Page 7 of An Unbending Lady for the Desperate Earl
The Duchess sighed. “Who are you, really? You do not seem to be here for the sole purpose of bringing me comfort. I am grateful for the comfort youhaveoffered, but you appear to know more of this sort of thing than an ordinary young lady would.”
The ruse could not last forever.Concern churned in Victoria’s stomach, for she was so very close to attaining all of the information she required. To be cast out now would not be beneficial to her investigation.
“I pray you will not be cross with me. My intentionwasto bring you comfort, but I also intend to ensure that your daughter is returned to you.Thatis the comfort I truly want to offer.” Victoria paused. “I am an investigator, Your Grace. I do not belong to Bow Street, but I occasionally work alongside them. Admiral Benedict Thomson is my true colleague.”
The Duchess gasped. “You are an investigator?”
Here comes the usual tirade…
“Why, how wonderful!” the Duchess continued, taking Victoria by surprise. “I have often thought that we ladies would feel more content to be in the care of other ladies, if ever a crime were to happen. Gentlemen can be so brusque and unfeeling.”
“I fully agree with that sentiment.” Victoria mustered a shy smile.
The Duchess lowered her gaze. “In all honesty, I did not expect you to say you were an investigator in your own right. I thought one of those sulking ingrates outside had, perhaps, sent you in their stead.”
“Goodness, no.” Victoria chuckled tightly. “I like to have as little to do with most of those men as possible. All but the Admiral, who is as honest and genuine a man as you are likely to find. Indeed, he has been as a second father to me, after the passing of my actual father. He would have treated you with the same care and attention that I have.”
“Is that so?” The Duchess tapped her chin in thought. “In that case, perhaps I may relent to having the two of you search for my daughter. Although, you would have to promise that you would not allow any of the others to partake. You have told a white lie to me, Miss McCarthy, but there is something about you that makes me want to trust you. Besides, if this Thomson fellow was once an Admiral, then that inspires a great deal of faith.”
“I hope that you will trust us, Your Grace, and I would be only too happy to convey your wishes to the Admiral.” Victoria jittered with excitement. “We will bring your daughter home, I swear it. In fact, I have already taken some steps that may aid us.”
“You have?” She stepped closer to Victoria.
“Yes, Your Grace.” Victoria proceeded to move about the room, pointing out the evidence she had found: the smudges, the scrap of black fabric, the trace of blood, and the disturbed dust beneath the bed.
The Duchess looked deathly pale when Victoria had finished. “You are exceedingly talented at this, Miss McCarthy, and you have been unerringly discreet and polite. You have not torn this room to shreds, as others might have done.” She swallowed loudly. “Yes, I quite think that you and your Admiral will suffice in pursuing this, to locate my daughter.”
“There is hope, Your Grace.” Victoria never forgot the human element to these cases. The worries of the families were precisely what drove her to succeed, so she could put those concerns to rest. Of course, there were occasions in which she wasn’t able to deliver good news, but she hoped this would not be one such occasion.
“There is?” The Duchess trembled in fear.
“There is no sign that your daughter was injured, or that any physical harm came to her. There is no blood of hers, which is always encouraging.” Victoria paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. “And, if this villain has struck before, then it stands to reason that he has some purpose for his victims.”
The Duchess braced against the bedpost. “What sort of purpose?”
“I cannot say, as of this moment, but if he has chosen to target the wealthy elite, then my gut tells me it has something to do with that. If he had wicked ideas in mind, he would have selected easier targets—dock workers, prostitutes, barmaids, and the like. This required effort and planning. I would not be surprised if it pertained to the value of the ladies he has taken,” Victoria explained. “That way, he has a hope of a return on his investment, after putting such pains into this dastardly endeavor.”
The Duchess seemed to rally. “My girl, that makes a great deal of sense. Why has no one thought to suggest such a thing in the papers? I have read every story on the matter, and not one person made that allusion.”
“They do not think as I do, Your Grace,” Victoria smiled. “I learned much from my father, who was an investigator like me. The best of them, in fact. He had ways of thinking that others lack, and he passed those onto me.”
“You are rather remarkable.” The Duchess stepped away from the bedpost, looking immediately stronger than she had a moment ago. Victoria recognized the look on her face—the expression of a woman who had something to cling onto. Victoria resolved not to disappoint the Duchess. Come hell or high water, shewouldbring Lady Helena home.
Unless I am mistaken…Victoria liked to have faith in her convictions, but she wasn’t always correct. The idea of this wretch kidnapping wealthy young ladies seemed like it might have a great deal to do with what could be offered in return. But there was every chance that this devil merely liked the challenge of capturing high society darlings and had no intention of letting them live. Maybe, getting away with it was this man’s reward.
But Victoria could not say that to the Duchess. Not now since she had given the woman a sliver of hope. The high society did not understand that demons lurked in this world—evildoers who behaved purely out of self-satisfaction, to feed their sick desires.
If this kidnapper was one of those demons, then those young ladies were doomed.
Chapter 4
Christian waited impatiently on the landing. He had tried to listen in to what was happening inside the room, but the voices echoed back muffled and distorted.
His head snapped in the direction of the door as it opened, and the two ladies exited.
“Is all well?” Christian jumped in withhisinterrogation.
The Duchess cast a glance at Miss McCarthy. “All are not well , Lord Galbury. My daughter is gone, and I have no notion of where she has been taken to,” she chided. “But I have decided to put my faith in Miss McCarthy here, in the hopes that she may be able to locate my sweet Helena.”
