back of the room, sitting at a table with a few cards in his hand. Evidently, he was in the middle of a card game.
“Look. There.” James made to step forward, only for Lord Thurston to let out a hiss of breath and catch his arm. About to question what his friend was doing, James caught sight of a familiar face and the words died on his lips.
Lord Barlington was present.
“Whatever ishedoing here?” James muttered, as he and Lord Thurston watched the gentleman closely. “Is he playing cards with Sir Jeffries?” He frowned, hard. “A Marquess playing cards with a Knight, in a dull, dark village tavern?”
“He wants Lady Temperance’s dowry and income, does he not?” Lord Thurston gestured to the man. “Mayhap this is why.”
Anger began to burn in the pit of James’ stomach, his lip curling and his stomach twisting hard as he glared at the fellow, though Lord Barlington did not so much as glance in his direction.
“Wait, my friend.” Again, Lord Thurston held him back. “Why do we not simply watch and wait?”
“Because I do not want to!” James exclaimed. “I want to go to Sir Jeffries, demand to speak with him and mayhap, in doing so, demand to know what the Marquess is doing here also!”
“But he will not tell you and you will only raise his suspicions if you do such a thing,” his friend warned. “Listen to me. First, we must send a note to the Duke himself, asking him to come to join us. Thereafter, we must wait until Lord Barlington has imbibed a little more, until the liquor has dulled his mind a little.Thatway, he will be more than willing to tell us all that we need to know. The Marquess will tell us of his guilt without our use of force, I am sure of it.”
“And if he does not?”
Lord Thurston smiled ruefully. “At least we will have tried the gentler way. Recall, we must be cautious. Our questions must not be laden with anger, our voices must be calm and even jovial. Anything else could arouse his suspicions, despite the brandy in his veins!”
As much as James wanted to rush forward, sit down at the table and start throwing questions at both the gentlemen, he slowly began to realize that his friend was right. Closing his eyes tightly for a moment, he took in a long, slow breath to steady himself, and then nodded.
“Very well.”
Lord Thurston nodded. “Good. Now, let us go and get ourselves a drink and sit down so we may watch the game from a distance.” He slapped James on the shoulder. “Do not worry, my friend. It will not be long now.”
***
“Lord Barlington? Is that you?” James sat down in a chair just behind the Marquess, forcing the gentleman to look over his shoulder. The man was so addled, however, he swayed heavily in his seat, clutching at the table so as to right himself.
“It is,” he said, a jovial tone to his voice which told James that he had not yet been recognized. With a nod, he watched as the Duke of Danfield and Lord Thurston came to join him, though they made certain to stand behind the Marquess also, keeping their presence hidden from him as best they could. The arrival of the Duke had caused something of a stir within the tavern itself but given that Lord Barlington had imbibed a good deal more brandy than when James had first arrived, he had not even noticed. That had been of great relief to James and all he needed now was forLord Barlington to confess the truth so that this great and terrible nightmare might come to an end.
“How good to see you again,” James continued, his tone as warm and as friendly as he could muster. “It has been a very pleasant evening, has it not? Tell me, have you had any success this evening?”
Sir Jeffries snorted, before Lord Barlington had a chance to answer. “Certainly, he has not! It is just the same as before.”
“Before?” Lord Thurston asked, making Lord Barlington swivel around in his chair, though he then swayed so heavily, he had to grip onto the table with great force so as to steady himself.
“Yes, just as before,” Sir Jeffries said loudly, catching Lord Barlington’s attention again. “The gentleman has been in this tavern almost every evening since he arrived, attempting to regain the coin he has lost.” He made a face. “Alas, he proves time and again that he is not the sort of gentleman who isableto play cards well, given the amount he imbibes!”
