Page 30 of A Lady's Heart Deceived
It was just his luck. There was nothing little about Little Park Street. From the way the houses were numbered, eighty-four was situated a long way down.
Poor Maggie. Piers couldn’t begin to imagine how hard every single step must have been for her. But to her credit, she held her head high and kept going. After hearing her confession about the attacks of nerves, he was keeping a close eye on her, ready to escort her back to St. Mary’s Street the second she began to falter.
When they reached number seventy, Piers caught sight of an elderly gentleman standing in the front yard, casually leaning over the fence. He sensed an opportunity.
“Good afternoon,” Piers said.
The old man took one look at Piers’s officers’ uniform and raised a weathered hand to his head, giving a stiff salute. “Sir.”
“You look like a chap who knows everyone in this street. I would bet a shilling that you have lived here for a great many years.”And seen everything that has happened.
His remark was greeted with a gruff, grumbling chuckle. “Try fifty-three years. This was my wife’s family home; I moved here when we were first married. Been here ever since.”
Capital. Just the sort of man I need.
Piers nodded toward Maggie. “We are seeking the family of an old friend. Robert Taylor. We understand they used to live in this street at number eighty-four. Would you happen to know if the Taylor family is still in residence at that address?”
The old man screwed up his already lined and craggy face. “The rest of the Taylor family moved away a few years back, but Robert didn’t. His house is around the corner. But, if you don’t mind me saying so, you don’t seem the type of people who would mix with the likes of Robert Taylor. You are quality, and he is far from that.”
From the look on his face, it was clear the old man hadn’t thought much of Robert. The hairs on the back of Piers’s neck shifted.
What else had that blackguard done before heading off to London and charming Maggie into falling in love with him?
Concern was now building into deep suspicion. Had Maggie given her heart to an utter cad? One who had lied about everything?
Maggie gave the man a tight smile. “No. It was a different sort of friendship. I was hoping to maybe commission a statue in his honor. To recognize his sacrifice for his country.”
“Why? He hasn’t done anything of note. The only thing he has sacrificed is that shambles of a front garden. And the house needs painting. I’d give him a medal if he got off his arse and did more than drink and gamble.”
He is talking of Robert in the present tense, as if he were still alive. But why?
Doing his best to shake off his growing unease, Piers chanced a glance at Maggie. While she shifted a little on her feet, her eyes were focused firmly on the old man, taking in everything he said. She was an intelligent woman, so there was every chance that her mind was also putting two and two together. And coming up with a horrible outcome.
“You say Robert Taylor moved around the corner—to where, exactly?” asked Piers.
The old man nodded his head in the direction of the opposite side of the street. Piers’s gaze followed. At that part of the street, a narrow lane way with houses on one side of it intersected with Little Park Street.
“He and his wife moved into Cow Lane. Number fifteen, I think. With a growing brood, they needed more room.”
No. He—no!
Even Piers hadn’t seen that one coming.
Chapter Nineteen
Maggie’s mind was a swirl of confusion. The old man must be wrong. He had to have his Taylors mixed up. It was a common enough surname. And there were likely dozens of men called Robert.
He must be mistaken. He has to be.
The other option was all too awful to even consider.
Grabbing a hold of Piers’s sleeve, she tugged hard, desperate to get his attention. When he turned, their gazes met. She silently pleaded with him for them to leave. Her nerves were already starting to unravel.
I don’t want to have an attack in the middle of the street.
He glanced down at her gloved hand gripping tightly to his coat and gave a brief nod.
Message received and understood.
