Page 65 of A Duke's Scandalous Obsession
“Yes,” Reginald nodded, stopping only for a single moment, then he continued pacing. “Annabel told me about him just once, but I do remember that she mentioned a scar. It is not very visible though. One would only notice it from up close.”
“On his forehead?” Dominic asked.
“Yes,” Reginald confirmed, his face growing more and more pale with each passing moment.
“That is what the boy said,” Dominic concluded, inhaling deeply. “So, it is safe to assume that Annabel’s husband is back and somehow, he found out about you and her.”
Reginald shrugged. “We tried being discreet, but I do believe that lately, we’ve stopped being so careful.”
“It’s either that or someone saw you,” Timothy pointed out another version, which was equally valid.
“That doesn’t matter now,” Dominic reminded them. “We don’t care how he found out. The fact of the matter is that he did find out, and now he is blackmailing Reginald.”
“Will we get the constable involved?” Timothy inquired.
Dominic turned to him. “What do you think?”
Timothy thought about it for a moment. “I’ve had dealings with blackmailers before. I wouldn’t advise getting the constable involved from the beginning. Their vision of justice might not the same as yours. You always have to keep that in mind. So, my advice would be to call them once everything is done, once Rosie and Annabel are safe. Otherwise, he might not want to tell us where they are, if the constable catches him accepting the ransom money.”
“That’s a good point,” Dominic nodded. “What do you suggest we do, then?”
“The boy told you where George would be tomorrow morning,” Timothy reminded them. “I suggest the three of us go there and wait. Once he hands the boy the letter, we could follow him to see where he goes. Perhaps we will be lucky, and he will lead us right to Annabel and Rosie.”
Something assured Catherine that things never went that easily, not when there was wickedness afoot. “I want to come as well.” She got up from her seat, much to the surprise of all three men present.
“Absolutely not!” Both Reginald and Dominic expressed their opinion in the same words, at the same time.
“The man is dangerous, Cate,” Dominic reminded her gently.
Catherine could see the look of surprise on her brother’s face when Dominic called her Cate, but she chose to ignore it. That was unimportant. What mattered was finding Annabel and Rosie safe and sound.
“Yes, anything could happen,” Reginald added. “I don’t want to have to worry about you too while we are following him.”
“I won’t be a burden,” she flared up. “I want to help.”
“You can help by staying here,” Dominic told her. “Your brother is right. We don’t know what this man is capable of. We will try to follow him if we get the chance, but what if he sees us? What if he leads us into an ambush? What if there are more men than the three of us can handle? I wouldn’t forgive myself if something happened to you, so please… for your own safety, stay home.”
At first, she hated how he seemed to order her to stay home, like an obedient wife, but his subsequent reasoning revealed so much more. He was worried about her. He cared about her. That was why he was telling her to stay home. And she had to admit that it made sense.
“All right,” she nodded, still a little reluctantly, but more appeased at that point.
Dominic walked over to Reginald, resting his hand on his shoulder. “Do you want to stay behind as well?” he asked. “I do not mean to offend you in any way, but like I told your sister, this man is a criminal. He is most probably armed and ready for surprises. Timothy can handle himself well in such situations. I myself… I will probably do fine. Can you remain patient and not attack him? Because that might undermine what we are doing here, trying to prevent the second letter and finding Annabel and Rosie while they are hopefully still unharmed.”
“I will be all right,” Reginald assured him. “I have to go. If we find Annabel, I want to be there when we do.”
“But you have to do exactly what Timothy says,” Dominic reminded him. “He is the one with experience in… shady business.”
Timothy frowned. “Hey now, you’re making it seem as if I’m the criminal here.”
He said it in such mock indignation that everyone had to chuckle.
“Of course not,” Dominic assured him. “No one is saying that. I am merely pointing out your, umm… connections to the underground world of London which you are familiar with.”
“Still not better,” Timothy frowned, but it was all in good jest.
Timothy was far from a criminal, but his parents’ debt and other shady, upper-class affairs led to him have many connections in a world the upper classes frowned upon, while he kept them close and paid them off well for whatever he or his friends needed sorted out. And in the ton, there was always some sorting out to do.
“All right then,” Dominic inhaled deeply. “We are set then. We are to meet here at five thirty, and we’re heading to the designated street. Wear a disguise, gentlemen. The dirtier, the better. We cannot risk being noticed or even mistaken for upper class gentlemen. Everything rests on it.”
