Page 45 of A Duke in Pursuit of Passion
From the corner of his eye, Nathaniel watched Mack gesturing out of the window closest to him where he had opened the shutters hours ago to let some of the stink out.
"What is going on in here?" the first thug demanded. "Where is the girl?"
"You need never concern yourself with her again," Nathaniel assured him, gesturing the men inside. "Please, do come in so we might have a chat."
As though the confusion of the situation had burned off some of the alcohol they had consumed, the three men suddenly straightened up, looking much more focused, their expressions becoming mean.
"We don't take kindly to orders from the likes of you," the first thug snarled as he stepped forward, leaving the two others to fight over which one would enter first.
Already Nathaniel could hear the tell-tale sounds of Mack's men rushing in from all over the place, one of them already sent on his way for the authorities at the signal from Mack.
"Sit and talk with us like men here and now or we'll happily hand you over to the authorities," Nathaniel said. "What connection have you with Mr Giles?"
"Giles?" the leader of the thugs smirked. "Never heard of no Giles."
The man wasn't a very good liar. Nathaniel could see the tell-tale darkening of his gaze and how he clenched his jaw.
"You would be wise not to lie to me, sir," Nathaniel said carefully, offering far more respect than this miscreant deserved. "We know all about your little schemes, kidnapping women from wealthy families and ransoming them back. Though I suspect from the looks of you three that not one of you came up with such a scheme yourself. Tell us the truth, and I'll have the authorities go easier on you than they shall your leader."
The first man looked unphased by his words, but Nathaniel could tell by the way the other two glanced at each other that they were both considering his proposal.
The sound of footsteps hurrying down the hall towards them seemed to do the trick, and one of the men behind the leader yelled, "Giles came up with the plan. We was only hired to protect the girl."
Nathaniel scoffed at that. From the looks of Louisa, the very last thing they had cared about was her welfare.
The leader turned on his own, smacking the man who had spoken upside his head. A raucous broke out between them as the other man stepped forward to spill more information, clearly unnerved by the men who now swarmed the hallway behind them, leaving no route for escape.
"We should never have taken orders from a nobleman like you, but he was like one of us. Up to his eyeballs in debt, with collectors chasing him. He wanted to restore his family's fortune. Claimed when he became baron after his dad, he'd make us important men too."
Nathaniel had to bite his lip to stop from openly laughing at the man. To him, it was obvious that Giles had told them what they wanted to hear. He almost felt sorry for them, almost.
"I applaud your honesty," he said, shoving his hand in his waistcoat to remove his pocket watch. With one glance at it, he saw it was well past time he returned to his aunt's house. The ladies would likely be going spare at his absence, and the thought of Ella having to deal with her sister alone was no better. "Constable, please take these men away."
The uniformed man standing in the doorway wasted no time in gesturing his men forward, and Nathaniel watched with great pleasure as the three burly thugs were overcome. Clearly, the alcohol had not worn off as entirely as it had seemed.
*
That evening as Nathaniel sat in the library writing a letter to both his and Ella's parents ahead of their return to London, there was a knocking on the door. The feminine nature of the sound made him hopeful that it was Ella. Save for their rescuing her sister, he had not had the opportunity to speak with her since he had made his intentions clear during the midnight hours in her bedroom.
"Come in."
When the door opened, he was more than a little disappointed. His aunt swept into the room in her night things, looking as though she was only a step away from clambering into bed. Yet she smiled warmly to him and said, "I wanted to come and check you were well after the day's events."
Nathaniel sighed deeply. He was still struggling to come to terms with all that had happened, not just with Louisa and Giles but also with himself and Ella and even their servants. Everything still seemed so up in the air even though he had seen Louisa was safe, washed and fed, and resting in the drawing room with her sister. Clearly, Ella was trying everything she could to bring her sister back to some normalcy.
"The thugs have been apprehended, and Mr Giles arrested," Nathaniel explained, sighing once more. It still did not seem enough after all the Gideon family had been put through. "They shan’t be causing any more harm to anyone."
"I am glad to hear it," his aunt responded, stepping further into the room and clicking the door closed. "Though I was not entirely talking about them. I couldn't help noticing the tension between you and Lady Ella at dinner. It almost felt like the night the two of you arrived. I had thought you had both come through whatever was between you when first you arrived."
Nathaniel was surprised by his aunt's openness, but even more so, he was surprised that his and Ella's problems were so obvious.
"I am not sure I know what you mean, Aunt," Nathaniel said, making a point of sealing his letters so he would not have to meet her gaze. "There is nothing between Lady Ella and me. Not since we found her sister."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her raise her eyebrow. "I have known you since you were a boy in drawstrings, Nathaniel, and I do not pretend not to see your pain as your parents so often have. I know you have been lonely and feel less lonely in Lady Ella's presence. I have seen the way you look at her. My question is, have you told her how you truly feel?"
Gritting his teeth, Nathaniel shook his head. "I do not know what you refer to."
His aunt's deep huff only made him feel worse. Deep down, he knew he was lying, even to himself.
