Page 71 of When the Rogue Returns
He scrubbed his face, then went to stand before the fire. Staring into the flames, he considered and discarded several solutions, all of which ended badly. “Since you won’t let me shoot Gerhart,” he grumbled, “we need to rid ourselves of them legally without landing either of us in gaol and leaving Amalie without family.”
“I say we should just hold fast to our determination not to give in to them,” she said earnestly. “They’re both cowards at heart, Victor. You saw how Jacoba ran when I threatened her. Once she accepts that exposing us would mean exposing them, too, she’ll back down and disappear.”
“And escape justice in the process. I can’t let them do that. Besides, I think you underestimate them.” He faced her, squaring his shoulders. “We need help and legal advice. We need Dom and his brother.”
Alarm sparked in her eyes. “The Bow Street investigators?”
“They don’t work for Bow Street; they work for themselves. Dom studied law long enough to know it very well, and Tristan used to work for Eugène Vidocq, whose expertise with criminals is legendary. Between them, they can help us determine how to scuttle any attempts your family makes to ensnare us in their nasty plans.”
“No, Victor, you mustn’t speak to them.” She hurried up to him. “The minute we involve the authorities in any way, we’re taking a huge risk.”
“They’re not the ‘authorities,’ damn it! They’re my friends. They won’t do anything to make matters worse. And I daresay my cousin Max, the duke, can make sure your family is dealt with. Though I hate to involve him, I will if I must.”
Her mouth flattened into a grim line. “He’s not going to want that kind of scandal. And what if his response is to urge you to divorce me? It’s not as if we have to do anything right away,” she pleaded. “We can wait and see how much of a problem Gerhart and Jacoba become. They may do nothing more than make vague threats they can’t carry out.”
“Isa,” he chided, “you’re a fool if you think they’ll give up trying to get money from us. They followed me all the way from the Continent. That’s not the behavior of people who will roll over and play dead.”
“At least give me a chance to talk some sense into Gerhart.”
He scowled at her. “You’re not going anywhere near that bastard. I’ll deal with him myself. Alone.”
“By calling him out? Or worse, threatening to send investigators after him? That will only provoke him! We have to be cautious.”
“Yourcautionis what got us into this mess in the first place!”
When her face fell, he could have kicked himself.
“I’m sorry, Isa,” he murmured. “I don’t mean that.”
“Yes, you do,” she said, wringing her hands. “But I have survived all these years by being cautious. You can’t expect me to throw caution to the winds just because you have come back into my life.”
“And you can’t expect me to go on with this cloud hanging over our heads. We have to act—”
A knock came at the parlor door.
They exchanged a glance. Then Isa turned for the door. “Yes?”
“Rob is back, madam,” Betsy said through the door. “I thought you’d wish to know.”
Isa hurried to open the door. But when Victor saw Betsy’s crestfallen expression, he knew that the news was bad. “I take it that the lad didn’t find out where they were staying,” he said tersely.
“I’m afraid not, sir,” Betsy said.
Victor released a low oath.
“You can question Rob if you wish,” Betsy went on, “but this is what he told me. Even though Mrs. Hendrix had a hackney waiting down the road to bring her back into the city, he was able to keep up on horseback. But once they reached town and the traffic became thicker, he thinks she jumped out somewhere without his noticing. She wasn’t in the hackney when it stopped, and he couldn’t find her after that.”
“Damn it all to hell,” Victor muttered.
Isa was watching him warily. “Now what?”
“I’m not going to sit around waiting for them to make another move.” He headed for the door. “I was sent here as an investigator, and I’m going to investigate. A Dutch couple that speaks poor English won’t have gone unnoticed. I’ll root them out somehow.”
“I’ll go with you,” Isa said.
“No. I can move faster without you.” When she shot him a mutinous glance, he softened his tone. “Besides, people will be more likely to speak freely if I don’t have a lady with me.”
She searched his face. “Just promise me you won’t—” Her gaze shifted to where Betsy was listening with great curiosity. “Er... fight with him.”
