Page 48 of Masquerading with the Duke
‘What’s that?’ Redrow asked sharply. ‘He is on friendly terms with the duke?’
‘Presumably so.’
‘I was unaware that they were acquainted.’ Redrow let out a string of soft oaths. ‘I don’t like it.’
‘Well, I did what I could. You’ll have to get John to have a snoop.’ The man gave an indignant sniff. ‘Jared won’t suspect him, not like he does his own brother.’
‘Well then, since you’ve failed to find the evidence I need, we’ll have to revert to my alternate plan.’
‘Oh no! I didn’t agree to that.’ There was so much fear in Arthur Braden’s voice that Martina, filled with curiosity, risked peeping round the side of the building. Redrow was attempting to thrust a bundle of papers into Arthur’s hand, but Arthur was pushing them away again, as though fearing contamination. ‘I told you that Ididn’t suspect Jared but you insisted that there was no smoke without fire. I have never heard the rumours you insist abound regarding his loyalty. You are more in the know than I am in that regard, being in the thick of things yourself, so I took your word for it. If there was evidence to be found, I agreed to try and find it. There was not, and I will not plant false clues, so there’s an end to the matter.’
‘It’s a little late to develop a conscience,’ Redrow replied, his voice a rumbling threat. ‘You would be well advised to remember that I still hold your vowels and can destroy you.’
‘Why are you so keen to brand Jared as the traitor?’ A good question, Martina thought, and one she would like to know the answer to herself. ‘Do the two of you have history or are you looking for a convenient scapegoat?’
‘My reasons are my own.’
‘You tell me that my brother ain’t a loyal Englishman.’
‘How else did he get so rich so quickly?’
‘That’s the only reason why I believed you and was willing to look for evidence.’
‘For a price,’ Redrow reminded him. ‘Seems to me that no one in your family knows the meaning of loyalty.’
Arthur let out a low growl. ‘Keep a civil tongue in your head, man.’
‘Ha!’ Redrow sneered. ‘You have no claim to the moral high ground.’
‘Perhaps you’re the traitor.’
Martina nodded, inclined to agree with him.
‘Be very careful what rumours youput about,’ Redrow said in a chilling tone.
‘Look, I don’t have a lot of time for my ungrateful excuse for a brother, but I was never convinced when you told me he was a traitor. That’s why I agreed to look for the evidence you insist exists, and I’ll tell you again that I didn’t find any.’
Redrow let out a long-suffering sigh. ‘Just do what I told you to with those papers and you have my word that I will tear up your vowels. You will be solvent again.’ Redrow paused and muttered almost to himself. ‘At least until your next loss at the tables.’
‘But what if Jared is innocent?’
‘He isn’t, trust me on this. He’s just too clever to be caught. You want to prove yourself, don’t you, and avenge the way you were reviled following the doubts that surfaced about your father’s allegiances?’
‘Of course I damned well do.’ A gasp of protest slipped past Martina’s lips. ‘What was that? Is somebody there?’
Arthur looked over his shoulder, his expression wary. Martina pressed her body against the wall, heart palpitating as she attempted to make herself invisible, hoping against hope that they wouldn’t come to investigate. If they did, there was nowhere for her to hide, no excuse for her to offer, and she knew that she could expect no mercy from Redrow. Her pulse raced and she felt perspiration drench her body.
‘No one uses this passage except the whores, and they only come out at night.’ Martina released her breath when neither of them came to investigate . ‘Must have been a dog you heard. Anyway, as I was saying, show some backbone. Do this for me and I shall ensure that rumours abound showing you in a heroic light.’
Martina could almost hear the clogs in Arthur’s slow brain turning over.Don’t do it!She wanted to scream the words aloud. Surely he could see Redrow for what he was; a desperate, frightened man, anxious to divert suspicion away from himself.
‘Jared, I remember him when he was–’
‘For the love of God, man, just…’
The rest of Redrow’s scathing retort was lost to Martina when someone crept up behind her, put a hand on her mouth and pulled her away from the corner.
‘Don’t struggle,’ a calm voice that she didn’t recognise said. ‘I won’t harm you but you need to move away from here before you’re seen.’
