Page 66 of Mentor to the Marquess
She put her arm around his shoulders and squeezed. “You did the best you could. No one could have predicted that he would suddenly abscond with her.”
When he shot her an incredulous look, she sighed. “I suppose it was not all that unlikely, but that does not mean it is your fault. If you are to blame anyone, blame Mr. Dawson.”
The tips of his fingers were turning white. “They might already be at Gretna Green. What do we do if we get there too late?”
She could not answer that because she shared similar concerns. She had tried to express them to Thel in the carriage, but he had not listened, or perhaps had not heard. He was so focused on recovering his daughter that he had not been receptive to her words.
“We will achieve nothing by sitting here,” she said. “Let us find out what that remarkable smell was. It has been an age since I have had simple fare. My cook is rather fond of elaborate dishes.”
This at least got a chuckle out of him, which was an improvement. She squeezed him once more before following him downstairs.
The noise in the main room was overwhelming, but she focused on the smell of the mutton pie and fresh bread the proprietress placed in front of her when she sat down. It was better than adequate, which explained why it was so busy, when they were far from the nearest town.
Thel consumed his meal in such regular bites that she wondered if he was even tasting it. When he finished, he slid his empty plate away and put his elbows on the table.
“Do you think they came through here?” she whispered. It was not a main road, but it was the most direct route to their destination.
Thel narrowed his eyes. “Perhaps.”
When he did not elaborate, she tried again. “I’ll ask if anyone has seen them.” She began to rise, but Thel put a hand on her thigh and pushed her back down.
“Being so direct won’t do us good,” he said. “Look around. Every single person here is aware of us.”
She searched the room and was dismayed to find that he was right. At least half of the room was blatantly staring at them, and the other half was alternating between sly glances and carefully averting their gazes.
“Are we safe?” she asked. She had very little experience outside of London. Had they made a mistake by stopping? Traveling at night risked them being accosted by highwaymen.
Suddenly, a man in a robe crossed the room and sat down at their table. “Lookin’ for something, guv?”
“A young girl with golden curls. Accompanied by one or more men,” Thel said.
The man shoved his arm across the table, palm up.
Thel somehow retrieved several coins from his pocket without making it obvious where he had stashed them. He dropped four shillings in the man’s hand. The coins vanished, and the man leaned forward, lowering his voice to a hush.
“I ain’t seen the gel, but a toff like you asked the same question, an hour past.”
“Is he here?” Thel asked.
The man shook his head. “Upstairs. Fourth door.” He grinned, showing several missing teeth. “Planned to rustle him. He looked quite the prize.”
Thel slid three more shillings across the table. “Leave him to us.”
The man snatched the coins, then rushed out of the inn as fast as he had appeared at their table.
“Who do you think it is?” Olivia asked. “One of your brothers?” She couldn’t think of anyone else who could’ve learned what had happened and followed them so quickly. Although, given Felix’s involvement in Constance’s predicament, she hoped it was not him.
“Let’s find out,” Thel said.
They climbed the steps and rapped on the door the man mentioned. Olivia stayed close behind Thel, for fear they would be greeted with a revolver. But when the door creaked open, it wasn’t either of Thel’s brothers who looked at them with bags under his eyes.
“Mr. Ringwell, what are you doing here?” she asked. Then she laughed. “Oh, I see. You were coming to stop Constance, weren’t you?”
Mr. Ringwell rubbed his face with his hands. “I told her Dawson was no good, but she wouldn’t listen to me. I couldn’t let him take advantage of her anymore. I was on the way to the house, preparing to knock and ask Connie to marry me, when I passed her and Dawson in a carriage.” He slumped against the doorframe. “She looked so unhappy. If I had been ten minutes earlier…” He shook his head. “Come inside. Let’s talk.”
Ten minutes later, with all of them cramped inside the room, Mr. Ringwell gave the rest of his story. He’d followed the carriage on horseback from a distance until they’d stopped at a house.
“I saw inside,” Mr. Ringwell said. “It is a shambling place but filled with all manner of valuable items. Dawson locked Constance in a room.”
